my new air fryer

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So I finally broke down and got the air fryer lid for the Instant Pot which literally turns the IP into an air fryer, though a small one. I figured I’m cooking SO much, it would be a fun tool to play with. And it is. Despite Melissa Clark’s lackluster review, I’ve found it really useful for a few items. One is veggies: brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, shishito peppers— well seasoned with a little olive oil then air fried for about 15 minutes per batch at 400 degrees turns out really yummy little bites of crispy veg. I’ve served them with dinner but also as a pre-dinner snack.

For both the cauliflower and broccoli, I mixed the small florets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil plus a spice mixture (garlic powder, cajun spices, smoked paprika, salt and pepper—but you could use any mixture you like; just use enough to coat). Then air-fried for 15 at 400.

Chickpeas were good too—crunchy and healthy with just a little bit of oil. A good snack to serve with a cocktail. French fries were amazing—similar to a fast food fry—though you have to air-fry them in small batches to get the right about of crisp. I’ve also thrown in small new potatoes cut in half with just a bit of oil, salt and pepper.

I have yet to try any meats or bigger objects, so I’ll have to check back in when that happens. Perhaps fried chicken or a piece of fish? Stay tuned.

save yourself

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You know that feeling right?

It’s a lot. Staying home and cooking ALL THE TIME. But then again, you could have your head crushed by Abomination. That would be worse.

So the latest issue in this busy kitchen is: How do you cook enough not to cook every day but also have variety? We’ve had a leftovers-lunch-rut lately—someone has to finish the lentil soup! And then there’s the kids: I can’t eat pasta for lunch and dinner! I’ve realized (not that this is news to anyone else) that it all comes down to making a big recipe and then portioning it out.

For example I made a batch of tomatoey white beans in the Instant Pot this week. It took me about 10 minutes of active time. We then ate it with grilled chicken one night. The next night I mixed in a little sauteed kale. We finished it for lunch with some canned tuna flaked in. You could also add some sausage or broth and turn it into a soup. I know everyone’s talking about beans these days but this recipe turned out to be very versatile and forgiving, even for my formerly vegan, maybe still vegan when this whole thing is over, husband,

A great big batch recipe to make for the kids is this incredible recipe for Mac and Cheese in the Instant Pot. It’s easier than anything else I’ve made in a few months and it’s delicious, and freezes well. Make the whole recipe (one box of pasta which makes about 10-15 servings) and then freeze meal-size portions in small Tupperwares or plastic bags for when the kids refuse to make what you ate that night.

Another one—humous. I usually just mix two cans chickpeas, 1/4 cup tahini, 1 lemon’s juice, salt/pepper, 1/4 cup Olive Oil and a few ice cubes in the blender and then store the whole thing in a Tupperware in the fridge. It will keep for at last a week or two and everyday when you heave it out for snack time, place a small amount in a bowl and flavor it however you want for the day: chili powder; cajun spice; sesame seeds, hot sauce; EVOO and extra lemon. Each day it becomes a little new.

Of course part of this strategy is making a plan: writing down the exciting meals you will make that week using the 3-5 major big batch dishes you choose to make. (Some other ideas: any bean dishes; grilled or baked chicken (put it into tacos, pasta, soup); slaw; pasta; roasted salmon (eat it cold or turn it into these amazing salmon cakes; ) It takes some time to plan it all out but honestly, what else do you have right now?

Day 93, or something like that

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I’ve lost count. I’ve cooked so many damn meals they would be melting together if I didn’t keep this photo diary of my daily restaurant specials. I’m quite proud of myself for cooking every meal but burnt out at the same time. Last night Michael grilled veggie burgers and hot dogs and it was a relief not to be in charge. So one night a week should be daddy’s night, I think. The problem is we’re making the most of limited supplies so creativity and skill is crucial. Michael did make this lentil soup this week, and made it entirely on his own—super impressive. So we’re both reaching out of our comfort zones.

I actually think this quarantined time has an advantage in that we are spending more quality time together as a family doing things I like to do—being at home, cooking, watching movies, reading. There’s no soccer or baseball or neighbors yelling in our playroom. Today with video games allowed since it is Sunday, I’m feeling a bit lonely—the kids are doing something that doesn’t involve me, nor that I get any pleasure in. But strangely that isn’t normally the situation these days.

