WTF is "Caulfredo"?

Cauliflower is being used in all sorts of recipes that normally it would have no business being part of. I've seen recipes out there for cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower mashed potatoes; and cauliflower rice. But never had I heard of cauliflower alfredo sauce, aka "Caulfredo", until now. I honestly thought it was going to be terrible when I heard about it, but it knocked my socks off and I had to share this recipe with everyone immediately.

You don't have to be lactose intolerant or follow a Paleo diet to enjoy this delicious recipe. Except for an extremely mild cauliflower presence, only in the sweetness at the middle notes of the flavor, it is pretty much uncanny to regular alfredo (but way healthier).

"Caulfredo" (Mock Alfredo Sauce)

Yields: 2+ C

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, chopped (small for faster cooking)
1 onion, diced
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 C chicken stock
1/4 C coconut milk
2 T clarified butter (ghee)
2 t oil
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, heat 2 t oil and add onion and garlic. Sauté until softened and onions are transluscent, about five minutes.

Add chopped cauliflower and chicken stock. Cover until cauliflower is tender. Add coconut milk and remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, blend cauliflower mixture until the sauce is absolutely FREE of lumps. Add ghee, salt & pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg. Blend quickly to incorporate spices. Serve hot over zoodles (zucchini julienned and sautéed ), cooked spaghetti squash, or even regular pasta.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Paleo Morning Glory Muffins

After a lot of unhealthy food choices lately, I've decided to start eating Paleo again. It just gives me more energy and makes me feel so much better. One of my favorite things about this dietary choice is that you can make a lot of the same foods you love, you may just have to tweak the recipe.

Morning glory muffins are probably my favorite. I've been craving them lately, so I decided to come up with a simple dairy-free, gluten-free recipe. These muffins are healthy, filling and sweet with a hint of spice from cinnamon and cardamom.

Paleo Morning Glory Muffins

Yields: 9 muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 C almond flour
1/2 C mashed sweet potato
1/4 C shredded carrot 
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C walnuts
1/4 C palm sugar
2 eggs
2 T chia/flax/hemp seeds
2 t vanilla extract
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cardamom
1 t baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with papers, or grease the pan.

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until well blended. Divide into muffin wells and bake 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from the pan... consume!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!