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!

The Double Pork and Beef Burger

Even though they are dead easy to make, burgers are not something I normally cook at home (I actually think burgers are usually better from restaurants...). I'd been craving a good burger for a while though, and I just started The Whole 30 again on January 1st, so I knew ordering one from a restaurant was out of the question. Luckily I've found an excellent butcher shop right near my place and I was able to use top quality, organic grain-fed meat to accomplish the squandering of my burger craving.

Everyone who knows anything about burgers knows that it's not really a burger without bacon. I honestly built this burger around the double smoked bacon I picked up from Nosso Tahlo on Bloor St. W. Instead of a bun, I used two fresh rings of red onion. I topped the burgers with carmelized onions, portobello mushrooms, and more bacon (hollaaaaaaa!). I won't waste anymore time talking about it, I will just dive in and explain how to make these bad boys:

The Double Pork and Beef Burger

Yields 4 burgers

Ingredients:

1/3 lb lean ground pork

1/3 lb lean ground beef

1/3 lb bacon, finely diced + 4 strips, also finely diced

1 shallot, minced 

1 medium onion, finely diced 

1/2 portobello mushroom, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Handful fresh parsley, finely diced 

Salt, pepper, cayenne (optional) 

1 large egg

Mustard (Dijon or yellow will do)

Olive oil 

Directions:

In a pan over medium high heat, cook bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is firm. Add 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 the portobello mushroom, reduce heat to medium low and sauté until caramelized (about 15 minutes). Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, add ground pork, ground beef, finely diced bacon, remaining diced onion, remaining portobello mushroom, garlic, parsley, seasonings, egg, and mustard (I eyeballed it, start with 1 or 2 teaspoons). 

Using your hands, mix well until all ingredients are incorporated and evenly distributed. 

Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat. Divide meat mixture into 4 sections. Form into patties and squish down to flatten (the flatter they are, the more evenly they will cook). Add a few teaspoons of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Drop two patties at a time, so as not to crowd the pan, and cook 10-15 minutes, flipping once, until cooked all the way through. There should be no trace of pink and juices should run clear. 

Transfer to prepared serving dishes, garnish with your favorite fresh veggies and condiments, and enjoy the hell out of these burgers. 

Enjoy and Buon Appetito! 

*Tips*

Feel free to use one kind of ground meat for this burger. 

These do freeze well, but be sure to separate with wax or parchment paper. 

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!

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

I managed to give my KitchenAid Stand Mixer a run for her money this weekend and baked several different types of cookies - all with the help from my lovely friend, Chenelle :) **click here to see the various models and colors offered at The Bay.ca - we have the Artisan 5qt Stand Mixer in Metallic Chrome with the meat grinding attachment that I am dying to use!**

 

If any of you know me, or have followed my blog for a while, then you know that I really love chocolate. It is definitely my weakness! and I try to incorporate it into my recipes as often as I can. I always enjoy baking as much as possible during the holidays, since I like to give out giant gift baskets to my families instead of individual gifts - it just seems more personal and far less commercialized than purchasing individual gifts for each family member. It's also financially suitable since I have a very large family.

 

These Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies have become a part of my Christmas Countdown this year and it is the first time I've tried these. They have a very chewy, almost pillowy texture, which I really loved. I wish I had added some chocolate extract to enhance the richness of the cookie, but the flavor is still there since I used unsweetened baking squares instead of cocoa powder. The texture of the dough is quite soft and can be a little difficult to roll if it is too warm, if you have trouble, pop it into the fridge for 30-45 minutes and it should be chilled enough to roll nicely.

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies:

Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 C butter, softened
1 C granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 oz unsweetened chocolate baking squares
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
20 caramel squares, unwrapped
Pecan halves *optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and chocolate. Mix well. Add flour and blend until well combined.

Shape into 1" balls and press one square of caramel into the center of each cookie. Bake 10 minutes, top with a pecan half and transfer to a cooling rack.

*Next time I make these, I am going to melt the caramels down with a bit of milk so that the caramel stays soft. The caramel squares harden and are a little tough to bite through, unless the cookies are dipped in tea or another hot liquid, which is very nice if I do say so myself.



Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Chocolate Double Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

I am the type of person who refuses to acknowledge Christmas until December 1st. Today happens to be that day, and I am launching my annual Christmas baking countdown. My last post, "White Chocolate-Cranberry Cookies" technically launched this motion, but now that it is officially December, I am planning to bake at full force.

