Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza

I adore pizza, always have. However, I was skeptical of the cauliflower crust pizza recipes cycling around on the internet these days. I only decided to actually try this when a co-worker of mine mentioned this to me and said it was good. Since I am gluten intolerant and am often missing pizza, I had to give this a try and put my own spin on this. This is especially for those who are gluten intolerant, are watching their carbs, or have celiac. This can also be a tasty way to sneak in more veggies and fiber into your day. I attempted my own version of this roughly based on the recipe here: http://gapsdietjourney.com/2012/04/recipe-review-cauliflower-pizza-crust-dairy-free-and-gaps-legal/. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza - Serves 1-2 people

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3 1/2 cups of fresh cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 whole egg or egg beater equivalent
• 1 TBSP of Parmesan Romano Cheese (grated kind from pasta aisle is fine)
• 1/8 tsp of garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp of italian seasoning
• Wax or parchment paper
• Cooking spray, olive oil, or butter for greasing the pan

Toppings:

• 1/3 cup of pizza sauce or tomato sauce of your choice
• 1/2 cup of shredded part skim mozzarella
• 1/2 cup of veggies of your choice (I used broccoli)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place cauliflower in your food processor. Pulse until cauliflower is about the size of rice grains.
3. Steam cauliflower in the microwave on high for 5-6 minutes.
4. Drain cauliflower in strainer and then place cauliflower into a dish towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.
5. Place cauliflower into a small bowl and mix in eggs, parmesan romano cheese, garlic powder, basil, and oregano.
6. Put cauliflower mixture onto small cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper and spray liberally with cooking spray.
7. Shape "dough" into circle and make sure dough is on the thinner side. This will help the crust to crisp up.
8. Place crust into the oven for 30-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned on the edges.
9. Remove Parchment paper, spray pan liberally, and place crust directly on the cookie sheet.
10. Put sauce, cheese, and toppings on the crust.
11. Place pizza back in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
12. Remove from oven, slice and enjoy!

* My verdict is that this was good and I would make it again, but would not replace pizza for me all the time. Another words, this is good in its own right and does taste like a pizza, but it is not identical to a "real" pizza.

Cheesy Baked Ziti

I have been in the process of adjusting to living gluten free for the past few weeks for health reasons. As a result of this dietary change, I have been missing things like pasta, bread, and baked goods. One of the first things I tested out was making baked ziti using corn pasta. That worked very well and it tasted almost exactly like regular pasta and the texture was good. While the majority of my starches now I eat brown rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes now, I do eat gluten free swaps like corn pasta about once a week to fulfill my pasta cravings. As many in my life know, I am a big fan of Italian food and I spent many of my childhood years in an Italian neighborhood. For me, Italian food is one of the things I consider to be special and many dishes like the one I am going to share with you today brings me back memories. This is also one of my husband's favorite meals that I make. Here is the recipe:

Cheesy Baked Ziti -  Serves 8

Ingredients:

* 1 box of any ziti or penne pasta of your choice
* 1 jar of pasta sauce
* 1 8oz bag or 2 cups of shredded mozzarella (I used reduced fat mozzarella)
* 1/2 of a 15 oz container of part skim ricotta cheese
* 1 TBSP of Parmesan Romano Cheese (The kind from the pasta aisle is fine)
* 1 TBSP of basil
* Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook pasta to al dente according to instructions on the box in a large pot of water.
3. Heat and mix pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, 1/2 TBSP of Parmesan Romano Cheese, and 1/2 TBSP of basil together in a large saucepan over low heat.
4. Once the pasta is done cooking, strain pasta and mix pasta into the sauce in the large saucepan.
5. Turn off the stove and add 1 cup of shredded mozzarella in with the pasta mixture and stir until pasta is coated with sauce and cheese.
6. Spray 13 x 9 with cooking spray and dump pasta into the pan. Make sure the pasta is an even layer in the pan.
7. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, 1/2 TBSP of Parmesan Romano Cheese, and 1/2 TBSP of basil on top of the pasta.
8. Bake the ziti in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
9. Remove from the oven, leave ziti to cook for 5 minutes, and serve with a spatula. Enjoy!

