cauliflower fritters

Last night was miserable.

Honestly, since we've had Hazel, she had not once kept us up at night.

She was a wonderful puppy,, and has graduated from sleeping in her kennel at night to sleeping peacefully in her bed next to my side of the room.

Well that was until last night, when she conveniently decided to keep me up.  She apparently decided she was going to sleep in our bed...in the middle of the night!  Around 1am she began jumping in, only to be abruptly kicked out.  Hazel even got so bold as to bring her bone into the bed around 2am when she was immediately put in her kennel in another room. She then whined and cried until 4am.  I couldn't take it anymore, so I took her outside, and when she came back in she RACED to the bed.  At this point she woke David up who firmly told her to get in her bed.  She obeyed and didn't move again until I had to get up at 5am.

Needless to say, it was a long day today.  But she has made up for her crazy night with lots of cuddles since I've been home from work. And napping.

Now that I have vented all about my sleepless night, let me tell you about something wonderful.  I talk about cauliflower a lot, and we frequently have it in different forms for dinner.  While scouring Pinterest for healthy recipes, I came across some cauliflower fritters.  They included bread crumbs, which I can't eat, so I just left them out and added a few other things!

They turned out so good!  Definitely a new addition to our rotating menu of side items.  To be honest, I was a little skeptical, but they were seriously delicious.

Cauliflower Fritters

1 bag frozen cauliflower

1 egg

1 egg white

1/4 tsp parsley

1/4 cup colby jack shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  Heat up skillet and cover with cooking spray.  Make cauliflower patties and place in skillet.  Cook until each side browns.  About 3 minutes per side!

Serve warm and enjoy!

zucchini fettuccine with chicken

This weekend I am dog sitting our family dog, Charley.  Her and Hazel have spent some time around each other this summer, but today was out of the ordinary... they have not fought at all.

They haven't even wanted to play.  Just sleep in different places all over.

Specifically, Charley on the couch and Hazel in Charley's TINY bed. NEXT to hers!

These dogs are just crazy.

However, they gave me the perfect opportunity to play with my new gadget in the kitchen!  Last week I ordered a Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable. And it is AWESOME!

I had been eyeing a few different recipes on Pinterest and then created something by putting a few of them together.  I was nervous, but it got the hubs nod of approval tonight as he ate it all up!

My veggie spiral makes three different blades.  Two blades make spaghetti noodles in different sizes and the third slices thinly.  I began by slicing up all my noodles.  If you didn't have a veggie spiral you could just cut noodles.  My zucchini spaghetti was beautiful!

I used a recipe for cauliflower alfredo sauce that I found on Pinch of Yum, with a few adjustments, to throw together a low-carb version of fettuccine.  There is one thing you should know about me if I've never mentioned it before...

I LOVE PASTA.

It might be my Italian side, but I love it in all forms.

Unfortunately, I can't have it :( :( :( So when the possibility of a yummy substitute started floating around in my mind, it was all I could think about.  So without further ado, here it is!

Zucchini Fettuccine with Chicken

For the zucchini pasta:

4 zucchinis

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp EVOO

For the cauliflower sauce:

1 head of cauliflower

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

6 cups of vegetable broth or water

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

Parmesan to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 and baked a couple pieces of chicken to shred for the fettuccine.  I just sprinkle some garlic powder and seasoned salt on them to taste.

Spiral zucchini and press all water out.  Set aside.

Cut of cauliflower into florets and boil in vegetable broth for 10 minutes or until soft.  While the cauliflower is boiling, melt butter and garlic in a skillet.  Once cauliflower is soft, put it into your food processor.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the broth it boiled in, milk, salt, pepper, butter and garlic, and parmesan.  Blend until smooth.  I used more milk and broth than the original recipe called for to make it more sauce-like.

I then heat up the butter, garlic and EVOO for the zucchini noodles.  After the butter is melted, I put the  noodles in and toss them around for about 7-8 minutes.  

I plated the noodles, topped them with sauce and chicken.  It was truly amazing.  

