Indian Cauliflower and PotatoSorry to barrage you all with cauliflower recipes, but as you know, I have a limited time period during which I can make them. I actually made this recipe once before but never got around to posting it. I’m kinda mad about that because I know I added something else last time that made it even tastier, but oh well. This was still really delicious.

In addition to my love of cauliflower, I have a love for Indian spiced dishes. Add a little Garam Masala and Tumeric, and I’m a happy girl.

Indian Cauliflower and Potato

I had some leftover potatoes laying around and knew I wanted to make something with cauliflower, so this recipe came to mind. I had every intention of using a higher cauliflower to potato ratio, but alas the stupid NYC supermarket I went to only had the most tiny cauliflowers you have ever seen…and to make matters worse, they were $5.99 each! How absurd is that?! I would have just gotten two of them, but not at that price.

Indian Cauliflower and Potato

I also wanted to use up these potatoes I had laying around, so unfortunately there was more potato to cauliflower which, had I followed the original recipe, would have ended up being really dry. This was the main reason I edited the recipe. Also, I like things a little more moist and acidic, so I threw in some diced canned tomatoes and yogurt.

This dish was perfectly spicy and satisfying. Although i suppose you could eat it as a side dish, I put a hefty dallop of greek yogurt on top rounding out a great dinner for one.

Indian Cauliflower and Potato

Indian-Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

adapted from Spicie Foodie

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Serves 4-6

1 cauliflower head, cut into large florets
4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
small piece of fresh ginger, ginger and finely chopped
1 tsp-1 Tbsp chile garlic sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)
11/2 tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. ground turmeric
salt to taste
1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup greek 2% yogurt, plus 1+ cup more for garnish
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish

Boil the cauliflower and potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the ginger, garlic and chile sauce and saute for another 3 minutes.

Place the boiled cauliflower and potatoes into the pan. Add the spices to the pan. Use a potato masher and mash until the vegetables have broken up into a thick mash, leaving chunky. Stir well and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup cilantro and salt to taste. Stir to combine all ingredients well, and cook another minute or two.

Serve with a large dallop of yogurt and a handful of chopped cilantro.

cauliflower soup

Sorry for my absence. I was sick with some stomach virus and then a cold, and then I was in California for the long weekend. Being sick totally sucked, especially since I lost my appetite. I had poor Nate ordering pizza for dinner while I slept.

California, on the other hand, was so much fun. I got to spend time with my family and one of my closest friends, all of whom live in L.A. The weather was totally gorgeous. We went on a beautiful hike (and I realized how out of shape I truly am), and just spent a lot of time relaxing and eating yummy food. Thank goodness my appetite fully returned.

IMG_7220sm

I came back on Monday, while Nate is staying there for a month or so doing some job-searching. Since Nate’s gone, this is my perfect opportunity to cook all the foods I love that Nate doesn’t…starting with cauliflower!

The inspiration for this soup is another one of our honeymoon meals. Everyone told us we had to get a meal from one of the many food trucks while we were in Portland. Nate is kind of a picky eater, despite his claims otherwise, so the only food truck that seemed ok was a soup truck called Savor Soup House. Plus, it was a cold, rainy day and i love soup. We decided to get a 3 soup sampler- we ended up going with a basic tomato soup, a chicken tortilla and I think black bean with ham. They were all pretty awesome.

cauliflower soup

It was hard to decide between all the yummy choices, but I knew the cauliflower soup on their menu wasn’t an option since Nate says he detests caulflower. I guess the truck owner heard my lament about the fact that I couldn’t order the cauliflower soup, and so he gave me a little taste. It was seriously amazing.

The soup was so simple but so flavorful. I asked what was in it, and he told me it was just cauliflower, vegetable broth, salt, pepper and a little olive oil. I knew immediately that I’d have to find a way to make it myself.

cauliflower soup

In addition, I’ve been dying to use one of our wedding presents- an immersion blender! I made sure to keep my fingers away from the blade after this horrific article Nate sent me last week. Although, those people sound like idiots.

