cauliflower Archives - Holistically Engineered

Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Karen Sorenson — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000

My latest cooking adventure was Low Carb Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing. Ever since I found out just how absolutely fabulous roasted cauliflower is I have been thinking of different ways I can use it in recipes. I have making various salads a lot lately and I decided to combine by two favorite veggies (at the moment) into an epically delicious salad.

I used the following ingredients for Low Carb Roasted Cauliflower and Asparagus Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 bunch of asparagus cut into one inch pieces
Oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
4 pieces bacon
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of sweetener of choice (I used Swerve)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with the oil of your choice and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the cauliflower in the oil. Roast for 15 minutes flip the cauliflower over and roast for another 5 minutes. Add the asparagus to the pan and toss to coat in oil (adding additional oil and seasoning if necessary) and roast both the cauliflower and the asparagus for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the 4 pieces of bacon. Set the bacon on a paper towel to drain and add the renderings to a small saucepan.

Over low heat, whisk in the Dijon mustard, vinegar, and sweetener. Whisk until smooth.

Once the veggies have roasted, place them in a large bowl. Crumble the reserved bacon into pieces and add it to the veggies. Stir to combine. Pour the warm bacon dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.

Net Carb Count*:

Cauliflower and Asparagus Salad: 20 net carbs (for the entire recipe–with dressing)

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.

Comments: I knew this salad would be good by combining my three favorite things: roasted cauliflower, asparagus, and bacon. YUM! Of course bacon makes everything better. I roasted my veggies in melted bacon grease (If you’re gonna go….go all out!), but you can use whatever works best for you. This can be served as a side dish or it works well as a great meal for lunch.

Enjoy!

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Low Carb Sushi

Karen Sorenson — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:01:00 +0000

My latest cooking adventure was Low Carb Sushi. One of my favorite things to eat is Japanese Hibachi. It is definitely a good place to eat low carb because you can substitute the rice for extra veggies (just be careful of sauces, like teriyaki, which could have added sugar). Lately, I like to cook at home so that I can control the ingredients I use. It’s fairly easy to replicate the stir fried meat and the fried rice, but one thing I have missed is the sushi. I noticed my grocery store had seaweed sheets so I decided to give low carb sushi a try.

I used the following ingredients for Low Carb Sushi:

1 Nori seaweed sheet
1 cup riced cauliflower, cooked
1/2 piece of smoked salmon, cut in strips
1 stalk of asparagus, cut in half

–OR–

1 Nori seaweed sheet
1 cup riced cauliflower, cooked
2 pieces of large cooked shrimp, cut in half
2 slices of cucumber, cut in half

Place the Nori seaweed sheet on a piece of plastic wrap (or a sushi mat). Spread the cauliflower rice over the seaweed leaving a 1″ border at each end.

Add the toppings to the middle of the cauli-rice. Smoked salmon and asparagus pictured below.

Using the plastic wrap or bamboo mat, roll the near end of the seaweed over the filling and continue rolling make sure the roll stays as tight as possible. Seal the end of the roll, but dabbing water on the far end of the seaweed sheet.

Using a warm, sharp knife cut the sushi into 1/2″ pieces (pictured at the top). Serve with a side of coconut aminos or soy sauce.

Net Carb Count*:

Sushi (Smoked Salmon and Asparagus): 5 net carbs (for one roll)
Sushi (Shrimp and Cucumber): 5 net carbs (for one roll)

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.

Comments: Ok, so I’m not the best sushi roller in the world, but the result is a fantastic replacement for sushi. I used the fillings listed above, but you can use your favorite filling. It’s easy to be intimidated, but making sushi is really easy. I added 1 Tbsp of soy sauce to my cooked cauliflower (I microwaved the “rice” for about 30-40 seconds) to give it some flavor. Make sure the items you use in the filling are cut into strips and cover the width of the roll to make sure you have a piece of each ingredient in each slice. I chose not to invest in a bamboo sushi mat and use plastic wrap. The plastic wrap helps to create a tight roll so that the filling stays inside. One very important tip is to make sure you have a sharp knife. If your knife isn’t sharp it will not cut through the seaweed and the filling will fall out. Also, running your knife under hot water before each cut will help make cutting through the sushi easier. Enjoy!What’s your favorite sushi fillings?

