cauliflower | The Sweet Life Sugar Free, LLC

Tag Archive for cauliflower

A Taste of New England in the Lone Star State!

Posted on November 5, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

I am imagining cooler weather at this point in San Antonio. The humidity is unbearable at the moment, but the sight of pumpkins, falling leaves, and mums make me pretend it’s cold outside and dream of the cool crisp mornings to come.

I am piggy backing off of Erin’s post earlier in the week. She posted our recipe for bone-broth, which if you haven’t tried, you must. I didn’t make it for about a year after I heard about it, and then, once made, I was kicking myself for all those months without. It is an automatic pick-me-up, arthritis healer, sore throat cure, and overall, just an incredible remedy for almost anything. During flu season, everyone in our house gets a cup everyday to boost the immune system – and it works.

So what else is great when cooler weather arrives or you are feel sub-par? Soups, chowders, stews – anything piping hot! Now, I have to come clean…I was really skeptical about this one. First, I have never made clam chowder before. Second, this was a far deviation from the original version I have seen. Third, would my children eat something with clams? My reaction was, why not? Wow! And…Oh YES, they will! In fact, three out of four went back for seconds! So, in thinking positive thoughts about cooler weather, here is a brand new one for you! This is another one that you can make ahead on a busy afternoon and dinner is prepared for later!

Creamy New England Clam Chowder With Bacon

Ingredients:

4 – 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams packed in clam juice

2 – 8 oz bottles of clam juice

2 cups chopped leeks (white and light green parts – this was 5 leaks for me)

1 large head of cauliflower chopped into chunks

8 – 10 slices of bacon chopped into pieces

1 cup broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh

3 TBSP fresh minced Italian parsley

1/2 tsp fresh black pepper or more to taste

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1/2 cup butter

Directions:

In a large soup pot, cook your bacon over medium heat until just starting to brown. Add you leeks and sauté until wilted and soft.

Remove half of your mixture and set aside.

Add your cauliflower, clam juice, juice from the canned clams (save the clams though), water and thyme. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the cauliflower is very soft.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is light and creamy. It should start to resemble clam chowder now. I love my Cuisinart Immersion Blender!

Now, just add the clams, the rest of your leeks and bacon, butter, salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer for 20 minutes. You can always add cream, or more butter, salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you can turn off the heat and save it for later or serve piping hot with a little cheese on top if you like.

Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner, Main Course, recipe, Soup, Uncategorized tagged with cauliflower, chowder, clam, dinner, kids, Main Course, soup

Southern Comfort Food – Keto Style!

Posted on October 1, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

I am trying to pretend that it is fall here in San Antonio! Sure doesn’t feel like it, but I heard a rumor that it might be coming soon :).

With fall approaching, we start to crave more comfort foods and home cooking. I’m not sure there is anything more comforting in cooler weather than some good ol’ southern cooking. The trick is trying to create southern comfort food lower on the carb scale.

While at Costco last week, I noticed that they had some huge, delicious, bone-in pork chops on sale. I bought them, put them in the fridge, and then began to wonder what on earth I was going to do with all these beauties.

Driving around, looking at all the fall wreathes on doors and pumpkins on stoops really made me want to try something southern good!

I searched, tweaked, and nailed it – gravy and all!

I just had to share so you can plan for this cooler weather we are rumored to have soon.

Best of all, I cooked this entire meal on my kids crazy sports day because it can all be prepared ahead!

Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Herbed Gravy

3-4 pounds bone-in pork chops (6 chops)

1/2 cup butter

1 white onion

6-8 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup bacon drippings

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

Sauce:

1 1/2 cup cream

3 tsp xantham gum

1/2 – 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped

Instructions:

Lay out your pork chops and coat each side with salt, pepper, thyme and ground mustard. Be generous with your seasoning.

Chop onion and mince your garlic.

Saute your onion and garlic in the butter until softened.