The soup came out great, but I honestly can’t remember if it was as good as the one in Portland. I wasn’t in the mood for plain cauliflower soup, so I added a drizzle of buffalo sauce and a sprinkle of blue cheese to take it up a notch. Seriously yummy.

cauliflower soup

Simple Cauliflower Soup

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Serves 5-7

1 head cauliflower
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Cut end and core out of cauliflower. Cut into chunks and put in large pot. Add the stock, cover and bring to a boil.

Simmer covered for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

Using an immersion blender, puree cauliflower and broth until smooth.* Alternatively, add soup and cauliflower in batches to a blender. Make sure not to fill blender more than half full because hot liquids expand.

Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of pepper. (or for something different, do what I did and drizzle with buffalo sauce and sprinkle with blue cheese- so good!)

Cheesy  Herb Breadsticks

Sorry I’m late in sharing recipes for Thanksgiving. Since you’ve probably already got your main meal covered (if you’re anything like my family, the menu is NOT ALLOWED to change from year to year. We like our traditions!), I thought I’d bring you some ideas for appetizers and drinks.

Cheddar Herb Twists

Several weeks ago, we made plans to celebrate after the NY Marathon. Nate’s mom was going to be in the city and so we invited a few friends to join us later in the day after the marathon for some drinks and appetizers before we all headed to dinner.

Polenta with Tomato Tapenade

Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy came and went and destroyed many things in it’s wake, including any prospect of Nate getting to run a marathon this year.

But, on a positivie note, my mother-in-law (I think that’s the first time I’ve gotten to say that!) and our friends still came over. We just decided to celebrate good friends instead of marathon-finishing.

Polenta with Tomato Tapenade

I wasn’t feeling well and I just wanted a couple easy appetizers to make. I did some searching and came across what I thought were two simple recipes.

The polenta triangles were totally delicious and TOTALLY simple. The polenta is pre-made and you can buy it in a tube at the market. I suppose you could make your own if you wanted to, but that would make it way harder. The accompanying tapenade can get quickly whipped up in a mini food precessor.

Polenta with Tomato Tapenade

*as a side note, the plate I served the polenta on was the plate I made at my bachelorette party! We went to one of those pottery painting places, then to a nice dinner and then came back to my apt for a chick flick! A perfect day :) I painted a leaf and wrote the date of the wedding on the plate. 

Cheddar Herb Twist

The breadsticks were more labor intensive, but according to my guests were totally worth it. Easy for them to say, right? It was quite a pain to twist every stick, but in the end I think I could have halved the recipe because it made A LOT.

Cheddar Herb Twists

I’m just linking to the recipes below since I didn’t change them at all:

Polenta wedges with tomato tapenade

Cheddar Herb Twists

I also made the Cider Sangria from HowSweetEats, but I made a couple changes. I subbed ginger ale for the club soda and regular brandy for ginger brandy. It was delicious!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow (if you celebrate it)!!!! We’re headed to my parents house in Florida. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

*Warning- photo overload in this post!

Squash Chickpea Raisin Stew with Couscous

Well, our honeymoon was a blast! Due to hurricane Sandy, we actually got an extra day since our original flight was cancelled. I don’t think I actually told you guys where we were headed, but we spent 10 days in the Pacific Northwest. My first time, but not Nate’s.

We spent our first 2 days in Seattle, staying downtown at the Edgewater. It was a really cute room.

Seattle Edgewater

We managed to eat as much as we walked…stopping for some donuts in Pike’s Market plus a cookie later in the day. We had an amazing meal at The Pink Door for dinner one night, which I highly recommend for anyone visiting the area. We also took a tour of Theo Chocolate factory and ate a ton of samples- including a freshly roasted coffee bean.

Theo chocolates

But the highlight of the tour was the fact that Nate had to wear a facial hair net. There actually was another bearded guy on the tour so he wasn’t the only one.

beard net

We then headed NE of Seattle to a small town called Woodinville that’s known for its wineries. My parents’ friend’s sister owns a Winery there called Columbia Winery, and she VERY generously pulled a few strings and we got a free upgrade to the biggest, nicest suite we’d both every seen at Willows Lodge…complete with fireplace, 4 poster bed, huge bathtub…and some chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us!

