Cauliflower- Mashed Potatoes

I have tried a few recipes that substitute some of the potatoes with cauliflower for a healthier option. I have not liked them so far...and some of them are quite involved when it comes to combine it all... but this one is really good and pretty simple. (though, I have found with any of them that they are not actually that much healthier, as you add ingredients to make them taste better...)

Sorry, the only picture I have of them is with a bat wing on top... and we only need to see those once... Just picture mashed potatoes in your mind, and you've pretty much got it down. But you can see the entire dinner here.

Cauliflower-Mashed Potatoes
makes 8 servings

{ingredients}
4 quarts water
2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, cubed. (the great thing about these potatoes is that they do not need to be peeled though you can peel them if you want a smoother texture. They also make very creamy mashed potatoes.)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 c. butter, softened (I didn't soften my butter, just tossed it in with the steaming potatoes. It melts fast enough...)
2 (5.2 oz) packages garlic and herb cheese spread instead I used... a package of the Philadelphia's Savory Garlic Cooking Cream
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

{directions}
In a large pot, combine water and salt. Add potatoes and cauliflower. Bring to a boil over over medium-high heat. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until tender. (The smaller you cut, the faster they cook)

Drain well, and return to hot pot. Add butter, and cheese spread cooking cream. Mash with a potato masher until butter and cheese cream is melted. Season with a little salt and pepper, stirring to combine well.

I may have to try this recipe with the cheese spread, just to compare. But everyone thought they tasted great.

Shrimp with Cauliflower Puree

This one also came out of a Cooking Light magazine. It looked so good I had to try it... again, I've adapted it to my taste and my budget so the end product came out nothing like the original recipe... I'll say that it "inspired" me to creating this recipe... :) Its light, colorful, and wonderful.

Seared Scallops Shrimp with Cauliflower Puree

{ingredients}
2 c. chopped cauliflower florets
1 c. cubed, peeled Yukon gold potato {I didn't have Yukon, we went with Russet... worked fine.}
1 c. water
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. canola oil
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops shrimp
3/4 tsp. salt- divided
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

{directions}
1. Bring cauliflower, potato, water, and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat. Let stand, uncovered 10 minutes
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Pat scallops dry with paper towels; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and black pepper. Add scallops to pan. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove scallops from pan. {scallops are pricey and as of right now our budget will only allow for them extremely discounted. one day I will try this recipe with scallops... but for now, shrimp works marvelously...}
3. Pour cauliflower mixture in a blender. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, butter and red pepper. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Serve puree with scallops.

Bonus recipe:
{this came with it and it adds so much to this dish, I wouldn't make this dish without this part... and I've made it twice)

Tarragon, Carrots, and Peas:
Place 1 cup sugar snap peas and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup matchstick-cut carrot and 1 1/2 tsp. butter; cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp chopped tarragon, 1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar, and 1/8 tsp salt.

*disclaimer... I didn't have tarragon... and didn't use vinegar... but it added crunch and flavor to the dinner above.

Fresh Asparagus Soup

I keep thinking we should take this blog off the internet since we are so unfaithful in posting recipes, but then I get a GREAT new recipe from a friend or a class I've gone to, and I'm sure everyone needs it. The problem is that I usually make it and forget to take a picture before we eat it. Then I think I will post it next time I make it. . .

I have not made this recipe yet, but decided it would be a great St. Patrick's Day dinner. I am posting it now in case you want to use it. It is green -- nothing scary -- just a pretty light green. I also need you to understand that I am not a fan of asparagus, but can't wait to make this. When we got to taste this soup at the class I was at, everyone loved it. After class, I noticed many of the attendees were in the produce section looking for asparagus. I like this soup because I don't have to eat chunks of veggies, it is pureed.

Option: Make the same soup except use broccoli instead of asparagus.

Fresh Asparagus Soup

1 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends discarded, and cut into 1" segments

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

1/2 cup plain yogurt do not get vanilla yogurt. The teacher used sour cream because she didn't have the yogurt. She prefers the yogurt though.

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Place asparagus and onion in a saucepan with 1/2 cup broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender. Place remaining vegetable mixture in an electric blender and puree until smooth. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let the heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters.

