Cauliflower: The ugly less tasty friend of Broccoli... or is it?

I don't like cauliflower. I don't like it steamed, boiled, roasted, or raw. I've never taken a bite of cauliflower and thought, "WOW". Last week we got the dreaded cauliflower in our bountiful basket (www.bountifulbaskets.org). My first thought was, "Ick, I may have to donate this directly to our compost bin". Then I searched and searched for a recipe that included cauliflower in some small capacity. I found one on www.allrecipes.com, it needed some serious retooling to be tasty, but I managed. We ate it for dinner and it was good, and then I had it the next morning for breakfast, and then I finished it off at lunch. When I was staring at my empty bowl I decided that I really, really liked it. When I first made the dish I wasn't planning on doing a post, so I apologize for the lack of tasty food porn.

Ingredients:
1 C. Uncooked Instant Rice
3-4 C. Chopped Broccoli
3-4 C. Chopped Cauliflower
1/4 C. Butter
1 Chopped Onion
2 C. Sharp Cheddar
1 10.75 oz. Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
Approximately half the soup can filled with milk
1 1/2 C. Crushed Ritz Crackers

Preheat oven to 350. Cook rice per package directions. Set aside.

Heat butter in large pan, saute the onion. Add broccoli, cauliflower and rice to the the sauteed onion, mix well. Let cook until the broccoli and tender crisp. Stir in cheese, soup, and milk, mix well.

Transfer mixture to 9x13 baking dish, top with crackers. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup canned sweet potato puree
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in the water. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add remaining sugar, sweet potato, butter or margarine, salt, and slightly beaten eggs. Stir to mix well. Stir in 3 cups of flour. Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 to 3 minutes, adding just enough of remaining flour to prevent sticking. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let raise about 1 hour or longer.

Punch down, and allow dough to rest for 2 minutes. Divide into 16 to 20 balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet or in a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

First off, I'm sorry there's no picture to go with this recipe, we ate it too fast ;)

You need:
Reynolds Oven Bags
1 whole chicken
Salt
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4-6 limes, wedged

Preheat your oven to 350. Remove all the guts from the inside of the chicken. Very carefully separate the skin from the meat. Pour about a tablespoon of salt into your hand and rub the salt into the cavity of the bird. Squeeze lime juice from the lime wedges on to the cilantro and stuff the cilantro under the skin of the chicken. Use the leftover wedges and cilantro to fill the cavity of the bird. Put the bird with any leftover cilantro and limes in the Reynolds oven bag, (psssst, right now there are coupons inside the Reynolds boxes). Bake for about 1/2 hour per pound, check the chicken when there's about half an hour left.

We serve this with spanish rice, black beans, salad and steamed corn tortillas. It is unbelievably easy and so super yummy! Enjoy!

Chicken Caesar Wraps

The very first time I had these was in a hospital cafeteria. I know for a fact that on Tuesdays they serve this, so I have been trying to keep all my appts on Tuesdays! Hahaha. But seriously. Good.

INGREDIENTS:
Wrap Shells or Tortillas (I like the green ones, super thin)
Caesar salad (I used bag salad and dressing, really complex I know)
Chicken Strips (or grilled but come on, the deli makes it for you)
Cheese!

Pretty complex really. You toss together your salad. I used Ken's litehouse dressing. They make a lite caesar that is delish! Chop up your chicken strips and toss into sald, make sure to stir. Lay out shell. Pour salad and chicken mix onto wrap shell, sprinkle with cheese and wrap it up. I cut mine in half, it's easier to devour that way.....Also, this would be good with bacon too.

St Patty's Oreos

These are simple and I don't know anyone that doesn't like an oreo, for real!

INGREDIENTS:
Double Stuffed Oreo's (I wanted mint but husband doesn't likey)
White Chocolate melty disks
Milk Chocolate melty disks
Sprinkle of choice
Wax paper or alluminum foil works too

Lay out a long piece of wax paper. In a bowl (cereal) pour out the sprinkles you plan on using and have ready by wax paper near. Take a mug and pour in a handful of melty disks. Put in microwave for 25 seconds, take out and stir. Put back in for another 25 seconds. Take out and stir, just do this until your chocolate is melted, but MAKE SURE YOU DON'T COOK TOO LONG. It was scald the chocolate...boo. When melt take Oreo and dip into the chocolate, I do about half way. Then roll edge into sprinkles. Lay on wax paper to harden and cool. And repeat. Make sure you lick the mugs clean..I did. And enjoy!

Veggie Pizza

This is really simple and quick.

INGREDIENTS:
Pizza Dough (you can buy them already made at the store, or use pillsbury, or from scratch)
Tomatoes
Whatever veggies you like (the sky is the limit!)
Mozzerella Cheese (don't be shy)
Olive Oil
Garlic salt or powder
Small can of tomatoe sauce

Roll out pizza dough onto a pizza pan and drizzle with olive oil. Cut tomatoes paper thin and layer onto the dough, sprinkle with garlic and add a little tomatoe sauce on top Bake this for about 5 minutes. Pull out and pile on your cheese, then the rest of your ingredients, finish the baking time according to the pizza dough directions. Enjoy.

Mexican Lasagna

Suuuuuper easy and delightful.

INGREDIENTS:
6 flour tortillas (you may use whole wheat if you want)
1 lb ground hamburger or ground turkey
! packet of knorr or any kind of spanish rice
1 taco seasoning packet
1 can green chillies
1 can black or refried beans
Lots of cheese

Brown meat and then stir in taco packet seasoning according to directions. Add green chillies and black beans. While browning meat you should make your mexican rice. Take a lasagna pan and layer 2 tortillas in the bottom pile on ingredients first meat/bean mixture, then rice, then cheese. 2 more tortillas meat, rice, cheese then pile 2 more tortilla's on top, sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through.