She also sent over a bottle of champage and wine from her winery plus a coupon for a free tasting. We took her up on it the next morning. Unfortunately the well-known restaurant at Willows Lodge, the Barking Frog, was all booked due to restaurant week, so we headed into town to a place they recommended called Purple. They also had restaurant week so we lucked out and had huge portions of delicious food for a reasonable price!

There are some big leaves way over in Washington…

dino leaf

Unfortunately we only spent one night at Willows Lodge. Before we left though, we did happen to stumble upon the home of their truffle sniffing pig…what a cutie!

truffle sniffing pig

The next day we headed to a little resort NE of Mt Rainier called Suncadia. We thought we’d be close enough to Mt Rainier to hike there, but unfortunately the closest entrance was closed for the season, so instead we enjoyed the hikes near the resort.

Cooper River Trailhead

When we got to our room there, there was a bottle of champagne and chocolates waiting for us…and by mistake they brought us another bottle and more chocolates a few minutes after we got into our room!

Suncadia lodge

Then they gave us more special treatment with MORE champagne and chocolate covered strawberries when we got to dinner- we ate at one of their in-house restaurants since the town nearby was extremely small. On the last eve there, the chef prepared a special 5 course tasting menu. To say we left stuffed is an understatement.

outdoor fire pit Suncadia

Next it was on to Hood River. We stayed in an awesome little cabin at a place called Carson Ridge B&B on the Washington side of the river. We had our own porch :)

Carson Ridge Cabins

They had a tasty homemade breakfast daily. Aside from the rain every day until 5pm-ish, it was really nice. We hiked to a couple waterfalls- the very hidden Panther Creek Falls and the larger Tamanawa Falls- both were breathtaking. The hike to Tamanawa was very rainy and unfortunately my raincoat was sub-par, completely absorbing all the water that hit it. I wasn’t a happy camper.

Tamanawa Falls

We also managed to walk over a mile in the wrong direction due to poor signage. We arrived at the falls cold and wet (at least I was), but it was definitely worth it!

 Tamanawa Falls2

Finally, we headed over to Portland by way of Cannon Beach.

Cannon beach

Portland was the cutest little city. Our first stop was to Patagonia to buy me a new raincoat :) A very smart purchase given the weather for the rest of the trip. The fall foliage in Portland was gorgeous, and despite the rain we enjoyed ourselves. Again, we found some amazing little restaurants: Tasty ‘N Sons and The Original Diner. I highly recommend both. We made stops at Pittock mansion, The Rose Test Gardens, Voodoo Donuts…

(I have way more photos but wasn’t sure how many I could get away with posting since I haven’t given you a recipe in weeks!)

By the time we made it back to NY, I think I probably gained back the weight I lost in that last frantic week before the wedding…which is totally fine by me. But Nate and I were both sick of carbs and rich food and were craving a healthy, veggie-ful meal.

Squash Chickpea Raisin Stew with Couscous

This one hit the spot. It was warm and comforting, perfect for these chilly days we’ve been having in NY. And I changed the original recipe to include even more vegetables! A perfect end to a perfect couple of weeks!

Squash Chickpea Raisin Stew with Couscous

P.S. Check out my beautiful new everyday dishes in the photos!

Chickpea, Squash and Veggie Stew with Raisins and Couscous

Adapted from Serious Eats

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Serves 4-6

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 cinnamon stick, about 2 inches
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into fine half rings
1- 14oz can chopped tomatoes
1- 15.5 oz can chickpeas,  rinsed and drained
1 red or orange pepper, in 1 inch pieces
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 heaped cups peeled, seeded pumpkin or butternut squash cut into 1-inch dice
3 tablespoons raisins
3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp salt
5 oz. bagged kale (or kale with stems removed and torn in pieces)
2 cups couscous
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Combine the spices in a small cup and set aside.

Put the oil in a large saucepan and set over medium-high heat. When it is hot, put in the cinnamon stick. Stir for a few seconds and then add the onion. Stir and fry for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is medium brown and soft (about 10 min).