Deviled Egg Salad

I really enjoy eggs, they are one of my favorite breakfast foods that I eat on the weekends and some weekdays. Nothing like over easy eggs or a omelet served with hashbrowns, maybe some breakfast meat like bacon or turkey sausage, and wheat toast for a big breakfast. On the go I also enjoy a good breakfast sandwich either homemade or from somewhere good.

I also enjoy this egg salad recipe I made up and am going to share with you all. I have been making my own egg salad using dijon or spicy mustard for years in place of the mayonaise since I do not like mayonaise at all. To me it tastes good and I even had my mom try some that I made once and she enjoyed it as well. I considered that a compliment since she likes mayonaise. This is a variation of my normal egg salad I came up with recently that incorporates black pepper and paprika like you see in deviled eggs. Came out great and similar to eating deviled eggs.  Here is the recipe:

Deviled Egg Salad - Serves 4 smaller portions or 2 large portions

Ingredients:

* 4 eggs, hard boiled
* 1 TBSP of dijon mustard
* 1/8 tsp of paprika
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, mash eggs with a fork.
2. Add mustard, paprika, and black pepper.
3. Throughly Mix eggs, mustard and spices together until everything is mixed together.
4. Serve as a sandwich using your favorite bread, in a wrap, stuffed into pita bread, or on a bed of lettuce. and enjoy.

Buffalo Style Grilled Chicken

One of my husband's favorite appetizers when we go out to eat is buffalo wings. While buffalo wings are usually greasy and unhealthy, this chicken is not. I made a homemade marinade that is similar to the one usually used on buffalo wings, except I tweaked it a bit to have less butter and still have a good balanced, hot wing flavor. I also switched out the wings for boneless, skinless chicken.This recipe will give you a mild to medium spicy buffalo chicken, which is what I prefer and most people I know like. If you use the optional cayenne pepper on the chicken, it will be on the hot side, but not "suicide" hot. Here is the recipe:

Buffalo Style Grilled Chicken - Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
* 1 cup of hot sauce
* 2 TBSP of butter or margarine, melted
* 1 TBSP of white vinegar
* 1/4 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* Cooking Spray
* a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix hot sauce, melted butter, vinegar, black pepper, and garlic powder together to make your buffalo sauce marinade.
2. Put chicken in a large container or bowl and pour marinade over the chicken.

3. Cover chicken and marinade chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Spray the pan with cooking spray and put chicken in a large pan over low to medium heat. Lightly sprinkle chicken with cayenne pepper if you want your buffalo chicken on the spicier side.

5. Cook 7-8 minutes and then flip each piece of chicken.  Lightly sprinkle chicken again with cayenne pepper if you want your buffalo chicken to be hot and spicy.

6. Cook another 7-8 minutes or until juices run clear.

7. Serve on its own with your favorite side dishes, with ranch or blue cheese dressing on side, or on a bun with ranch or blue cheese dressing as a sandwich.

Veggie Fajita Black Bean Chili

With the weather turning cold and life getting busy again, I took out the slow cooker to do some easy, healthy cooking. I thought about foods I like and haven't had in awhile and realized that chili was one of them. While this recipe would also be good with ground chicken or beef added in, the veggies and black beans make this a hearty, vegetarian meal.

Veggie Fajita Black Bean Chili - Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 2 14oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
* 2 14oz cans of tomatoes with green chilis or jalapenos ( use regular tomatoes if you like your chili less spicy)
* 3 bell peppers cut into strips
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
* 2 tsp of cumin
* 1 TBSP of chili powder
* 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper or to taste
* 1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Dump all ingredients into the slow cooker and mix them together.
2. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and/or sour cream. Also great served over brown rice, whole grain pasta, or a baked potato for a more filling meal. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Stuffing Bake

With Thanksgiving coming very soon, stuffing is one of the things I have been wanting lately. Here is a one-dish meal that is easy to put together and enjoy for dinner or double the recipe and take it to a potluck:

Thanksgiving Stuffing Bake - Serves 4

Ingredients:


* 3 chicken breasts of thighs (I used chicken thighs)
* Cooking Spray (I used canola oil cooking spray)
* 1 box of stuffing mix (I used a box of whole wheat chicken stove top).
* 1 1/3 cups of water
* 1 TBSP of butter or margarine (I used unsalted butter)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Boil 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 TBSP of butter in a medium saucepan.
3. Add stuffing mix and stir.
4. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Spray 8x8 square pan with cooking spray.
6. Add chicken to the bottom of the pan in a relatively even layer.
7. Add stuffing on top of chicken, making sure the layer is even.
8. Place pan in oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
9. Slice and serve with your favorite gravy and veggies, enjoy!

