In A Nutshell

My mom found this recipe in its original form on a blog called  Apple of My Eye ; we have extensively changed it because it was a very lean, low-fat recipe and in need of some serious flavor boost. I have made it many times and tweak it every time. I love it! It's homey, comforting and makes you feel like you're a visitor in Aunt Bee's kitchen. You can use leftover roasted chicken, grilled chicken or you can poach some chicken breasts; it is also good with no chicken at all as a side dish or a vegetarian main course. 1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks 1/2 head broccoli, cut into chunks Preheat the oven to 425º; lay out the veggies in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (you may need 2) and drizzle with EVOO. Salt and pepper them and roast for about 20-25 minutes until nicely browned. 2 T butter 2 T flour 1/2 t garlic salt 1 t onion powder 1 1/3 cup milk (I prefer to use whole milk) 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 cups shredded cheddar 2 slices bacon, co...

 This recipe comes from Food Network Magazine- one of those Thanksgiving special publications. I made this two ways: one with rice and one with cauliflower rice to make it lower carb. Both were totally delicious. If you use cauliflower rice, buy the frozen bag (already riced) and using a tea towel, squeeze as much water out of it as humanly possible. If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can add that as well. 2 small acorn squash, halved and seeded olive oil for drizzling the squash 2 T butter 2 T flour 2 cups milk 1 cup ( very generous 1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese plus more for topping 1/2 t garlic powder 1/2 t onion powder 2 cups cooked rice (use a rice medley) or cauliflower rice 1- 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry. Preheat oven to 425º; on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the acorn squash, cut side up, with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 35 minutes or until soft when pierced with a k...

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 Chrissy Teigen's book  Cravings ; my daughter got me this book for my birthday last year and I really really wanted to hate it!  A Sports Illustrated swimsuit model??? Really??? But I have to admit I love the recipes and she is just a damn hoot! This is delicious- low carb but you don't miss the carbs, I promise! For the Sauce : 3 T Thai sweet chili sauce 3 T hoisin sauce 3 T soy sauce 1-2 T Sriracha (depending how hot you want it) 2 T veg oil 1 t sesame oil 1 1/2 T unseasoned rice vinegar 2 T minced garlic 1 T minced ginger (I used the paste in a tube from Trader Joe's- awesome invention BTW) Combine ingredients. For the Filling : 2 lbs ground chicken 3 T veg oil 1 bunch scallions, white and green separated 1 T minced garlic 1 T minced ginger (again, I used the paste) 1/2 cup finely diced water chestnuts 1 sweet red pepper, finely diced Heat the oil in a skillet; add the white part of the green onion, the garlic and red peppe...

I don't think a person exists on this planet who loves pizza more than I do.... I love it in all its incarnations: deep dish, pie cut, square cut, fancy Neapolitan-style pizzas but most of all the awesome mom-and-pop pizza that you can find in any neighborhood in Chicago and the outlying area. Having said that.... if any of the following scenarios apply: attempted weight loss via low-carb diet, gluten = tummy-shame or diabetes, this pizza is truly a good alternative. It tastes really really good (please believe me because I don't even like cauliflower very much) and can scratch that itch for pizza-- maybe not as a forever substitute but on occasion. My daughter found a good crust recipe from  Detoxinista  that holds up after baking-- we've modified it a bit. As for the toppings, you can put anything you like on there. For me pizza is a way of using up leftover ingredients that are hanging around the rotter drawer of the fridge. In this case, I sautéed swiss chard from my...