Butter Braised Leeks with Cauliflower Cheese Sauce

Carmelized, nutty vegetables? I’m all in. The sauce is so terrific on its own that you may want to just eat it with a spoon. This dish is a great side dish for grilled meats, but it is also terrific as a lighter main course.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Cheese Sauce:

1 (14.4 ounce) bag of frozen cauliflower, thawed

2 cloves roasted garlic, about 2 teaspoons (see note)

½ cup vegetable broth

1/3 cup fat free half and half

¼ cup grated parmesan

1/3 cup shredded light Swiss cheese (or gruyere)

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Braised Leeks:

3 leeks

1 Tablespoon light butter or margarine

1 cup vegetable broth

Directions:

For the sauce:

Place the cauliflower, roasted garlic, vegetable broth and half and half in the food processor and process until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove to a sauce pan and heat on medium low for 15 minutes, stirring often. Slowly stir in the parmesan, Swiss, and nutmeg Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the leeks:

Trim the tops of the leeks down to where you have just a bit of light green left. Discard the tops or freeze to make veggie broth with later. Cut the root end of the leeks off-between ¼ and ½ inch should do. Slice the leeks lengthwise and run under cold water, making sure to run water between the layers to get any grit out. Dry on paper towels.

Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet on medium heat and place the leeks cut side down. You may need to cut the leeks in half horizontally to get them to fit in your skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the cut sides are just golden. Flip and cook another five minutes on the other side.

Flip the leeks back over in the skillet so the cut sides are facing down again. Add in the vegetable broth and cover the skillet (I just used foil). Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Flip the leeks once more so the cut sides are facing up. Spoon some (about 1 cup) of the cauliflower cheese sauce over the leeks.. Place the skillet in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Crack the oven door open and turn the heat to broil Broil for 3 minutes to make the top crispy. Remove and serve warm. I added a bit of extra virgin olive oil and fresh parsley to the top, but garnishes are totally optional. 

Refrigerate any leftover cauliflower sauce to use on pasta, veggies or whatever you would like.

Note: to make roasted garlic, simply cut the top off of a whole head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and place on two layers of heavy duty foil. Pull the edges of the foil up and twist to make a neat little package. Preheat the oven to 400 and cook for 20-25 minutes. You will know they are done if you open the package and the top of the head is golden and the whole thing is soft and fragrant. Let cool until you can touch the garlic safely and then just squeeze out what you need. Store the leftovers and use like a spread on crackers or toasted pieces of baguette.

Mushroom-White Bean Burgers

This is a really good burger! I normally just call a veggie burger a 'hot sandwich' to avoid people saying that it doesn't taste like a beef burger, but these really have a great 'burger' texture and taste. The mushrooms, Worcestershire, tomato paste and Parmesan really give these patties a deep umami flavor. If you want, you could really flavor this up with herbs like thyme or parsley.

Ingredients (makes 4 burgers):

1 pound mushrooms (any kind)

1 whole shallot

2 Tablespoons vegetable broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce, or leave it out-it’s optional)

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed (or pinto beans, kidney beans, any soft bean)

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional-you could probably replace with nutritional yeast if you are plant based)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Vegetable oil cooking spray

½ cup fine bread crumbs

Directions:

Pulse the mushrooms and the shallot in the food processor until you get fine pieces, but not a mush.

Combine the mushrooms, shallot, veggie broth, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste in a large nonstick skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until the liquid in the skillet evaporates (about 8 minutes). Remove to a bowl and let cool.

Meanwhile, mash the beans in a large bowl with the back of a fork and stir in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Place the breadcrumbs in a separate wide, shallow bowl.

Add the cooled mushroom mixture to the bean mixture and stir until you have a slightly wet and sticky burger mix. Shape into patties about ½ inch thick and coat in the breadcrumbs. Place on a parchment lined plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Wipe out the skillet you used for the mushrooms and place it on medium low to medium heat. Spray a spatula with cooking spray for easy flipping of the burgers.

Spray the skillet with cooking spray and add the patties, cooking about 4 minutes per side, until the outsides are crispy and just golden brown.

These are still delicate and will fall apart if not treated gently, so you want to move them directly to the bun or a plate of lettuce. Serve with traditional burger toppings.

PS-I ran this recipe through MyFitnessPal®, which I think is one of the greatest things ever, and it shows each burger as 214 calories, 38.5 grams carb, 1.6 grams fat, and 14.6 g protein.

Umami Grilled Vegetables with Goat Cheese

I love anything savory—give me deep, savory flavors over sweets any time. I came across Trader Joes® Umami Stir-in Paste and Condiment last week. It’s made with tomato paste, red wine vinegar, parmesan, black olives, anchovies, garlic and mushrooms and I wanted to find a use for it soon. Pairing the umami paste with charred veggies and goat cheese is a winner for me.

Ingredients (serves 3 as a main dish):

Marinade:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons umami paste (I used Trader Joes®)

¼ cup warm water

Veggies:

1 zucchini, cut into lengthwise planks

1 medium Vidalia onion, cut into ¼ inch slices

2 cups whole mushrooms (any kind)

1 bell pepper (any color-I used orange), cut into strips

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Other:

3 to 4 ounces goat cheese

Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper

A bit of fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

Make the marinade by combining the olive oil, umami paste and warm water.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Lay cut veggies on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle the marinade over all the veggies, tossing until all the veggies are coated. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Grill the veggies (I used a disposable grill topper to make sure the veggies didn’t fall through the grill) for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until slightly charred on all sides.

Remove the veggies back to the baking sheet and toss with any remaining marinade. Plate each portion, putting some of the goat cheese, black pepper and parsley on each.