Press softened veggies to the side and add your seasoned pork chops. Brown slightly on each side over medium heat. (2-3 minutes per side)

Pour everything from your pan into your crockpot. Then add chicken broth and bacon drippings.

Add your parsley and mushrooms last, cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

When you are almost ready to serve, remove the pork chops and cover to keep warm while you make your gravy – YUM!

These were so tender, they fell off the bone!

For the gravy:

Turn your crockpot up to high. Add your cream and basil. Stir with a whisk. Very carefully, lightly sprinkle the xantham gum over the top while whisking quickly. This has to be added very carefully with a fine sprinkle or it will clump similarly to corn starch.

Continue to whisk and you will see it thicken – be patient, it will take about 5 minutes.

We served this wonderful mushroom herbed gravy over the pork chops which we placed on a bed of garlic cauliflower mashers with a side of okra. It was a huge hit with the entire family just in time for fall!

Enjoy – and Happy Fall, Y’all!!!

Posted in Dinner, Main Course, recipe, Restaurants, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with cauliflower, comfort food, cream, dinner, fall, gravy, m mushrooms, Main Course, okra, Pork, pork chops, southern

Fire Cracker Potato Salad

Posted on July 1, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

It’s real, and it’s Keto! How can you have a July Fourth celebration without potato salad? We have found a way, and it involves one of our favorite Keto veggies.

Have you guessed already? It’s the one that makes rice, mashers, tater tots, and pizza crust. The incredible, invincible, and transformative cauliflower! The chameleon of all veggies! I always have a head of cauliflower in the fridge because it can do just about anything for a meal! I was wondering if I could slide this past my crew, and it worked like a charm. You can pretty much use your favorite potato salad recipe by substituting cauliflower for your potatoes. We prefer a creamy mustard type dressing with a little sweetness. I know some like mayo only, and others like a tart mustard, so take it where you like it. So many options!

I still had a few of the refreshing cukes in the fridge, so I thought I would give them a try for the touch of sweet. Worked like a charm. So if you are planning on making the cucumbers for your July Fourth celebration, save a few extra to throw into your “potatoes”.

So here is the recipe along with a few variations for your upcoming weekend:

Keto Potato Salad

1 medium to large head of cauliflower

1 cup of diced celery

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup diced Refreshing Cukes + 5 Tbsp of the “Pickle Juice”

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup dijon mustard

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1 tsp black pepper

Dash of paprika

Other Options:

Vinegar for tartness

Boiled Egg (2-3)

Black Olives

Dill Pickles with pickle juice if you don’t have the Cukes, but like the pickle idea.

Lemon juice

Chives

Directions:

Chop your cauliflower into bite size pieces like you would eat your potatoes.

Boil a large pot of water. Once it comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer your cauliflower for about 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully pierce with a fork to check for tenderness. This is the hardest part…you want it soft enough to mimic the potatoes, but you don’t want it to get mushy once you start mixing your ingredients together. Once you have it to the correct tenderness, strain in a large colander. Let it drain and then return to the pot. If you are worried about the tenderness, (the texture is super important for this recipe) boil them until they are perfect and then immediately submerge in an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking. Then strain in the colander.

Add your chopped celery, onion, and cucumber or pickles (along with any other solids you choose to add.) Toss to combine.

Now add your mayonnaise, mustard and spices, except for the paprika.

Mix everything together. You can taste at this point to see if it needs anything, but remember, the flavors will meld in the refrigerator a little more.

Refrigerate for a few hours. When you place it in a serving bowl, sprinkle with a little paprika for color and enjoy with your firecrackers!

Posted in Dinner, Holiday Dish, Kids, Lunch, recipe, Salad, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with cauliflower, Celebration, Cucumbers, dinner, Fourth of July, Holiday Dish, July 4th, Potato Salad, Salad, side dish

Cheesy Tater Tots!