I’ve read a lot about how this time befits introverts (Larry David) and even depressives….which is interesting. There are no social plans or run-ins and we’re all supposed to feel a little bad. Plus we’re at home, where some of us like to be, doing quiet activities. So yeah there are some positives. One of them being: bread. We made this bread—which is something we would never ordinarily do. But it was crazy easy and yummy—it makes a ton so you can keep it in the fridge and bake off a loaf when you feel like it.

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day 13: more soup

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Finally Saturday when I don’t have to homeschool! We started the day with cleaning, which was supposed to be a family affair but was mostly me and Michael, plus a little help from the kids. Mack was in charge of Vacuuming his room and he asked: Do I have to Vacuum everything, or just the floor? Clearly these kids don’t do enough chores.

Well, we got plenty of time for that now.

After cleaning I moved on to…cooking! I made an easy broccoli and cauliflower soup but substituted gouda for cheddar. I think it turned out really delicious but Mack said it was “smelly and hot.” My kind of soup. And then I had some leftover broccoli and cauliflower so I decided to make a stiryfry which meant that I basically didn’t leave the kitchen for like 6 hours. On the other hand, not much else to do. Strange times.

Broccoli and Cheese soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp butter 

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 medium)

  • 4 cups chicken broth

  • 4 cups broccoli, roughly chopped (about 1/2 lb)

  • 2 cups cauliflower, roughly chopped (about 6 oz)

  • salt & pepper, to taste

  • 1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or gouda)

  • 1 tsp sherry vinegar

  • 1 TBSP heavy cream

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions: 

  1. Turn on the saute function, melt the butter in your pot and cook the onions and carrots in the butter until they start to soften .

  2. Next, add the roughly chopped broccoli, the cauliflower, 1 tsp salt and the broth. Put the lid on and set on manual for 3 minutes, quick release when it's finished.

  3. Blend in batches in a blender and return to pot. Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste, sherry vinegar and cream.

day 8: pizza with nate

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Today was a long day. Struggling through home schooling plus working—conference calls and kids at home don’t mix. I wound up working in our big closet. Today’s specials were weak (one was frozen pizza) and one of my customers complained about eating pizza and pasta all the time. Welcome to covid-19. You’re punished.

I did do a desperate cooking “elective” with the kids. They were fighting non-stop so I just screamed: Who wants to do a cooking project and who wants to do TypingPal? Cooking was suddenly very popular. I quickly thought of a recipe while they wrestled on the floor—one I wrote about on this blog when Nate was about four. When I made Nate read the post aloud, he realized I’ve been writing about him for years. (Is this me? he asked incredulously.) We made the amazingly easy two-ingredient dough (which is a great quarantine kid-cooking project by the way!)

Then Nate had a Zoom call with a buddy. (Two 10-year-old boys trying to chit-chat can be painful but also cute. And also just shows us how strange this whole period is: when is the last time two fifth grade boys asked each other about their kitchens?)

And who hasn’t been outside or showered in 3 days, raise your hand!

day 7: no rest for the chef

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Photo from the New York Times

Photo from the New York Times

Washing dishes this morning for the nth time in days I realized how much my kitchen feels like a restaurant. I basically don’t leave it for large parts of the day—cooking, eating, cleaning, repeat. So today I wrote some specials on the chalkboard: egg tacos for breakfast, cauliflower soup for lunch (there was actually some left!), and plant-based bolognese with spaghetti squash for dinner. I also badmouthed some recent customers who asked for and then didn’t eat a buttered bagel—and then left a lovey on the table. Unfortunately the same customers are coming back today, and tomorrow, and…

Last night I dug into the forgotten drawer of weird asian noodles and seaweed that I don’t really know what to do with but they never go bad. I found a package of dried shiitake mushrooms and reconstituted them in some water to make a recipe I made years ago and still had in my Paprika app: The New York Times version of vegan MaPo Tofu. I prefer the meaty pork version, I think, but this is way healthier and did I mention that Michael recently became a vegan? (We were trying to eat more plant-based and then he saw the movie Game Changers and boom, he hasn’t had meat or dairy in over a month. It’s a bummer.)