Melt butter in the pan that was used for simmering the asparagus and onions. Stir while sprinkling flour, salt, and pepper into the butter. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook only 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan.

Whisk yogurt into the mixture, followed by lemon juice. Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Parmesan Potato Wedges

Here's a great side dish to serve with your favorite grilled meat.

Cut up the amount of potatoes you need for the number of people you are feeding (use russet, red, or fingerlings) It doesn't matter the size you cut them, but try and make them even so that cooking time will be the same for each piece.

Melt 1/3 c. butter and mix with 1 tsp. minced garlic (I used the bottled kind), 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (the kind in the green bottle), and 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Coat the potato wedges with the butter mix and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes. It might take a little longer if you went for potato wedges instead of smaller bit size pieces.

I put my butter mix in a ziploc bag and then added my potatoes and shook them up. The only problem I had was that my potatoes were cold (they had been out in my garage) and the butter solidified and made it hard to coat the pieces. I haven't had that problem before.

Great served with ranch dressing

**Here's a recipe card for you!

Chili Con Queso Dip

This is a favorite every time I make it for parties. It is the easiest recipe, tastes good, and goes a long way! I quote a roommate when she so adoringly said, "I wish I was a chip so I could just bathe in this..." :) Most recently I made this for Halloween and had several requests for it. So here it is! :) The all-famous queso dip!

{ingredients}
1 lb Velveeta cheese- cubed
1 bunch green onions- chopped
2 cans chili con carne (without beans)
1 can chopped green chilies
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese {*optional*, but I like to add it}

{directions}
mix all ingredients and bake in oven @ 250 for 1 hr. OR
put in a slow cooker until melted and warm {if you spray your slow-cooker before then there is less burnt}
{serve warm with corn or tortilla chips}

*here's the recipe*

Jambalaya

{ingredients}
3 lbs pork sausage {we used Johnsonville bratwurst cut into slices. it was about 1 1/2 lbs}
2 lbs chicken (boneless skinless) {make sure you boil it in enough water... you can use is for the chicken broth}
1 onion- chopped {I used 1/2 of a larger-medium one...}
2 c. celery {I don't like cooked celery, and neither does my husband so I opted out of this one...}
1 c. green pepper- chopped
4-5 garlic cloves- whole
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes- do not drain
1 TBSP brown sugar
3 bay leaves {if you don't have whole leaves... just guess with the crushed stuff... its okay}
3 TBSP dried basil {I only used 2...}
4 c. chicken broth {it is important that you have 4 cups... we tried it with 2 and ended up needing 2 more cups, we used water and it turned out okay}
1 1/2- 2 tsp salt
6-10 shakes hot sauce (Tobasco) {now for those true southern people, we didn't use Tobasco, we used Tony Chachere's seasoning to give it the spicy kick}
3 1/2 c. instant rice

{directions}
{you will want a very large pot or pan with taller sides for this recipe}
1. Using a large pot brown sausage, remove and set aside.
2. In same pot, lightly brown chicken, remove and set aside {we boiled our chicken to get the chicken broth... and we did not brown the chicken. It tasted great, but I would be interested if it makes a big enough difference}
3. Wilt onions, celery, bell peppers, and add garlic cloves at end of cooking {wilt: put in the pan and let it warm up a little... its not quite browning... but somewhat close. As for the garlic, just drop them in, the sauces and spices all merge together.}
4. Melt brown sugar on top of veggies- be careful not to burn
5. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, hot sauce {or Tony's}, salt, and basil.
6. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Adjust seasonings- salt and hot sauce
8. Add rice, stir and turn heat to very low, barely simmering.
9. Cover and cook until rice is tender and most of the juice has been absorbed by rice- adjust with more or less rice or chicken {honestly... I have no idea what the adjusting means... so after I added the rice I added the chicken and sausage to my liking and simmered it with the rice. It gives the flavor a chance to soak into the meat as well.}

{Serve with anything. Particularly delicious is a side of corn bread and honey butter... but if you choose to serve it with a soup you can turn it into gumbo if you'd like! }

Bon apitit!

{This honestly makes a lot of stuff, I fed five and we only touched about half. It took about 45 minutes to make and its ready to serve right out of the pan!}