Italian Baked Cauliflower Bites with Rustic Tomato Soup

I don't have much to say here--these little bites are crispy on the edges and soft and pillowy on the inside. Perfect for dipping in a simple tomato soup or some marinara. Or hot sauce--whatever works for you. These look like I had them on a griddle pan, but my parchment sheets were just a little crinkly. 

Ingredients (serves 4):

Italian Baked Cauliflower Bites:

½ cup garbanzo bean flour

¾ cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into 2 inch pieces (about 3-4 cups of pieces)

Rustic Tomato Soup:

2 cups light chicken or vegetable broth, divided (now is not the time for the ‘hearty’ stocks-it will mask the tomato flavor)

½ of a medium white onion, diced

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray the parchment with cooking spray.

For the cauliflower bites:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the garbanzo bean flour, buttermilk, seasonings and parmesan to make a batter. Toss the cauliflower pieces into the batter and remove the pieces one at a time, letting any excess batter drip off. Place the coated cauliflower on the baking sheets and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. The edges should be just turning golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

For the soup:

Put ¼ cup of the broth in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic salt and cook about 5 minutes until the onions are tender. If the onions get dry, add a little more broth. Add the remaining broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine vinegar to the pot. Cook for 15 minutes.

Serve the cauliflower bites with a side of tomato soup for a really warm and comforting meal.

Easy Turkey Meatloaf Squares

My momma done told me…if you want to keep a meatloaf moist, you need to skip the oatmeal or breadcrumbs because they are just too dry. That is especially true if you are using ultra lean turkey breast. Instead, make a panade, which is just a fancy term for bread soaked in milk and then squeezed until almost dry. I really like baking this in a baking pan because it cooks faster, has more crispy edges and can easily be cut into squares for a sandwich filling.

Ingredients (serves 8):

2 slices bread

1/3 cup milk

2 pounds ground turkey breast

1 egg

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped mushrooms

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

1/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1 carrot, diced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning (optional)

Topping:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, onion, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, spinach, carrot, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and steak seasoning (if using).

Pour the meatloaf mix into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Holding the pan with an oven mitt, hold the loaf with a wide spatula and drain/discard any liquid over the sink.

Make the topping by stirring together the ketchup, dry mustard and Worcestershire.

Spread the topping over the meatloaf and bake for another 15 minutes.

Quinoa and Veggie Breakfast Bake

I’ve lost some weight and someone recently asked me what kept me feeling full. As trendy as it might be, quinoa keeps me full. This bake has protein, fiber, loads of veggies, tastes delicious and can be made ahead so breakfast is ready for the whole week. Just heat and eat on its own or put on a toasted English muffin. Boom-breakfast is served!

Ingredients (makes 8 servings):

1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa

2 ½ cups egg substitute

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup frozen broccoli, thawed

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped bell peppers

¾ cup chopped mushrooms

½ cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese

¼ cup real bacon bits

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and pour into the baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool and then cut into squares. You can wrap these individually and put in the fridge for a quick breakfast all week long.

Baked Grecian Style Lentil Falafels

I had some leftover, cooked brown lentils and wanted to use them. I also love any kind of veggie patty—Boca, Gardein, chickpea based falafel, black bean burgers- I love them all. I also love Greek seasoning, so I thought I would put all of those things together and I have to say, I really do love these warm little bites. They are slightly crisp on the outside (but not too much because I didn’t want to fry. You totally can, though). They are also very soft and tender on the inside with so much flavor!

Ingredients (makes about 16 patties):

2 cups cooked lentils, any kind

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves

2 Tablespoons egg substitute (or 1 egg, or mix 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed with 2 Tablespoons warm water and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes)

1/3 cup fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

¼ cup flour, any kind (I’m using garbanzo bean flour)

1-2 teaspoons Greek seasoning

Sauce:

1/3 cup hummus

1 Tablespoon warm water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Put the lentils, onion, garlic, egg substitute, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the flour and pulse until it forms a dough and starts to pull away from the sides of the processor bowl. Check the taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Scoop about ¼ cup balls onto the baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes.

Make the sauce by just stirring the hummus, water and lemon juice together.

Serve the falafels with sauce, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh onion slices, pita bread, whatever.

Winter Citrus Salad

Winter is definitely a time for cozy, warm, filling meals, but it is nice to have something bright to offset a heavier meal. Feel free to leave out the fennel and/or change the proportions of oil to vinegar as you wish. I like unseasoned rice wine vinegar here because it isn’t too strong, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 large pink grapefruit

1 or 2 large oranges

12 or so shavings of fresh fennel

12 or so shavings of red onion

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste (or Szechuan peppercorns if you have them)

Directions: Zest the orange and place the zest in a small bowl.

Cut the rind off of the grapefruit and orange and slice into 12 or so slices each. Pour any extra juice into the bowl with the orange zest.

On a small dinner plate, starting from the outside, alternate: grapefruit slice, fennel slice, orange slice, red onion slice in a circle. Keep going until you have covered the plate. Dice any leftover fennel and onion and put over the top.

Add the olive oil and vinegar to the bowl with the zest and extra juices. Whisk together and pour over the salad. Top with cracked pepper and serve.