Anyway, I used dried instead of fresh shiitakes and a fermented black bean paste that I had from Hmart, along with a little Gochujang It was tasty and filling, and I served it over quinoa just to hippy-ify it even more. We ate it with wine in front of candles—and a laptop on which six of our friends were having their dinner and wine. A Zoom dinner party! The new normal.

day 6: soup

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Who woke up this morning thinking, OMG another fucking day?! What are we going to do? Without our homeschool schedule (It is Saturday after all), we are more at a loss than ever. Right now the kids are fighting over a video game. And that’s probably how it’s going to go for the next 4 hours.

I got up this morning and looked in the fridge to find a giant cauliflower that was about to lose its life. So I proceeded to try to teach Mack how to make cauliflower soup, the easy way. I think a lot of parents are taking the quarantine as an opportunity to teach their kids how to do things they normally wouldn’t—cleaning bathrooms, for example. It’s the new version of homeschool or as a friend recently put it “home, work.” See my recent article for some ideas.

So here’s what I told Mack: cut up cauliflower in small florets and add to a big pot of half water, half chicken broth. Cook until cauliflower is soft, about 20 minutes. Puree cauliflower plus about 3 cups of liquid in blender and add back to the pot. Now the fun part: flavor. I usually add some combination of milk/cream, parmesan cheese, 1 tsp of sherry vinegar, onion and garlic powders and salt. Keep tasting until it’s delicious. Then leave on the (turned off) stove all day for everyone to help themselves. *You can reheat in a bowl in the microwave.

It’s not even 11am and half the soup is already eaten.

day 5: shrimp & grits

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Okay, I’m ready for this whole thing to be over already. My kids are driving me crazy. I’m bored and depressed and out of shape. So tonight I’m making a fancy dinner, a dinner party recipe, inspired by our trip to New Orleans. A taste of something fine and foreign.

It’s funny how this new reality is forcing us to both be in our extreme comfort zone, and leave it. I’m spending more quality time with my kids than I usually do—going on walks, doing writing projects, seeing films. Today I got out the bike that was my my mother-in-law’s and took a 2 hour bike ride on the path that runs though Westchester. I made it from Ardsley to Hartsdale. I’d never normally do that.

Tonight’s recipe however is not new, I made it a few weeks ago when the world still seemed like a steady place. But I learned a couple tricks so tonight’s version will be simplified. It’s shrimp and grits but I’ve tailored it to be able to be mostly made-ahead.

Quarantine Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

·       5 3/4 cups chicken broth divided

·       1 pound large shrimp, shelled (shells reserved)

·       3/4 pound mushrooms chopped up

·       1/4 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

·       1 cup grits, preferably stone-ground

·       1 cup grated cheese

·       4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and divided

·       4 slices bacon, diced

·       1 medium shallot, minced

·       2 medium cloves garlic, minced

·       1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·       1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lemon

Directions 

1.    In a large saucepan, combine 5 cups stock with reserved shrimp shells. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain and return stock to saucepan. Trash shells.

2.    Whisk grits into stock, set over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Lower heat to a bare simmer and cook, stirring and scraping bottom frequently with a wooden spoon, until grits are fully softened and cooked and have thickened into a spoonable porridge, about 1 hour. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and cheese until fully melted. Season with salt and pepper and keep grits warm. (A piece of parchment pressed against the surface will help prevent a skin from forming.)

3.    In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp then move bacon to towels to drain. (Bacon is optional; you could just add some oil to a pan). Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in shallot, garlic, and cayenne and cook for 2 minutes. Add baking soda and cornstarch and ¾ cup stock. Cook until thickened. Whisk in butter until emulsified. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. (At this point you can turn it off and reheat it right before serving time.)

4.    Right before you want to serve, quickly salt shrimp and cook in a little oil in a frying pan, then add them to the hot gravy to finish cooking.