Seriously, we gobbled it right up and it was so easy to make!

I hope you enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Courtney

Roasted Cauliflower and Vermont Cheddar Soup

I'm trying my best to make it through this blog post before cleaning my computer screen.

The puppy doesn't understand what the computer does and continually puts her nose prints and tongue on it.

She also thinks she hears the hubs coming home every 5 minutes and RUNS to the front door.

Hopefully one day she will figure out it's the TV?

Tonight I was on my own for dinner, well actually, I am pretty much on my own all week because of law school (cry...sniff...cry).  And this rainy Monday has left me craving soup!  The hubs doesn't mind too much because he gets to take yummy food to school for lunch!  He has since come home, tried the soup and professed his undying love for it... and me :)

I have been dying to try this recipe ever since I pinned it!

My more recent love for cauliflower led to daydreams about this creamy soup.

I DEFINITELY recommend it! Go make this NOW!

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged NE White Cheddar Soup

Makes about 4-6 servings.

1 head of cauliflower

1 small onion

1 tsp thyme

2 garlic cloves (minced)

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cups white aged cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

olive oil

Roast cauliflower florets at 400 for 20 minutes.

Dice up small onion and begin sauteing in pot with olive oil.

Stir in 2 garlic cloves and thyme for about one minute.

Add chicken broth and roasted cauliflower, bring to boil.

Once boiling, bring back down to simmer and cover for 20 minutes.

Using immersion blender (hand blender), blend until soup consistency.

Add in cheese, stir until melted in.  Do not boil cheese.

Add in milk and stir.

Now... ENJOY :)

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

This weekend has been so much fun! Friday night, David and I went on date night as usual.

We watched the end of the Braves game at dinner and saw the in-fly ball call.

Let's just say, so far, not a good weekend for Georgia sports.

However, I still love my Dawgs!

David and I threw a little get together for the game last night.

But more on that another time!

Onto the food!

The challenge I have found with a low-carb diet is coming up with good side dishes.

I am a creature of habit.

Once I find something I love (for example, mashed cauli) I wear it out.

So I've been searching for something different, something yummy that is not just frozen veggies.

And something easy.

Let me preface this recipe by saying, you will not be able to control yourself.

In fact, David and I tried it before plating it for dinner and had to stop ourselves so we would have some left!  This recipe is SO good and SO easy and SO addicting!

And being the creature of habit that I am, we ate it as a side TWICE last week!

I hope you love them as much as we do!

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

Fresh cut green beans

Mushrooms

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to your liking

Parmesan to your liking

Then follow these EASY directions...

Toss everything into a baggie.

Shake it up! Cover everything.

I've been shake it up, coating it and letting it sit until the oven preheats!

Spread everything out on a baking sheet.

Make sure you spray it so nothing sticks!

And YUM!

I hope you enjoy!!

We definitely have!

my mama is awesome :)

My mama is super awesome.  For a lot of reasons. I don't talk about her enough on my blog.

I was feeling a little homesick today after seeing my parents for just a short time yesterday.

David and I took care of Charley while they went to the UGA game.  She was so precious and sweet. It was really fun!

Today, I forgot to get cauliflower at the grocery store and I had this weird feeling I was supposed to go to Walmart to get it.  I was just walking around (with no particular plan in mind and FOUR bags of frozen cauli).  I had thought about getting a pumpkin to sit out for the fall season.  I was thinking about this pretty glass pumpkin my mama always puts out.  She keeps candy corn in it all season.

Just as I had this thought, I turned around and saw one that looked just like hers!  It was only $5, so needless-to-say it now sits on my dining room table with candy corn in it.  While I can't eat it, I know David will enjoy it.  And my homesickness has subsided, because now I have a piece of home here :)

I've been using my crockpot a lot lately.  My amazing mama suggested a recipe she found for Balsamic Chicken.  Yesterday I prepared it, and today we ate it.  AMAZING.  I'm seriously in love!

Let me tell you, my mama knows everything.

