Cauliflower Mash

Mix it up this holiday season with a delicious, more healthy way to serve mashed potatoes! Its so easy and there are so many ways to mix it up with cheese, garlic, gravy...anything! I served this as "Bangers and Mash", a British dish with sausage and mashed potatoes. To go the health route, I used chicken andouille sausage and this great mash. I didn't even need gravy it was so delish!

1 head cauliflower florets
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

3-4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-6 Tbsp milk or cream
3 Tbsp butter
2 tsp chpped or crushed garlic
1/4 cup shredded cheese (sharp cheddar or smoked gouda works great)!
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt to taste

In a bowl, toss cauliflower florets in oil, salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and roast at 425F for approx 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, place potatoes in water, cover and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, approx 15-20 minutes. Drain and place back in pot with milk and butter. Add roasted cauliflower to pot. Add garlic, cheese, salt and pepper. Turn heat to low and mix with masher or with electric mixer until desired constancy. Serve with brisket, roast chicken or pork chops....or anything! Enjoy!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

I was thinking of making banana bread with some old bananas of mine one day, but decided that cookies would be a much better way of distributing them out to friends! If you don't have all the spices on hand, just cinnamon will do... I just love adding all the other spices to give a chai spice flavor to my oatmeal cookies. I didn't have chocolate chips, so I melted a dark chocolate bar and drizzled it on top. Adding walnuts or pecans would also be a great combo!

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch ground clove
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups oats
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 mashed bananas
Approx 1/4 cup chocolate chips or chocolate bar, melted

Mix first 9 ingredients together in separate bowl. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla and bananas. Cream together. Add Dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Spoon approx 1 large spoon-full of dough onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for approx 12-14 minutes, or until slightly brown.
While cookies are in the oven, melt chocolate pieces in microwave (30-45seconds, or until melted). With a spoon, drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies and let harden.
Makes about 2 dozen.

Harvest Tomato and Rice Soup

I have a lot of tomatoes and my carrots are just starting to get ready for harvest. I also have a lot of sick friends during this season change. What a better way to use what I have than to make a big batch of soup! This is similar to a bisque, but I have added wild brown rice to it.

5 medium sized tomatoes, cooked and peeled
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp peppercorns
1 bay leaf
dash of cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

1/2 cup Wild, brown rice medley
1 Cup water
Dash of salt

Start the rice separately.
Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes until all vegetables are cooked. Place soup into blender or food processor, cover top with a towel and pulse blender until contents are smooth NOTE: Be very careful with hot liquids in blenders and food processors because they tend to explode and boy does it burn!
Place soup back on heat and let simmer for approx. 10 minutes.
When serving, scoop soup into two separate bowls and add approx. 1/4 cup rice to each bowl. Feel free to add croutons, a dollop of creme fraise or sour cream on top!
Bon appetite!

Easiest but Most Delicious Chicken Salad Ever

So I made this chicken salad for my best friends baby shower and it got RAVE reviews! I couldn't help but giggle knowing how simple it was to make! It almost feels like cheating! Feel free to add celery, walnuts...whatever you'd like :)

1 oven roasted chicken
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup grapes, sliced in 1/2 or 1/4
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used the olive oil mayo from Best Foods)
salt and pepper to taste

Pull apart chicken with fingers. Place all ingredients in large bowl and mix. Serve chilled either with lettuce cups for lettuce wraps, on a salad, or in a sandwich. This diverse salad is also great as a wrap. Enjoy!

Tip:
A great way to use the rest of your onion, cilantro and grapes is buy chopping them all up and making a grape salsa! Serve on sliced baguette and cream cheese. Delish!

Zucchini Gazpacho

So I am catering a baby shower for my boss Rachel Yang, on of the best chefs in the nation. What do you cook a semi-celebrity chef? I was stumped, until I realized that I have a style that is all my own as does she and all I have to do is be myself...hell, Im sure shes just glad to have the day off!
I picked a few Korean dishes and put my spin on them. I also though that a nice cold soup would be a refreshing treat considering all the chilies and spice that will be in all the other food. Here is a recipe for Gazpacho that I think will be great for the summer.

1 TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin if you can)
2 TBSP cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1 zucchini, peeled and quartered
12 oz salsa verde
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 english cucumber, coarsely chopped
1/4 vegetable broth
Sriracha to taste
Salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You can pour through a sieve to create a creamy, smooth texture, or just leave as is. Garnish with creme fraiche or sour cream and a cilantro sprig. Also goes well in shooters with a prawn garnish hanging off the glass.
Beat the heat and enjoy!

Rustic Pear Tart

Here is a tart I made last night for the family. The crust was so flaky and delicious and the pears were tart and not too sugary. I used a recipe that called for caramel but I didn't want all that sugar so I tweaked it. I also added almond slices into the crust which added an extra flavor and texture. Delicious!

Filling:
2 Bosc or Bartlet Pears
1 cup merlot (or any red wine)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Syrup:
leftover wine and juices from pear marinade

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 large egg yolk

Preheat oven to 375F.
Marinate sliced and pitted pears in wine, sugar and spices. Set aside.
Place flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Blend until combined. Add almonds.Slowly add butter, pulsing food processor until dough begins to clump. Place dough in fridge for 40 minutes (or up to 2 days). Place between two parchment sheets and roll out to about 12 inch round. Discard top parchment sheet.
Drain pears and place marinate liquid into saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce liquid on Medium heat by 1/4, or until syrupy.
Place pear slices back in bowl and add 1 Tbsp flour and Tbsp sugar. Mix.
Place pear slices in center of dough leaving aprox. 1 1/2 inch boarder. fold excess dough (your boarder) over tart. It shouldnt be perfect, otherwise it wouldn't be "Rustic"! Transfer parchment and tart onto baking sheet and bake for aprox. 20 mins or until crust is golden brown. Let cool and drizzle wine syrup over tart. Serve with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream :)

Notes:
I like my pears to have a little crunch to them, so I cut thick slices, but if you would like them a little mushier, slice then thinner.
Also, switch it up! Use a sweet white wine like a Riesling instead and just add less sugar to your pear mixture!