In A Nutshell

Cauliflower rice is all the rage and with good reason! It's a delicious low-carb substitute for rice and believe me when I say, you won't miss the real stuff (this coming from someone who has never much liked the taste or smell of cauliflower). I really think of it as a vehicle for sopping up sauce or cheese or whatever delicious stuff you have on/in it! This is a variation of a Neelys recipe from Food Network. The key to keeping this from being a watery mess is to wring it out until you can't feel your hands. There is no other way.... sorry. 3 bags of frozen riced cauliflower, thawed (these are 12oz. bags from Trader Joe's) 1 small onion, minced 2 T butter 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1/2 to 1 cup cream (this depends upon your dedication to the wringing process) 2 eggs 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper pinch of cayenne Preheat the oven to 375º. In a s...

 This is adapted from Food & Wine; you can either make the hummus and pizza dough from scratch or purchase those already prepared. Simple yet delicious. 1 lb pizza dough hummus (about 1 cup) shredded parmesan or ricotta salata for the top (I forgot that...) mixed greens, baby spinach, arugula vinaigrette For the vinaigrette : 3 T Champagne vinegar 1 T Dijon mustard 1/4 cup plus 1 T EVOO Whisk all ingredients and toss the greens with some vinaigrette. Preheat oven to 450º. Divide dough into 2 pieces and stretch out into an oval; bake on parchment paper for about 10-15 minutes until puffed and lightly browned. Spread a layer of hummus on each oval and top with lettuce.

Another delicious recipe from Food & Wine magazine; I modified and simplified this slightly. 1 1/2 lbs haricots verts or regular green beans, trimmed and halved 1 1/2 lbs small fingerling or new potatoes 1 cup chickpeas 1 large garlic clove 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 oz. finely grated Grana Padano (about 3/4 cup) 1 oz. finely grated Pecorino Romano 1/2 cup plus 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 large bunch basil leaves 4 T lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Fill a large bowl with ice; bring a large pot of salted water to boil and blanch the basil for about 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the ice water- remove and pat dry. Add the green beans to the water and boil for about 4-6 minutes, depending upon how thick your green beans are. Transfer to the ice water to cool- remove and pat dry. Add the potatoes to the water and boil until tender (the recipe says 10-12 minutes but mine took about 20 plus minutes); drain and let cool completely. Meanwhile, in a food pr...