5.    Serve grits in a bowl with shrimp and gravy on top. Finish with herbs if you want to get fancy.

 

 

daily dinners in quarantine

Image from Milk Street Magazine

Image from Milk Street Magazine

Hi mom! And for anyone else reading, hello and welcome—apologies for the silence. Now seems like a good time to break it. Welcome to quarantining and cooking, where we are all home all the time and no one eats out. Anyone else miserable?

And who else wishes their kids were quarantined elsewhere?

Despite the fears and total claustrophobia we are experiencing, there is no time like the present to make dinner. Every damn night. And since grocery store shopping is limited these days and boredom is abundant, it’s time to get creative. Sharing recipes, sharing frustrations—it’s what the internet is here for. And where we all seem to be spending most of our time. So I am going to record my daily dinner experiences.

Tonight, for example, the boys are watching their fourth documentary in three days (ie homeschooling) while I cook (read: blog). Cooking is my time alone in the kitchen and I value it more than ever these days. I’m making salted salmon, a Norwegian technique I learned from Milk Street Magazine. It’s basically cover the salmon filets with a mixture of salmon and dill (using dried) and then let it hang out in the fridge for 45 minutes. Then rinse the salmon and cook it at a low temperature, 350 degrees, for 12-15 minutes. It’s perfect every time—meaty and easy— and I’m not even a huge fan of salmon.

These filets come from Imperfect Foods (which is still delivering). I’m also roasting broccoli and making Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocci, which are frozen and you sautee them in a pan. Easy and yummy. (I hear TJ’s is still open if you can stand waiting in line.) What are you making?

BAKED SALTED SALMON WITH DILL
(adapted from Milk Street Magazine)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 TABLESPOONS FRESH DILL OR 1/2 TBSP DRIED DILL

  • KOSHER SALT AND GROUND BLACK PEPPER

  • 1 POUND SKIN-ON SALMON

  • 1 TBSP OIL

DIRECTIONS

  1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a small bowl, combine the dill and 1 tablespoons salt. Rub the dill-salt mixture into all over the salmon. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes.

  2. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Line a second rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment, then mist with cooking spray. Rinse the salmon under cold water, rubbing to remove the salt. Pat completely dry with paper towels, then place flesh side up on the second baking sheet. Coat the surface of the fish with the oil and season with pepper. Bake until the edges are opaque and firm to the touch and the center of the thickest part reaches 112°F to 115°F, 12 to 15 minutes.

  3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and tent the salmon with foil; let rest 5 to 10 minutes (the temperature of the fish will climb to about 120°F). Serve with lemon wedges.

Swati chicken curry

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Here’s a very sloppy recipe for the curry. Seriously going to need to use your instincts as I’m not a recipe person. I’m sure I’m forgetting something or in the very least not estimating accurate amounts. 

By the way, way to go with getting your actual name and nothing else as your gmail address! 

Anyway, hope it comes out awesomely! 

Red Onion Chutney:

Chopped small onion. Any kind that you have. 

A squish of tomato paste. Enough that when all mixed up it, it’s still a light liquid. Not very thick. 

Juice of one lemon. 

An average to small  finger pinch of paprika. 

A petite finger pinch of cumin.

A little agave or honey. I don’t know. Maybe a teaspoon. Maybe less. Maybe more. 

Salt. 

Combine and whisk everything except onions til kind of emulsified and then add onions and stir it up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRyELKGLGag 

Set aside in a glass or ceramic container covered and not in the fridge while you make everything else. After, store any left in fridge. 

For the curry.  ( * means it’s necessary or find an amazing substitute) 