Posted on June 6, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Summer has arrived, and so has burger and hot dog season! We all love a good cookout in the more relaxing summer months. Of course, what goes hand in hand with burgers? Some sort of fried potato off limits to us low-carbers! Going Keto means no more fries and tots, right? Wrong! I told my children I was making tater tots, (which they have missed) and they started doing cheers!

I did NOT tell them how I was making them, however, and they could not tell the difference. These suckers were good, and there was nothing left to save after dinner. Bummer!

Keto tater tots take a little preparation and forethought, but overall they are pretty easy – and I don’t even fry – before or during Keto, until now. This was a game changer for our family!

Cheesy Tater Tots

1 large head of Cauliflower

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1 Egg

2 tsp Psyllium Husk Powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1-2 cups Bacon Fat

Salt and Pepper to taste

Shredded Cheddar to melt on top (I used sharp cheddar)

Directions:

Cut your cauliflower into small pieces to steam. Place in your steamer and steam until tender but not too soft.

Place in your food processor, and pulse until it is smooth without any chunks.

This is not enough, above ^.

This is how it should look below:

At this point you can make mashers or tots!:) I’m going for tots!

After you get your cauliflower to this consistency, you are going to want to wring out the excess water – and there is a LOT!!!

This is the time consuming part, and you will want to make sure your cauliflower is cool, or you will burn off your finger tips. Trust me – I didn’t quite burn mine off, but it was close! Make sure you allow time for your cauliflower to cool either right after steaming or after processing.

Once cool, I use a light dish towel to wring out the excess water. You can use a cheese cloth as well. The cauliflower will slip right through a colander.

When you place it on the dish towel, be ready to start wringing. See the water spreading…It will look like this:

After you squeeze and squeeze, and wring and wring, it will look like this:

Doesn’t look verry appetizing, but just wait!

Now, take your cauliflower “paste”, and add your cheeses, egg, and garlic salt. You may have to use a dull knife to scrape the dry cauliflower off the towel.

Mix well. It should be a very thick mixture. If it is too runny to roll, then add your psyllium husk powder a little at a time.

It should look like this:

Take out about a teaspoon of “dough” at a time and roll into your tots! This is fun for the kids too!

Now, get your yummy bacon grease ready (that you have saved from all those batches of bacon, right?) Remember that cast iron skillet that Erin posted about? This is the perfect time to pull that big daddy out as well!

Start heating your fat in your skillet over medium heat! Your grease really needs to be perfect. If it is too hot, they will burn, but if it is not hot enough, the tots will stick to the bottom of the skillet. Keep it on medium, and be patient. The first picture is my mason jar of grease. The second is the grease melting in my cast iron skillet. Yum!!!!

You will also need to set up a plate with either paper towels or a mesh splatter shield to drain your tots after they cook so they start to crisp. I used a splatter shield over a plate, and had it ready to go before frying.

When your grease is hot, gently drop your tots into the grease, and move them around so they don’t stick to the bottom. Continue to rotate until they are golden brown on all sides:

When they are cooked on all sides, remove to your plate.

This was my first batch, before my oil was hot enough so you can see where some stuck. I was not very patient:).

Once you remove them, you can add salt and pepper, if you like, or cover with cheese.

Let them cool slightly and serve! I hope you enjoy these beauties as much as we did!

Happy summer, folks!

Posted in Dinner, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with Bacon Grease, cauliflower, Cook Out, dinner, Frying, kid friendly, kids, potatoes, Summer, Tater Tots

A Meal to Make a Family Happy!

Posted on May 13, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

So, I was ruled out on my dinner choice this evening! My husband wanted steak, and the kiddos wanted potatoes. “Hmmm,” I thought to myself. Let’s see if I can slide those cauli-mashers by them without notice.

Worked like a charm! My super picky four-year old said this was the “best dinner in the world!” She also told me that “these are the best potatoes ever!”

If you missed Erin’s post on Cauli-mashers, they are a breeze to make, even when you get outnumbered at the last minute in the kitchen.

