Cauliflower Pineapple Curry

I wanted to make the cauliflower rice with mango that Michelle posted earlier this month, but I only had the cauliflower (and was tired) so I made this instead. It only takes a few minutes and is all done on the stovetop, so no heating up the oven. Now I need to buy another head of cauliflower so I can make Michelle's recipe!

Quick Cauliflower & Pineapple Curry

1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the cauliflower for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and pineapple and cook for another couple minutes, stirring until the garlic is fragrant and only slightly toasted. Add the curry paste and mix until it coats everything. If using, add a little heavy cream (or half & half) and stir. Cook for another minute or so and add the green onions.

Cauliflower Rice + Roasted Mango

This is all I want to eat right now. Can I just say that cauliflower is the coolest? You can make steak, couscous, or even purée out of one vegetable. I also like to eat the leaves. I used purple cauliflower because SPRING! Also the mango "chutney" goes really well with the curried cauliflower. I decided to just roast the fruit since the oven was on anyways. This recipe is from Comfy Belly. Next time I make it, I'll probably make the dal too. I just didn't have red lentils on hand.

We spent Easter at the beach. It's off season which means all the dogs are allowed on the boardwalk and beach. Though the water was freezing, Rex still went for a swim. This was probably the happiest I've seen him since summer. Lots of boardwalk fries were definitely consumed. We also found this amazing donut place called the Fractured Prune that makes each batch fresh and allow you to choose your own toppings. Our favorites were blueberry, lemonade, and Rolo! Everyone come visit and we can have all the donuts!!

Cauliflower Rice:
1 head cauliflower
spices- turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cardamom
sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roughly chop cauliflower into large pieces. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle any amount of the spices you want. I did equal parts turmeric, cumin, and cardamom. Then just a bit of cayenne and sea salt.

Roast for 15 minutes, let cool a bit. Then put cauliflower a bit at a time into a food processor or vitamix on setting 3. The cauliflower will turn into rice like granules! Since I included the leaves, some parts were stringy but I didn't mind. Place the rice into a large bowl to serve. I warmed mine in the oven right before serving.
Another good addition would be some sautéed onion which I forgot.

Roasted Mango:
2 mangoes, peeled and cubed
1 red pepper, diced

Line another baking pan with parchment paper and add the prepared fruits. Drizzle with olive oil, some salt, and a drizzle of honey. Roast for 25 minutes until pepper is cooked through. Let cool and place in a separate bowl from rice.

Roasted Kale and Brussels Sprouts:

I just used TJ's shredded kale and greens mix, drizzled olive oil, and roasted for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until crispy.

Yogurt Dressing (original recipe did a cucumber mint raita)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp dried dill

Mix and let sit for as long as you can before serving.

Combine rice and mango into individual serving bowls to serve and top with the yogurt drizzle.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro pesto

I've been dreaming about making this cauliflower all day at work. It's a perfect cool, fall day for roasting vegetables in the oven. This is a take on the traditional tandoori roasted cauliflower. I decided to not make my own tandoori spice mix because of a lack of time. Instead, I mixed a couple different spices together and slathered it on the cauliflower. On the side we had some cilantro pesto that I had made earlier and some pickled red onion.

For the Spice Rub:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp curry powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the stem of the cauliflower so it lays flat on a baking sheet. Then mix the spices with the yogurt and lemon juice. Spread the mixture generously all over the head of cauliflower.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Baking times will vary based on your oven and the size of the vegetable.
To serve: Slice and garnish with cilantro pesto and pickled red onions. Laura also made a lemon tahini (plus yogurt) dressing to go with some squash. It goes really well on the cauliflower too.

Cilantro Pesto (I found this recipe in a magazine a couple years ago and I've been making it ever since):

1/3 cup cashews (raw or toasted)
1 tsp curry
1 large bunch cilantro, just the leaves and the tender parts of the stems
salt and pepper
olive oil

Place the cashews (I've even used hazlenuts) and the curry into a food processor until chopped. Then add the leaves and process again. Add enough olive oil to form a paste. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes more than you need as a garnish. This pesto is great on some raw zucchini noodles or even cooked zucchini.

Matar Paneer

I made this for our picnic after picking blueberries on the fourth of July. We got to pet farm animals and we got porch furniture. Best day ever! The recipe is from the blog Show me the Curry. The paneer was homemade. Check out the post on homemade cheese to make it yourselves.

Ingredients:

plenty of oil
1 whole bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1 tsp dried cardamom
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 knob ginger
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
1 handful mint, chopped
Paneer, cubed (I used 1/2 of what I made)
Salt – to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1 package Frozen Green Peas (16 oz)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Whey, vegetable broth, or water as needed

Method:

1. Heat a medium size pan on medium heat.
2. Add in some oil and allow it to heat up.
3. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves, and cardamom powder.
4. Add in the chopped onions and stir for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add in the ginger, garlic and jalapeno.
6. Cook until the onions are golden brown in color. Then use an immersion blender to roughly blend the majority of the onion in the pan.
7. Add the cumin and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
8. Add in the frozen green peas. Add enough whey to just barely cover the peas.
9. Add in the cayenne powder and salt. Mix well.
10. Cover and cook until the Peas are tender for about 7 minutes.
11. Add the cubed paneer to the peas and mix in.
12. Lower heat and add in the yogurt and the chopped mint. Mix well.
13. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve over rice with fresh mint!

Thai Curry with Rice

This dish was made for my lovely sisters, as they spent a week with me in Pittsburgh. This meant I had to be continuously feeding them since they are always hungry. We had lots of fun blueberry picking and touring Duquesne and Pitt. We also dyed the monkey's hair purple! Also this is from online somewhere...

Ingredients:

•2 shallots, thinly sliced
•1 thumb-size piece galangal, minced
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•2 chilies, minced (I used jalapenos!)
•1 Tbsp ground coriander
•1 tsp ground cumin
•2 tsp ground turmeric
•1/3 tsp ground black pepper
•2 bay leaves
•1 cup vegetable stock
•1 can chickpeas (drained)
•2 carrots, sliced
•2-3 cups broccoli and cauliflower, chopped
•1 large potato, cubed
•1 can coconut milk (full fat)
•3 Tbsp soy sauce
•3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 small limes)
•2 Tbsp brown sugar
•2 Tbsp ketchup
•1/2 tsp. whole cumin seed
•1/4 cup fresh Thai basil 

To make:

Stir fry shallots, ginger, garlic, and chili for 2 minutes. Add the dry spices: coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and bay leaves.

Add the chickpeas, carrot,  potato, and broccoli/cauliflower, stirring well. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables.

Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Then add the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer. While simmering, add the soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and ketchup. Finally, add the whole cumin seed. Continue simmering until vegetables are cooked to your liking.

Serve over rice and top with plenty of fresh thai basil.