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Herb Pesto Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower

Karen Sorenson — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:55:00 +0000

My latest cooking adventure is Herb Pesto Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower. I was so indecisive about what to do for dinner over the weekend. I was so close to just taking the easy route by going out to dinner, but I really didn’t want to do that. Lately going out to each just throws off my plan since I’m being very strict to lose my last 15 lbs. I have been really into herbs lately so I decided to make a pesto and boy am I glad I did.

I used the following ingredients for the Herb Pesto Chicken:

6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (use your favorite cut of chicken)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
3 Tbsp of fresh rosemary (the leaves from about 3 sprigs of rosemary)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lemon, juice and zest
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F
To make the pesto, combine all of the ingredients (except for the chicken) in a mini food processor and process until a paste is formed. Place the chicken in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Season the chicken, to taste, with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread the pesto evenly over both sides of the chicken. Cook the chicken for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through.

I served the chicken with roasted cauliflower. If you haven’t ever had roasted cauliflower YOU HAVE TO TRY IT!!! It is so delicious!!!! I tossed the florets of one head of cauliflower in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread evenly onto a cookie sheet. Bake the cauliflower at 400 F for 1 hour (turning every 20 minutes for even cooking).

Net Carb Count*:
Herb Pesto Chicken: 8 net carbs (for the entire recipe)
Roasted Cauliflower: 10 net carbs (for the entire recipe)

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.

Comments: I wasn’t expecting much out of the pesto recipe, but it was delicious! Even my fiance, who hates spinach, liked the pesto (HA! I snuck in some spinach). The pesto would be good on everything. Use your favorite cut of chicken (just adjust the cooking time), toss it with some vegetables, serve it over “pasta,” add some to your scrambled eggs, etc. That reminds me…I should have saved some for my morning eggs. Good thing it is easy to whip up a batch! Anyway, back to the point…this is a very versatile sauce that is ready in minutes.

As for the roasted cauliflower this is by far the BEST cauliflower I have ever had. The question is why have I never had roasted cauliflower before? Have I been living under a rock? I was seriously missing out. I’m not really a big cauliflower fan, but I can’t get enough of this stuff. The fiance also said it was the BEST cauliflower he has ever had. I suggest lining your baking seat with parchment paper to help keep the cauliflower from burning (makes for easy cleanup too). Also be sure to turn the cauliflower so that it cooks evenly.

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Fried “Rice”

Karen Sorenson — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:38:00 +0000

Tonight’s cooking adventure was Asian style Chicken Lettuce Wrap with Fried “Rice.”

I used the following ingredients for Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe:

1 lb ground chicken
1 shallot, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 Tbsp of soy sauce
1 Tbsp of chicken broth
1 Tbsp of peanut butter
1 batch of Teriyaki sauce (found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9o3Znfilzo from the Atkins Diet Geek)
8-10 lettuce leaf cups (butter lettuce, romaine, etc.)

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the ground chicken. Once the chicken is mostly cooked add the shallot and mushrooms. Meanwhile, mix the remainder of the ingredients (except of lettuce leave) in a small bowl. Once the shallots are translucent and the mushrooms are cooked, add the sauce and simmer until heated through. Serve the chicken mixture in lettuce leaf cups. Garnish with chopped peanuts or a sprinkle of carrot shreds.

I also made the fried “rice” recipe found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF2uvYsDOqY&feature=relmfu (also from the Atkins Diet Geek).

Net Carb Count*:
10 net carbs (for the entire Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe)

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.

Comments: My original lettuce wrap recipe (https://lconeday.blogspot.com/2012/01/low-carb-turkey-lettuce-wraps.html) was very delicious, but I wanted to reduce some of the carbs and I wanted to try it with ground chicken. Not to mention that I needed to take a better quality picture! The Chicken Lettuce Wraps turned out very well!. I used similar ingredients as the first recipe, but I was able to reduce some of the carbs by making the teriyaki sauce. I also liked the flavor of the ground chicken instead of the turkey. I served my lettuce wraps with fried “rice.” It was so scrumptious! The recipe is definitely a great substitute for fried rice. I didn’t really make any modifications to the original recipe other than making a smaller batch and I didn’t have any green onions so I used celery for color. The onions would have given the rice extra flavor though. Also, I’m not a fan of eggs in my rice so I left it out. I definitely suggest making this recipe next time you are craving fried rice.

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