Mushroom, Pea, and Onion Rice Pilaf

I came up with this using the idea of peas and onions, a common vegetable combo. I added mushrooms in since I am a big fan of them and enjoy them sometimes with peas and onions. Add in some rice and seasonings and you have a heartier side dish that can also be a light meal.

Mushroom, Pea, and Onion Rice Pilaf - Serves 2 as a light meal, serves 3-4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

* 2 cups of cooked rice (I used boil in the bag brown rice)
* 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth)
* 1 1/3 cups of green peas (I used frozen peas)
* 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
* 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
* 1 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil
* 1 TBSP of grated Parmesan cheese (The kind from the pasta aisle is fine)
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper
* 1/8 tsp of oregano
* 1/8 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to directions for the brand you use and make 2 cups of cooked rice.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil to a large pan and add remaining ingredients to the pan.
3. Cook vegetables on medium for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are fully cooked and are starting to brown.
4. Add rice to the pan and mix everything together. Serve and enjoy!

* This dish would be great served with additional vegetables and chicken or steak. Also can become a main dish with one of more of the following: diced chicken, cheese, crumbled bacon, etc.

Honey Mustard Chicken

I came up with this recipe tonight after a long, hard workout today. I have been battling a cold all week and today was the first day that I felt like my normal self. I am dedicating this one to one of my oldest and best friends Susan who loves honey mustard, which I also happen to like a lot. I am not a fan of mayo and have always enjoyed mustard on my sandwiches, especially spicy and honey mustard.

Ingredients:

* 4 chicken breasts, thawed
* 4 TBSP of honey mustard dressing (I used Ken's Lite Honey Mustard)
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper
* Canola oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Put honey mustard, spicy mustard, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix both of them together.

2. Coat chicken with honey mustard mixture one at a time. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly coated. Cover chicken and marinade chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

3. Spray the pan with cooking spray and put chicken in a large pan over low to medium heat.

4. Cook 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear, flipping chicken halfway through.

5. Serve on its own with favorite side dishes or use chicken in a salad, sandwich, or wrap with additional dressing. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall has arrived and today where I am it even feels like fall! I love the fall's cool temperatures, Halloween, and the many delicious seasonal foods fall has to offer. One of my favorites is butternut squash. Here is a very simple recipe for a homemade butternut squash soup that pairs well with a salad and some crackers or bread for a nice, leisurely lunch or with a sandwich. Very healthy, yet rich in flavor along with a hint of spice as butternut squash soup should be. Here is the recipe:

Butternut Squash Soup - Makes 2 bigger bowls or 4 cup sized bowls

* 1 12oz box of frozen butternut squash or 2.75 cups of pureed, cooked squash (I used a box of frozen, you can get store brand of this at some supermarkets such as mine and bird's eye also has this in their veggie line)
* 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
* 1/3 cup of milk (I used organic 2% milk, but most types of milk should work)
* 1/2 TBSP of butter or margarine
* 1/2 tsp of black pepper (use 1/4 tsp if you do not want your soup to have a spicy kick)
* 1/4 tsp of ground ginger (not fresh)
* 1/4 tsp of onion powder
* 1/8 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Defrost frozen squash or prep fresh squash to become puree.
2. Add pureed squash along with broth and milk into a medium sized saucepan.
3. Mix liquids and add black pepper, ground ginger, onion powder, and garlic powder.
4. Mix everything together and cook soup on a medium-high heat until the soup starts to boil.
5. Add butter or margarine and simmer soup on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring soup every 1-2 minutes.
6. Take soup off the stove and serve. Here is my lame attempt at doing a fancy food picture using a fresh basil leaf in the middle of the bowl:

* Please note that the soup will need to cook off for a few minutes before eating the soup. Here is a picture of the ready to eat soup, yum!

