Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower

Sometimes I can't be bothered to cook a real dinner from scratch. Tonight was one of those nights. We had an Indian feast, but I could hardly call it cooking. I bought samosas from the grocery store, tikka masala sauce in a jar, and fresh naan bread. Oh, I made rice. And the other thing I made was this delicious cauliflower. It isn't Indian by any stretch, but it went well with the meal with a small adaptation. I've made it the original way as well. Cauliflower is cheap, in season, healthy, and delicious. You can't go wrong. Here's my version of the original recipe, posted by Shellery on Allrecipes.com.

2-3 cloves minced garlic
olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
grated Parmesan cheese to taste
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the garlic and cauliflower into a large resealable bag. Add enough olive oil to coat the cauliflower lightly.

Bake in casserole dish or roasting pan for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Preheat the broiler. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley and broil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

*To serve with Indian food, just leave out the Parmesan and parsley. No need to broil.

Homemade Applesauce

I've been an absentee blogger lately, but I had to stop what I was doing and add this recipe. It is fantastic! The only time-consuming part is peeling the apples, then you just throw everything in the oven and ignore it for awhile. The recipe is adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I made it to use up a bag of apples we had and immediately ate it warm for dessert after dinner. It has a great autumn flavor.

Zest and juice of 1 large naval orange
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
7 apples, I used some local British ones
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large knob of unsalted butter, about the size of a walnut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and toss them into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. (I used a ceramic casserole dish). Add the zest and juice of the orange and lemon half. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Cut the butter in 2 or 3 pieces and add to the pot. Cover with a lid or foil. Bake for one hour, or until all the apples are soft. Mash with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: the Barefoot Contessa's recipe calls for about twice as much butter, but I didn't think it was necessary.

Baked Risotto with Asparagus, Spinach, and Parmesan

I made this side dish for the first time last night and it was amazing! It was easy to make and and you just put the pot into the oven after you're done with cooking the dish on the stove. Very simple!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
5 oz package of fresh spinach
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
~1 1/2 cups grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups (1-inch) diagonally sliced asparagus

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add rice; stir well. Stir in spinach, broth, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer; cook 7 minutes. Stir in 1 cup cheese.

Cover dutch oven and bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Stir in asparagus; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed.

4 servings

Herbed Basmati Rice

This is my go-to rice. It's simple, flavorful, and can be served with a wide variety of cuisines.

2 teaspoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 cup chicken broth (or water for a veggie dish, but the broth makes it more flavorful)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops (I omit)
~1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
~ 1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in rice. Add broth, salt and dried herbs and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each)

Spanish Rice

This rice is infinitely better than the boxed Spanish rice you can get at the store. It goes great with with any Mexican/Spanish meal. I find that the amount of broth used should be approximately what your box of rice indicates, so you shouldn't just automatically use 3 cups broth for 1 1/2 cups rice. I say approximately because I use a little less broth than what my box of rice says due to the addition of the tomato sauce.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice, such as Texmati
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery (some grocery stores sell celery by the stalk, so you don't have to buy a bunch)
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
~ 2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups chicken broth (or water, to make it a vegetarian rice)
1 (8 0z.) can tomato sauce

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the rice until it is golden brown. Add the vegetables and seasonings, and continue to sauté for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Add the chicken broth and the tomato sauce, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for the time indicated on your box of rice.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Big Crunchy Salad

This has become a staple dish at our annual IT potluck. It also makes an annual appearance at Brizendine Christmas Eve dinner.

Salad:
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 head Nappa cabbage (I prefer purple cabbage for the color)
1 red pepper
(Chop as much of the above ingredients as is needed for number of people.)

1 package Ramen noodles – chicken flavor
1 small package sliced almonds
1 tbl butter

Crush noodles. In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and brown noodles and almonds. Stir continuously – you may need more butter. Right before mix turns light brown, add chicken flavor packet. Stir a few more minutes until light brown and crunchy.

Dressing:
(Mix together and shake or whisk)
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. black Pepper
1 T garlic powder.

Toss all three together just before serving.