Pass the Potatoes, Er, I Mean Cauliflower!

Tonight I am going to share with you two of my favorite side dishes right now: Cauliflower mash potatoes and Greek salad! 

I don't know about you guys, but I love potatoes. They are seriously my weakness! I love them baked, mashed, fried, I could eat them everyday! While in moderation they aren't bad, let's be honest, if I are potatoes everyday I probably wouldn't get to where I want my body to be.

Except sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are a wonderful food, packed with fiber, vitamins, nutrients, protein, and they are pretty low calorie. But tonight I am not talking about sweet potatoes, I am talking about russet potatoes.

Since I know that I can't eat them whenever I want, I started experimenting with an alternative. Yep, cauliflower! Hey, don't knock it until you try it! ;) These roasted garlic mash potatoes are pretty delicious, especially for an alternative!

Roasted Garlic Mock Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower 

1 head of garlic

2 tablespoon nondairy milk

1 teaspoon earth balance

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop the head of cauliflower into florets and place in a baking dish.

3. Coat the cauliflower with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Cut the head off the garlic head, place on foil, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the open cloves. Close up the head of garlic in the foil tightly.

5. Place the wrapped garlic in the center of the baking dish, and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes. (Until the cauliflower and garlic are both golden brown.)

6. Take the cauliflower out of the baking dish and place it in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a bowl, or a hand blender.

7. Unwrap the head of garlic, and add 5 cloves of garlic to the food processor or bowl that you are using.

8. Add the olive oil, and begin to pulse. 

9. When it begins to look flakey, add the earth balance, milk, salt, and pepper. Continue to process until it looks like whipped mash potatoes.

10. Add chives on top, and enjoy!

It's summer, it's hot and humid, and sometimes all I want is something refreshing! Greek salad has been my go to for that lately. It is simple, easy, and bursting with flavor. Not to mention it's beautiful!

Greek Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 stalks of romaine 

2 Roma tomatoes

1/2 a cucumber

1/2 cup kalamata olives cut in half (optional)

1/2 cup red onion sliced and cut in half

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Chop the romaine, rinse, and pat dry.

2. Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and olives if you are using them.

3. In a salad bowl, add the lettuce, and toss with the olive oil until it is coated evenly.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, and pour the juice of one lemon over all of them. Add a little bit of salt and pepper, toss until combined, and serve!

Oodles Of Zoodles! How To Make Zoodles 3 Different Ways!

If you haven't heard, Zoodles are all the rage! Zoodles are noodles made out of zucchini. It's funny because when I was raw back in 2011, my boyfriend at the time made raw Zoodles and I thought he was out of his mind. What I didn't realize was flash forward a year later and I would be using zucchini as a noodle all the time. Flash forward three years and there would actually be a spiralizer for all your zoodle needs!

This veggie instead of pasta option is great because it is low carb, tons of vitamins and nutrients, and it is pretty easy to make. You can eat it raw or cool it. Below are the nutritional facts for zucchini, pasta, and whole wheat pasta, in that order.

This is comparing one medium zucchini to one whole serving of pasta or whole wheat pasta. 

Now I do have to say, 2 zucchinis is enough Zoodles to feed Tyler and me. Sometimes we use 3 zucchini but it is not often. Tonight I am making homemade tofu crumbles (making a new recipe) that I hope will be delicious. Top all of it with a little marinara and it will be an amazing meal! You can make it with turkey meatballs as pictured above, turkey meat sauce, or sauté it in garlic and olive oil. Those are just some of the possibilities but there are a ton more.

Today the main purpose of this blog is to show you 3 different ways Zoodles can be made!

First, you can do it by hand, julienning the zucchini with a knife. 

1. Clean the zucchini and cut the ends off both sides. 

2. Slice the zucchini length wise into slivers, as show below. 

3. Cut down the zucchini to julienne the zucchini. (Shown in the second picture below.)

Second, you can use a julienne peeler to achieve your Zoodles.

1. Clean the zucchini and cut the ends off both sides. 

2. Cut the zucchini in half.

3. Place the julienne peeler at the top of the zucchini, pressing into the zucchini and pull. (Show in second picture below.)

3. Repeat this until you get down to the end of the zucchini.

Third way to make Zoodles is by using a spiralizer. I got this contraption off Amazon for about $40.00 with PRIME Shipping. (I love PRIME!) It is easy to use, takes one minute to make a full zucchini into noodles, and takes 2 minutes to clean. If you think you will be zoodling a lot, this might be a good buy for you. If not, I would try one of the other ways first! If you end up loving them, you can always buy a spiralizer! 

1. Clean the zucchini and cut the ends off both sides. 

2. Stick the head of the zucchini in the steal metal circle, and shove the butt of the zucchini in the prongs and lock into position. Make sure there is a bowl at the spout of the spiralizer for the Zoodles to fall into. (Shown in the first picture below.)

3. Start turning the handle clockwise and the noodles will start forming.

4. To clean up, remove what is left of the zucchini and discard. Take the blade out and wash it, be careful it is super sharp! Next take the handle piece out and wash it. Then finally wash the rest of the body of the spiralizer.

The different Zoodles you end up with are picture below. From left to right, the first using a julienne peeler, second using a knife, third using a spiralizer.

If you are interested in buying a spiralizer, click on the link below to check it out!

Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer

Have a great time zoodling!!!

Meatless Monday: Lentil Street Tacos

I don't know about you, but I get cravings for foods like I am 6 months pregnant. (I'm not pregnant at all) My body just craves food, hence why I am a fat kid at heart. Before my weight loss journey began, I let myself indulge in any and all foods my body craved. On the top of that list was pizza! Mmm I have loved pizza my whole life. Once my journey began, I worked hard to satisfy my cravings with healthy alternatives. Sure, it's not always the same taste, but my cravings are usually fulfilled beyond what I had hoped for.

The other day I started craving street tacos. Corn tortillas, meat, salsa, onions, cilantro... GET IN MY BELLY!!! Since I've stopped eating meat approximately four months ago, I have been having to think of even more creative alternatives to my already creative alternatives. ;) (More about my choice to go vegan in later posts.) I wasn't feeling tofu, and as much as I was kind of feeling black or pinto beans, it wasn't going to be enough to fulfill this craving I was having. As I roamed through my cupboards, which I do often, I came across some green lentils. That was all the inspiration I needed to create bomb.com meatless street tacos!

Lentils are filled with protein and fiber, making them nutrient dense! I took these for lunch this today, and they are a WINNER!

Ingredients
Serving Size 12 Tacos

1 cup green lentils
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
3 large garlic gloves minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 a large onion diced
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup salsa verde
12 blue corn or corn tortillas

1. Pick over lentils and discard any bad lentils, then rinse the lentils in a fine strainer.
2. Drain the liquid of the diced tomatoes into a measuring cup. Fill the rest of the measuring cup with water up to 2 1/4 cups.
3. In a saucepan, add the tomato and water mixture, diced tomatoes, lentils, garlic, and cumin.
4. Bring to a rapid simmer, and then reduce to a light simmer and cooked uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. Dice onions and cilantro.
6. Add water to make sure lentils are just covered, cover the saucepan with a lid, and continue to cook for 30 minutes. *Note: At this point check on lentils every 15 minutes to ensure they do not overcook.
7. Remove the lentils from the heat, leaving the saucepan covered for 5 minutes.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve on blue corn or regular corn tortillas, topped with salsa verde, onion, and cilantro.

Voila! Enjoy!

Please tag @afatkidatheart in your picture on Instagram if you make these and hashtag #afatkidatheart so I can see all your yummy creations!