Tuna Burgers

This will be the first fish/seafood recipe on this blog. Also the first burger recipe in general. This is a cross between a crab cake and a salmon burger. These can be eaten like a crab cake with aioli or tartar sauce or like a burger using tuna melt fixings like cheese and tomato. I don't cook a lot of seafood or fish at home since my husband is very allergic to all fish and seafood. However, every now and then I make these and a few other seafood/fish dishes when he is not home. I do enjoy seafood and fish, but don't eat either of these more than a few times a month due to my husband's allergies and the fact that most seafood and fish is expensive. These are budget friendly for a fish dish though and are easy to make, enjoy!

Tuna Burgers - Makes 2 large burgers or 4 smaller burgers

Ingredients:

* 5 oz can of tuna in water
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup of italian seasoned bread crumbs
* 1/4 tsp of garlic powder or to taste
* 1/4 tsp of black pepper or to taste
* 1/4 tsp of onion powder or to taste
* Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Open can and drain tuna.
2. Add  tuna and eggs into a medium sized bowl and mix them together.
3. Add bread crumbs, garlic powder, black pepper, and onion powder and mix everything together.
4. Form patties and spray a large pan so they don't stick.
5. Cook burger in pan on medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.
6. Serve on a bun or on your plate with fixings of your choice.

Leftover burgers can be refrigerated or frozen for later use. Enjoy!

Southwestern Veggie Pizza

I like spicy food and southwestern/Mexican type food is a kind of cuisine I enjoy from time to time. So much flavor and so good! Never had much of this growing up other than Taco Bell and the occasional taco night at home, but as an adult I have tried and now really enjoy items such as enchiladas, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, rice and beans. guacamole, and much more. This pizza is a quesadilla basically served open face in pizza form topped with lots of veggies. I believe this recipe can also be a springboard for other variations of southwestern pizza using beans, chicken, steak, adding other veggies, etc. This is relatively basic and quick while being low in calories. Here is the recipe:

Southwestern Veggie Pizza - Serves 1


* 1 tortilla of choice
* Canola oil cooking spray
* 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese
* 1/2 tsp of taco seasoning
* 1/2 cup of bell pepper, sliced into strips
* 1/2 cup of Sliced Mushrooms
* 1/4 cup of frozen sweet corn kernels
* 1/4 cup of diced onion
* 4 TBSP of salsa
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray tortilla with cooking spray on one side and place tortilla in a round pan or on a cookie sheet with the sprayed side of the tortilla touching the pan.
3. Top tortilla with salsa, cheese, taco seasoning, peppers, mushrooms, onions, and corn.
4. Sprinkle black pepper across the top.
5. Put pan in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the tortilla start to lightly brown. Watch carefully since this can burn if left too long.
6. Remove pan from oven, leave cool for 2-3 minutes and carefully place tortilla on a plate.
7. Slice into fourths or eighths; you will need napkins or a fork. Enjoy! Can be served with sour cream and/or guacamole if you like. I ate mine as is and enjoyed this :)

Garlic-Dill Vegetable Medley

I came home knowing I wanted make a vegetable recipe, but was stumped on what I wanted to make. Ended up using the fresh vegetables I had left in the house since I had to go grocery shopping tonight. I have been very busy and did not make it there over the weekend. I also tried to do some different spices this time, variety is key to a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy!

Garlic-Dill Vegetable Medley - Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

1 Cup of shredded carrots (I bought them shredded in a bag in the produce section)
1 Cup of sliced mushrooms (used already sliced baby bella mushrooms)
2 Cups of baby spinach leaves
1 TBSP of Butter or Butter Spread (I used whipped Earth Balance)
1/8 tsp of garlic powder
1/8 tsp of onion powder
1/8 tsp of dill (I used dried dill from the spices section)
1/8 tsp of black pepper
1/8 tsp of sea salt

Directions:

1. Turn a medium sized non-stick pan on medium heat and add butter along with spices (garlic, onion, dill, pepper, and salt) to pan.
2. Add carrots and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring them occasionally.
3. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-4 minutes, stir vegetables every minute or two
4. Turn pan off and add baby spinach, continue to stir for 1-2 minutes. The heat from the pan and vegetables will wilt the spinach.
5. Put vegetables into a bowl and serve. I served this with brown rice and lemon pepper chicken. Also would work well mixed with rice or served with potatoes. Enjoy and please provide me with feedback!