Stir in the cup of mixed spices; almost right away, add the tomatoes. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened.

Add the chickpeas, pumpkin or squash, peppers, mushrooms, raisins, stock, and salt and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 13 to 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is just tender when pierced with the point of a knife. Add the kale and stir in, simmering until wilted.

While the vegetables simmer, make the couscous. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. When it is about to boil, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over a medium flame and toast the couscous in it for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the boiling water into the pot of couscous, add a teaspoon of salt, and stir once. Immediately cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and cook very gently for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit somewhere warm, still covered, for 15 minutes.

Stir in the cilantro. Fluff the couscous thoroughly with a fork. Put a mound of couscous on each plate. Make a well in the center and use a slotted spoon to fill it with solids from the stew. Dampen the couscous generously with the liquids.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Apple

Nate and I went upstate last weekend with a couple of our friends to Poet’s Walk Park…where Nate and I were exactly one year ago when Nate proposed.

Nate wanted to go back to shoot a couple things for the wedding video (which is now officially done, and completely awesome!!!) and we needed the help of our friends to do this. We also wanted to take a few pics at the proposal location since we completely forgot to snap a pic of it when it was actually happening. Oops :)

The bridge where Nate proposed…one year later!

This park is fairly small but it has gorgeous views.

It was a two hour drive north of the city, so we thought we’d take advantage and stop at Fishkille Farms on the way home to do a little apple picking! Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year, was coming up and apples are traditional to eat (with honey) for a “sweet” New Year.

Nate and bridesmaid, Kim, showing their apple excitement!

We picked a ton! I wanted to make sure we got enough for eating plain and for cooking, although i didn’t have anything specific in mind yet.

We also got some hot cider for me (cold for Nate) and some fresh cider donuts. YUM!

I knew I wanted to make a recipe to use apples. On Rosh Hashannah, since all my family and jewish friends were travelling, I decided to just make a nice dinner for the two of us.

I roasted up a chicken and set off the fire alarm. The recipe had me cooking it at 450° with just the chicken in the pan, nothing under it. After it completely smoked out our apt, I looked up what to do and someone suggested putting a layer of potatoes under the chicken and roasting it at 425°. Luckily I had one lone potato sitting on the counter so i sliced it up and put it under the chicken and shoved it back in the oven.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Apple

Success! Well kinda. It stopped the chicken from smoking, but when I checked the temperature of the chicken after the allotted time, it was at the correct temp. I took it out of the oven and the breast was perfectly cooked, but other parts were still raw! Ugh, I’m never cooking a chicken again. I’d rather just buy a rotisserie one from the market.

Anyway, I wanted some nice side dishes to go with dinner and since I had some freshly picked apples to use, I pulled out this apple cookbook that I got last year that hasn’t ever gotten used, and found a really tasty recipe for The Best Twice-Baked Potatoes.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Apple

They were really good. I think I was expecting them to be more sweet with the apples and the sweet potato, but they were definitely more on the savory side, but still delicious! I highly recommend these as a side dish for your next holiday meal…or even just an every day dinner :)

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Apple

Very slightly adapted from The Comfort of Apples Cookbook

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Serves 6-8

1/4 cup olive oil
4 medium yams (about 3 pounds total)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups light cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
3 cups peeled and diced apples (1/4 inch dice)
3/4 cup bread in small chunks
3/4 cup parmesan in 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup parsley

Preheat oven to 400.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spread with olive oil. Roll the yams in the oil to coat and season well with salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 1 hour, and remove from oven. **Alternatively, pierce potatoes several times with the tip of a knife, wrap in paper towels and microwave until soft.

Bring the cream to a simmer over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, and whisk in the butter. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic, thyme, and apples, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until apples are tender, 8-10 min.

Slice each yam in half and scoop out the hot insides into a medium bowl. Fold in the hot cream mixture. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells.

Place the bread, parmesan, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until fine. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the potatoes, return to oven, and bake until yams are lightly browned and crisp, about 1/2 hour.