I put this yummy meal on before Church and it was ready when we got home!

Inside this pot you will find:

6 pieces of chicken breast (uncooked)

1 tsp Rosemary, Oregano, Basil

1/2 tsp Thyme

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Oil

1 can of diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)

1 onion (sliced, not diced)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Only 4 hours on high!

This is what the chicken looked like plated.  We had mashed cauli and black eyed peas with it!  This recipe was super easy and so good!  We absolutely loved it.

Way to go mama!  Thank you for an amazing recommendation!

I hope you had a great weekend!

I Did It!!!

I made the cauliflower pizza!!! It was so good (and easy)!  David is never skeptical when I tell him about my cooking ambitions.  But when I said, cauliflower pizza crust, I knew he was wondering how it would taste (as was I), it sounds weird!  However, we loved it!  It tasted just like pizza!

All that went into the crust was cauliflower, 1 egg, and seasoning!  First, I turned my cauliflower head into "rice" via my favorite kitchen appliance, the food processor.  I then steamed it on the stove.  Make sure you pat out all of the moisture afterwards.

Once I mixed the ingredients together, I patted out my crust and baked it at 450 for 30 minutes, or until you've reached the crispiness that you like!  Then I turned my oven to broil, added my toppings, and put it back in for about 6 minutes.  

It was so yummy!  I will definitely be making this dish for us again!

Just like real pizza, but gluten free/no carb!

YAY!

Have you tried cauliflower pizza? What are your thoughts?

cauliflower pizza

I have been extremely under the weather this week.  Some bug has gotten me and apparently refuses to leave! UGH!  I've done lots of sleeping, sleeping, and sleeping.... and just trying to recover!  My volleyball girls made me this sweet Get Well card!  It definitely helped!

I have had time to get over prepared for this coming week though!  And if I haven't made it obvious, I love cauliflower!  There are SO MANY uses for it!  When I learned that you can make pizza crust our of it, well I was sold.  And I love pizza, SO MUCH!  I'm looking so forward to trying it this week!  I will let you know how mine turns out!  Look how yummy it looks!

what to cook?

The official countdown to my wedding is now 4 DAYS!!!!! I'm over the top excited :) :)

However, this blog is going to be about after the wedding. And after the honeymoon.

It's about food.

I feel as if the first meal I cook as a married woman is an important one.  So I have very carefully selected several dishes -all Pinterest and blog inspired- to choose from.  AND I would MUCH appreciate having your opinion on the matter!  So let me know what you think would be the most memorable first meal for my new hubby in my comments!

Oh and did I mention this is a 3 course meal?  Well, it is.  And carb-free/low-carb, sugar free?  Well, it is.  Setting my goals high people.

Possible Appetizers

Cauliflower Pizza

Skinny Spinach Dip

Hot Chorizo and Cheese Dip

Possible Dishes

White Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Picatta

Possible Sides to a Chicken Dish

Zucchini Cakes (No Flour Added!)

Fake Mashed Potatoes! (I've been dying to try these!)

Possible Dessert

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie 

 

Okay, I know the Peanut Butter Pie doesn't look sugar free, but it is flour free and I can do a lot with the ingredients to get the sugar out!  But again, let me know if you have any suggestions?  What are your favorite main dishes, etc.?

Getting excited!

Love,

caluiflower poppers

Lately, I've been contemplating the idea of going gluten-free. My only qualm with it is whether or not I will be able to feed a very hungry man enough food when we get married. If you have any tips or suggestions please let me know. Otherwise, for now I'm going to stick to a low-glycemic diet.

However, low-glycemic doesn't mean I can't look for ways to make healthy food yummy too right? I mean, what is more fun that healthy food that comes in the form of unhealthy food? These cauliflower poppers are to die for and wait for it.... it's good for you! Again, this wonderful recipe was found at Delighted Momma.

All you will need is cauliflower, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Let's get real... that's easy! I love it when healthy food is easy! I followed her recipe exactly and it was perfect. You can find it at the link above!