I steamed one bag of Costco fresh Cauliflower florets until fairly soft. I don’t have the emersion mixer like Erin, so I just used my KitchenAid hand mixer, and beat them until they were the consistency of mashed potatoes. I added a half block of Kerrygold, a half block of cream cheese, and a handful of chopped parsley. I then added a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mixed it all together with the mixer, poured into an 8×8 pyrex, and topped with some Colby Jack cheese. I popped it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and to the delight of everyone, it was devoured.

Served with grass-fed New York Strips topped with sautéed mushrooms (in Kerrygold no less), and a side of asparagus topped with Kerrygold!

Every plate was clean, and every face had a smile!

So my sweet 8 year boy (the middle child) wanted me to share his dessert with you tonight! He was very proud of his extra helping of steak and his two dark chocolate-coconut fat bombs (posted last week) that he used to make a smiley face! He said, “This will show your viewers how happy I am right now!” So, how could I refuse? Here is Colton’s sugar-free dessert!

I hope you all have a happy dinner tonight!

Posted in Dessert, Dinner, Kids, Main Course, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with asparagus, cauli-mashers, cauliflower, cheese, dessert, dinner, kerrygold, kid friendly, mushrooms, potatoes, steak

Cauliflower can do anything!

Posted on April 28, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Well not quite.

But it is definitely a vegetable and Keto All-Star!

Yesterday we talked about cauli-rice and today I want to talk about cauli-mashers. This is another go to side that is quick and versatile.

I started with frozen organic cauliflower, but you can absolutely use fresh!! I like to keep the frozen organic cauliflower and organic chopped spinach on hand. These are great for fast weeknight dinners.

Steam the cauliflower until soft. Personally I avoid heating any food in plastic containers. While there are multiple organizations giving us all sorts of contradicting information about the safety of heating food in plastics; I’m going to just play it safe. Read more here: (http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324493704578433290465517564)

After the cauliflower is soft move it to a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese, heavy cream, and/or sour cream. Then mash and mix together just like like if you were making mashed potatoes. I use an immersion hand blender and this is done in a snap.

Salt and pepper to taste and feel free to add chives, garlic, and parsley. The amounts of vitamins packed into herbs are incredible plus they make it pretty! They can be served immediately or put into the oven to crust to top.

Tonight I added cheese to the top and popped everything back into the oven to melt and meld it all together.

Even the incredibly picky three year old enjoyed them!

Posted in Dinner, recipe, Side Dish, tips, Vegetable tagged with cauliflower, kids, side, weeknight

Low Carb Rice?

Posted on April 27, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Yes, low carb rice indeed!

This is one of our favorite tricks for sprucing up dishes with a little extra texture.

I have to admit that I was skeptical at first, but it really works, and the kids love it, while getting their veggies at the same time. Mine can’t tell the difference!

Cauliflower Rice

Start with a large head of cauliflower, a nice sharp knife, a food processor and a foil lined baking sheet.

Cut your cauliflower into small florets and rinse in a colander.

Let the cauliflower dry for a bit and then add to your food processor a little at a time. If you do too much at once you will get some clumps.

Then PULSE your food processor until the cauliflower resembles snow. Don’t over pulse or you will get a puree.

After each batch, scrape the pulsed cauliflower out onto your cookie sheet. If you have larger pieces, just throw them back in with the next batch.

When it is all “snow” you should have a nice full cookie sheet of “rice”!

Bake in the oven on 350 degrees until the top is just starting to turn golden. I take it out a few times and toss it around to make sure it is all getting cooked through. This will remove the rest of the moisture and you will have a great side dish in about 25 to 30 minutes.

We generally use the rice under Indian dishes like Tiki Marsala or Curry, but we also serve as a side topped with Kerrygold!

Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, tips, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with cauliflower, food processor, Indian, keto, kid friendly, rice, side dish, vegetable