Veggie Challenge-Cauliflower

Cauliflower!  I was originally going to try making cauliflower rice but then I found this recipe for what looks like mac and cheese minus the mac.  I prepped for the cauliflower rice so that'll be another day soon but when talking side dishes, any variant of mac and cheese is a winner.

Cauliflower and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 tbs butter-for pan
1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1/2c + 1/2 oz for topping sharp cheddar, grated
1/2c homemade coarse bread crumbs-I used grape nuts
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2c greek yogurt-original recipe uses heavy cream

Directions:

1.  Grease an 13x9in (original recipe calls for 7x11in but I had a lot of cauliflower) glass baking dish with the butter and set aside.
2.  Position 1 oven rack in the middle position and 1 in the top position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3.  Place the cauliflower in a small glass bowl, stalk end up. Use a paring knife to remove the lower leaves. Trim the curds off of the stem, keeping them as intact as possible. Try to keep the size uniformly large and make as few cuts as possible. Discard the leaves and stem. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Rest, still covered in plastic, for another 4 minutes.  Leave covered and rest for 4 to 5 more minutes while preparing the rest of the dish.
4.  Combine 1/2c cheese, the bread crumbs, egg, greek yogurt, salt, mustard, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and combine.  Different instructions for heavy cream in the original recipe makes the overall dish creamier.
5.  Using your hands and a tea towel if the cauliflower is still hot, rub the large florets between your hands to break up the curds. Add the curds to the cream mixture and stir until the cheese is thoroughly melted and combined.
6.  Spread the cauliflower mixture in the prepared baking dish, place on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. 7.  Remove the baking dish and turn the broiler to high. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 ounce cheese + small handful of bread crumbs and spices if desired atop the cauliflower. Place on the top rack and broil until the top is bubbly and appropriately brown, 3-5 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 9 x 13in pan




Notes:
-This recipe is on the Good Eats episode listed below, Alton does an awesome job explaining how to prep and make the dish.
-Too much cayenne for my taste, next time I'll do 1/8 tsp but still edible
-I gambled using the greek yogurt instead of heavy cream.  It's definitely drier but I like it and I wanted a way to add more protein so overall I liked how it turned out.

The Verdict:
More please


Original Recipe from: Good Eats Season 14 Episode 21: Caul of the Flower

Veggie Challenge Zucchini Sweet

Day two of the veggie challenge is Zucchini!  I wanted something to snack on and I bounce between sweet and salty so I made one of each.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

These are the ingredients for 1 batch, I actually made 1.5 batch b/c I had shredded zucchini left over

2c zucchini, grated
2 eggs
3/4c sugar
1/3 vegetable oil
1c yogurt (greek yogurt would be my preference but all I had was regular)
2c AP Flour 
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1c chocolate chips
1c chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2.  Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in zucchini.
3.  Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and combine with the wet ingredients until integrated.
4.  Add chocolate chips and chopped nuts
5.  Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.  About 30-40min for muffins.
6.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Yield: 2 loaf pans or at least 2 dozen muffins


Notes:
-Will definitely try making chocolate zucchini bread next time!
-I use vanilla flavored yogurt but plain works well too
-I used a pan that was too big (b/c I didn't have a loaf pan available) and the middle didn't quite get cooked enough but I baked the left over in a muffin pan and just reduced the cooking time and they turned out great!

The Verdict:
Won't be using the big pan again but will definitely give this a second attempt...or third.


Original Recipe from: Eating Well

Veggie Challenge-Zucchini salty

Day two of the veggie challenge is Zucchini!  I wanted something to snack on and I bounce between sweet and salty so I made one of each.

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
1 tbs olive oil
1/4c freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
1/4c plain dry bread crumbs-I used grape nuts and ran them through the food processor
1/8tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
I also used a small amount of garlic powder

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2.  Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds (mandolin slicer is a big help here).
3.  In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper.
4.  Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
5.  Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.
Yield:  3-4 dozen

Notes:
-Took longer to prep than I expected but the directions were really straightforward
-The garlic powder was a good idea :)

The Verdict:
Very tasty, not as crispy as I was hoping but part of that could be my oven.  Might try it with really bread crumbs next time.


Original Recipe from: Food Network

Veggie Challenge-Eggplant

So a friend of mine, who used to think "veggie" was a bad word, recently decided to broaden his food horizons and see if he could figure out which vegetables he might actually enjoy.  I offered to be a food buddy and see what kinds of things I could do with veggies as well. 

Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

1/2 pound tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
2 eggplants (about 3 pounds), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 cup ricotta
1 large egg
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan-I used parmesan
4 cups mixed greens

Directions:

1.  Heat broiler. In a food processor, puree the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.-Pretty straight forward step
2.  Slice your egg plant if you haven't already.  In 2 batches, arrange the eggplant slices on a broilerproof (yes that does matter) baking sheet, brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Broil until charred and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Make sure your pan is pretty close to the broiler, it doesn't work as well if your sitting in the bottom 1/2 of the oven
3.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, basil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4.  Spread half the tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. On top of it, layer a third of the eggplant slices and half the ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer of eggplant and ricotta. Top with the remaining eggplant and tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
5.  Reduce oven to 400º F. Bake the lasagna until bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
6.  Divide the greens among plates, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil; sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the lasagna.

Yield:  Serves at least 4


Notes:
-I wasn't aware eggplants had so much water!  I found out later (thanks food buddy) that I should have prepared them differently (if you're a Good Eats fan, Season 5 Episode 6 Deep Purple has a good explanation).  Because I didn't prep is the eggplant in the beginning I actually had a puddle of water forming in the pan.
-I should have used a mandolin slicer for the eggplant, it would have been much more uniform and I would have been able to get them thinner

The Verdict:
Overall very tasty but watery.  Definitely worth a second attempt but I'll be sure to dehydrate the eggplant better next time.


Original Recipe from: Real Simple

My food buddy made this.  I don't know if it's the exact same recipe but it looks close.