3-6 servings (This is because less is needed to make tacos with the leftovers.)*Less than a can of coconut milk, maybe 5/8*Around a pound but not less, chicken breast (medium bite chunks)*A med sweet potato (Same size as chunks of chix)*2- 4 big clugs of chicken broth (low sodium preferred)*Tomato paste or fresh chopped tomatoes but then add it before the chicken to cook it down*2 minced garlic cloves *2 -3x the garlic amount of finally chopped ginger or some ginger powder.*Curry powderCumin*Berbere (Sub w garam masala or more curry if no berbere. If the sub doesn’t have any heat, a little spicy hot, add cayenne) Ground cardamomPaprika Before prepping the curry stuff unless you take forever to prep like me, chop chicken into medium bite sized chunks. Sprinkle curry powder on chix chunks. Enough to very lightly coat. You should still easily see the chicken. Like a see through dress. If that’s too much curry for your taste, then coat enough that it looks like one of those fishnet disco crop tops. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmx1GL1Kyuw&app=desktop  Add a little salt. Mix a little. Set aside. Heat oil and onions and half of the ginger til onions are almost translucent.  Add chicken, an average pinch or 2 of cumin, garlic and rest of ginger and cook til the outside is sealed. Whitish. Add 2 or 3 or 4 medium squishes of tomato paste. Stir it up. Add 2 or 3 big finger pinches of berbere, a big finger pinch of paprika and a medium finger pinch of ground cardamom. Stir it up. After a minute or 3 or 4 but not 2, (2 with this part is useless), add chicken broth and some salt and stir. Let that cook for a few minutes to be truly influenced by the other flavors. Little by little add the coconut milk. Do what it takes for it to not curdle. (Even if it does curdle, it will get better as you stir. It will be fine. Maybe not perfect but fine.) Stir gently at med-low heat. You don’t want big bubbles. Gentle bubbles might be okay. But not a lot. A gentle simmer. I indiscriminately cover and uncover. 10 or 15  mins before you’re ready to eat, add sweet potato chunks. You don’t want very mushy potatoes. You don’t want hard to bite potatoes either.Add salt, extra coconut milk, berbere etc. to taste after the chicken is safely cooked. Hopefully you got that rice cooked in the meantime. I like to add peas to mine. Plate the rice so that there is less rice in the middle so it kind of makes it’s own bowl. Put the curry on the rice, mostly in the bowl part. You should still be able to see some white rice the farther you go from the middle.  Garnish w cilantro and serve w red onion chutney.  Yogurt or even better, raita goes well w it too. 

meal plans

I have become one of those moms with a MEAL PLAN. At least this week. With the new year in full swing (and a resolve to eat less meat) and a busy week of sports and doctors appointments ahead, I decided to write out what I would cook on each day.

I usually think ahead, and also value being spontaneous with whats on hand, but creating a plan ahead of time was surprisingly productive. It allowed me to shop for specific items and also cook for Thursday while procrastinating from work on Monday. Oh I’ll make the broccoli dish I am planning instead of editing that article.

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Speaking on the broccolli dish, it turned out to be a good one: Milk Street ran a page on the idea that TK approved “boiling veggies.” What he really advises is adding water while sauteeing to kind of steam and sautee together. It’s a good technique: sautee with spices in butter or oil then add water and cover for a few minutes. Remove cover and let water evaporate so veggie can brown. I tried it with broccoli, and not only was it esy, it only took about 10 minutes and .the results were great. Then I went back to work.

holiday gift time (again)

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While I’m taking it down a notch from last year’s holiday gift basket bonanza, I am making several lovely gift bags for Michael’s business associates. Included so far: my beef jerky (which seemed to get the most raves last year and thus made another appearance this year); my also well-reviewed rosemary garlic salt (which a friend bought me out of last year after he tried it); a new item: caramel popcorn and my beloved chocolate bark with spicy apricot, pepita and sea salt. If there’s enough leftover and/or if times allows, I’ll also make sure my friends get a taste.

sprouts

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Wow it’s been quite a while since I last posted, so long in fact that ALL my many readers may have assumed this blog dead and gone. Not yet! While I am one of the few holding on to this antiquated form, I persist. Which brings me to Thanksgiving. I did the dry-brined Judy Bird, plus Food 52’s Challah Stuffing and Mark Bittman’s make-ahead gravy, per usual. But this year I did fewer other things and tried to relax a little more and enjoy the festivities.

It also allowed me to take in my mother in law’s beautiful decoration which included a mantle wreath made out of brussel sprouts and radishes—real food!

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And after having seen the film Wasted and because I’m helping to plan this year’s inaugural Irvington Theater environmental festival, I felt the need to use those beautiful vegetables in something we could actually consume. So Friday morning I gathered them up and dragged them home. And then thought: what am I going to do with 8 pounds of brussel sprouts and 3 lbs of radishes?