Italian Style Mozzarella Mushroom Chicken

Recently I was given a challenge to come up with a clean eating or gluten free recipe to feature on their blog. I decided to rise to the challenge. I also noticed there aren't any protein rich dishes on the blog yet. Here is a gluten free and clean eating chicken recipe which will pair well with asparagus, green beans, or spinach and some rice. This also would pair well with the Spinach Parmesan Orzo recipe that was featured on Monday. I am having this with brown rice and spinach tonight.

Italian Style Mozzarella Mushroom Chicken - Serves 4


Ingredients:

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* 1 1/3 cups of fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used already sliced baby bella mushrooms)
* 2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 tsp black pepper
* 1 tsp dried basil
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 4 Slices of part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low to medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet, and season with garlic powder, basil, sea salt, and black pepper on both sides. Cook 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear, flipping chicken halfway through. Set chicken aside on a plate and cover the plate to keep the chicken warm.

2. Stir mushrooms into the skillet, and cook until tender, stirring them with a spoon to cook them evenly. Return chicken to skillet and top each piece of chicken with mushrooms and then with a slice of cheese (feel free to cut slice to fit each piece if needed) . Cover skillet, and continue cooking 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

3. Serve with favorite side dishes and enjoy. Here is a picture of the chicken with brown rice and baby spinach.

That was my dinner tonight, let me know your thoughts on this dish! I thoroughly enjoyed this chicken.

Spinach Parmesan Orzo

Today was my first time ever cooking with orzo. I have eaten orzo many times at restaurants as a side dish with my meal and at my moms house, but have never made any myself. I bought a box of orzo on sale yesterday for $1.00 and used a 1.00 coupon for the orzo as well as a box on tricolor noodles. Since both boxes were $1.00 each, I paid .50 per box, which is awesome. Especially for name brand pasta. While I normally cook with whole grain pasta, I do use regular pasta every now and then. I believe in moderation and having some of what you enjoy on a regular basis. Enough of the backstory of how this all came to be, here is the recipe:

Spinach Parmesan Orzo (Serves 2-3 for a main course or 4-6 for a side dish)

Ingredients:

*   1 cup of uncooked orzo pasta
*   4 cups of water
*   4 cups of fresh spinach (frozen spinach is too watery for this)
*   A few sprays of Olive oil cooking spray to wilt the spinach
*   1 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*   1/8 tsp of garlic powder
*   1/8 tsp of sea salt
*   1/4 tsp of black pepper (I used cracked black pepper)
*   1 TBSP of Grated Parmesan (I used grated Parmesan Romano from the pasta aisle)

Directions:

1. Boil Orzo in water using a medium sized saucepan for 8 minutes. You want the pasta to be slightly harder than aldente since you will be sauteing the Orzo before serving the dish.



2.  Wilt Spinach while Orzo is cooking in a large pan using a light coating of olive oil cooking spray on medium heat.

3. Once spinach is slightly wilted, put spinach to the side. Make sure to consistently stir the spinach with a spoon or fork so that the spinach cooks evenly.

4. Drain Orzo and add olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to the bottom of your large pan the spinach was in. The pan should be on medium heat.

5. Add Orzo and spinach to the oiled and seasoned pan. Add parmesan cheese on top and mix everything together with your spoon or fork.

6. Mix everything together and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the orzo is lightly browned.

7. Serve on a plate with meat/protein source and vegetables (I think chicken or fish would go great with this. Having my leftovers tomorrow for lunch with some cooked and seasoned chicken breast) or in a bowl like I did tonight on its own for a delicious, meatless meal.

This was pretty good by the way and made for a nice, quick dinner that was easy to put together. Looking forward to everyone's comments, please share with us if you try this recipe.