My initial goal is set to two recipes per week, but I will definitely be crunching in extra recipes the closer we get to Christmas. I have eight recipes lined up, but I wanted to begin with an easy one.

My mom used to make these when I was younger and over the years I have tweaked them here and there. I have baked these so many times over the years, I could make them with my eyes closed.

Chocolate Double Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

Yields: 30 cookies

Ingredients:

1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1/3 C cocoa powder + 1 square unsweetened baking chocolate
1 t baking powder
2 C all-purpose flour, less 2 T
2 T cornstarch
2 t peppermint extract
white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Mix on a medium speed and add one egg at a time, then add peppermint & vanilla extracts and melted baking chocolate.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour & constarch, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Pour into mixing bowl, in 1/2 C intervals, while blending in between additions. Mix until well blended.

Fold in white chocolate chips, scoop onto prepared baking sheet and bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack, and let stand 5 minutes before consuming.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

White Chocolate-Cranberry Cookies

I have been slacking on my recipe posts lately. I also seriously need to start baking again! I took a break from it because I would end up eating the entire batch, so my waistline really needed a reality check. Now that I am living with my brother, and have enough friends to share my baked goods with, I am going to start trying out new recipes every week!

This cookie recipe of mine is certainly not new, in fact, I probably posted a similar version on my old recipe blog. Alas, I had enough ingredients in the kitchen to quickly whip up a batch of White Chocolate-Cranberry Cookies. Even if you are the least experienced baker, cookies are very easy to make, just follow a simple recipe and you will almost always end up with good results.

White Chocolate-Cranberry Cookies

Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 granulated sugar
1 egg
2 t vanilla extract
2 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C white chocolate chips
1 C dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until you reach a creamy consistency. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Gradually add the flour mixture and mix well between each addition. Once the dough has come together, add the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Fold together with a wooden spoon.

Drop 2 T balls onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the centers are set and edges are golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

I love to eat fresh baked cookies when they are still warm in the centers, especially with an ice cold glass of milk!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Almond Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are one of my top favorite kinds of cookies, but since I switched over to a Paleo diet, we haven't had peanut butter in the house. Instead, we have almond butter and I've been dying to come up with a good Almond Butter Cookie recipe.

Some people don't realize that baking is a science. All the ingredients involved work together to create chemical reactions that allow for certain qualities in baked goods to happen. Some key points to know in baking are which ingredients provide structure and which ingredients provide softness, sweetness and color. Check out this brief guide below:

Flour & eggs for structure; fat and sugar for tenderness:
In baking, flour and eggs are the structure-builders and essentially hold the recipe together. Fat and sugar do the opposite and provide tenderness and moisture. Baking soda and baking powder are used as leavening agents and cause baked goods to 'rise' during baking.

Eggs provide two parts: whites dry out baked goods, while yolks provide velvety, smooth texture. Since yolks are full of fat, you can add extra yolks to add smoothness to your baked goods without having to add more oil/butter.

When using sugar, most people assume it is used as a sweetener, i.e. in coffee/tea. However, in baking its role becomes more complex as it adds volume, tenderness, texture and color.

Brown sugar vs granulated sugar:
These two sugars are virtually interchangeable, however, using brown sugar will create a moister result with a more "butterscotch" flavor as the molasses in the brown sugar will add depth.

Initially I wanted the recipe to be Paleo-friendly, so I used honey in my test batch. While the cookies had great flavor, the texture was far too cake-y for my liking -- I prefer cookies to have a crispy outer edge and a chewy center.

My second round was far more successful as I nixed the honey and replaced it with good ol' fashioned sugar. While these cookies are no longer Paleo-friendly, they certainly are sweet tooth-friendly!!

Almond Butter Cookies:

Yields: 12 cookies

Ingredients:

1 C natural almond butter
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 C ghee or regular butter, melted
1/2 C almond flour
1 large egg
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cardamom
1/2 t sea salt
1 t vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl; cream together almond butter, both sugars and ghee. Add vanilla and egg and beat together until mixed well.

In a separate mixing bowl; add almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom,  and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold together. Mix until well incorporated.

Spoon tablespoon-sized balls onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake 10-14 minutes, turning once. Adjust baking time to suit your oven. I baked these in a convection oven and had to add about 2-4 minutes to the baking time. Serve warm with a cold glass of milk!

*Try adding finely chopped nuts to this recipe. Next time I make these I will add some roasted pecans/hazelnuts to increase the "nut" flavor I was going for. Don't skip the cinnamon and cardamom, they add a beautiful hint of warmth and spiciness that are perfect for Autumn

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!