After a few hours in the kitchen, I had brussel sprout soup, roasted sprouts and roasted radishes (plus a few raw ones to use in a salad.) Roasted sprouts with lots of salt and oil is maybe one of the best fall dishes. Plus the soup, with some adjusting, was delicious, freezable and healthy. Bet you never heard of sprout soup! We hadn’t either but it can and should be done!

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Sprout Soup

Adapted from The Spruce

1 pound brussel sprouts

2 ribs celery

1 small onion

1 to 2 tablespoons butter

3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

1/4 cup cream

1 tsp sherry vinegar

1 tsp fish sauce

salt/pepper

Heat the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once it is melted, add the celery and onions. Sprinkle with the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes.

Add the chopped sprouts and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the Brussels sprouts turn a brighter shade of green, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring everything just to a boil.

Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, cover partially, and cook until the Brussels sprouts are completely tender about 10 minutes.

Use a hand-held immersion blender or regular blender to completely purée the soup as smooth as possible.

Add cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper, vinegar and fish sauce.

grilled broccoli

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As summer comes to an end, I’m reflecting on all things grilled and realized I never got around to posting one of my favorite recent grill recipes: Broccoli! You will need one of those grill trays so it doesn’t fall through the grates, but this recipe couldn’t be easier and is insanely delicious. And healthy. Get the recipes here.

go-to green sauce

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It’s summer which means the deer have arrived and they’re hungry. But this year for some reason our much-aligned deer are eating the Hostas that Michael so tenaciously planted in the giant planter he built from scratch (Suburban living has hit hard), and leaving my little herb box alone. So my herbs (parsley, basil, oregano , dill and chives) are growing like crazy.

I love seeing the flowing plants—so many herbs!—but I honestly don’t know if I can keep up. How much oregano can you use? Even when you cook as much as I do, there are only so many uses for fresh herbs. My new go-to use-it-up recipe is an oversimplified version of chimichurri/salsa verde which we can just call green sauce—recipe below. I keep it in the fridge and have used it to marinade a pork loin, on grilled fish, chicken and bread, and mixed in yogurt for a dip/sauce. It’s an easy way to add flavor and herbs to a dish without much effort.

go-to green sauce

Author:
prep time: 5 Mcook time: total time: 5 M
Use as a marinade, sauce or add to yogurt for a dip.

ingredients:

  • A handful of herbs
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2-1 cup olive oil
  • salt/pepper to taste

instructions:

How to cook go-to green sauce

  1. Put 2 garlic cloves, a handful of herbs, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and puree. Slowly add olive oil until it’s a paste. (You can add more oil as it ages.) Store in refrigerator.
Created using The Recipes Generator

it's a wrap

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During Michael’s recent low-carb resolution, and while mourning the loss of his beloved sandwich, I saw a brief segment on some talk show about using collard greens as a sandwich wrap. It turns out it works really well! Take the stem mostly off then soak leaf in simmering hot water for about 3-5 minutes. Dry off on a paper towel and wrap your filling starting at the bottom, then sides, then roll up. You can soak a few leaves at a time and then store them in a paper towel in tupperware in the fridge until ready to use.

It’s a good, healthy, low carb container for leftovers or your regular sandwich filling—turkey, cheese, tuna, even a hot dog. Then again, if bread is your thing, please forget everything I’ve said.

Cauliflower Grits

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If I had to pick one outstanding detail about our recent New Orleans jag, it would be GRITS. Michael and I ate and drank our way through that town in three days (including a bloody mary tour; secluded backyard bars; amazing restaurants including Cochon and Commanders Palace) but the lasting taste of that trip is for grits. The question—how to make them a little healthier so I can eat them all the time. A little internet research turned up Cauliflower Grits which is a totally different thing but turned out pretty great—alongside some Cajun shrimp.

Cauliflower Grits

Makes: 2 Cups

Name of image (title of post is fine)

Ingredients:
  • 1 head of cauliflower broken into florets
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Instructions:
  1. Process florets in food processor until course, then steam in pot for 5 minutes to release moisture.
  2. Add butter, half of milk and cream. Stir until liquid gone.
  3. Add cheese and the rest of the milk and cream. Stir while cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper.