Curried Cauliflower Waldorf Salad

Cauliflower roasted with cumin and mustard seeds are the hearty backbone for this filling & flavorful Waldorf inspired salad. Chickpeas roasted with garam masala add a toothsome texture and boost of protein. A slightly spicy, yet tangy curry vinaigrette bring the whole dish together.

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 apple, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 stalks celery, sliced on bias
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 tablespoons madras curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon mustard seed
• 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange cauliflower evenly on two cookie sheets and chickpeas on one cookie sheet. Sprinkle cauliflower with cumin & mustard seed and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle garam masala over the chickpeas with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Roast chickpeas for 15 minutes and cauliflower for 25 minutes, allow to cool and place both in a large bowl with the apple, celery & parsley.  Combine curry powder, honey, coconut vinegar & 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.  Drizzle over salad and toss well.  Can be served immediately, but keeps well for 3-4 days.

Sour cream apple tart (gluten-free crust)

I am so excited!  I have been gluten-free since the summertime and haven’t been able to bake any tasty pastries because everything I attempt heads for the garbage, often after just one bite.  Gluten free baking is a whole new science.  All I know about baking doesn’t really mean anything anymore.  Couple that with the fact that I’m not a very good baker, anyway…

SO, this is why I heart Pinterest.

This, RIGHT HERE:

Super simple, sure-fired, quality textured pie crust, to use up my vast array of gluten-free flours & notions. Thank you, Pinterest!  And thank you to Red Shallot Kitchen for coming up with this AMAZING dough recipe.  Seriously, this dough, ROCKED! It was so durable and easy to work with, the lattice work was simple to execute with the springy texture to this dough.  I can’t wait to make some empanadas with it or mini tartlets for appetizers!

I made a few substitutions for my own version and opted for coconut oil in lieu of vegetable shortening, but still used 1 cup of Earth Balance.

I made this dough for my Christmas apple pie.  We went apple picking up at Mad Tom farm in Vermont last fall, and snagged up bushels of the most incredible apples I’ve ever tasted!  We ate ourselves silly, trying all the varieties. We came home and made crisps, cider, apple butter, apple sauce, apple jelly and a few packs of apple pie kits.  I defrosted the bag of season peak handpicked glorious goodness from the earth apples.  The luxurious pinks of the honeycrisp, the plum red of the Empire & Cortland crimson stunning through the handy-dandy freezer bag.

The execution of this tart was really simple since I’d made the pie filling ahead of time.  I baked the bottom crust for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Then, I artfully arranged the apple slices into the tart pan and poured in a layer of sour cream custard.  I wove in an elementary lattice top and cut star cookies out of the leftover dough, which my daughter gratefully enjoyed.
I gave everything a lacquered coat of  heavy cream before popping the whole thing into the 375 degree oven.

For the custard, you will need:

• 1 egg
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar

Whisk the ingredients together for 10 -12 seconds.  Pour over apples like I did, or pour it in first for a rich layer underneath the apples!

Beat the Flu! Triple Berry Parfait

We were sick in our household last week.  So, we needed to charge up our immune systems with some lip smacking berry sorbet and creamy banana-avocado purée.  It was as delicious as  ice-cream!  I LIE NOT! Perhaps, even MORE DELICIOUS! Ah, and it made us feel better.

Ingredients:

For the Flu Fighting Triple Berry sorbet

Flu boosting power of Echinacea & Elderberry in a berry sorbet with vanilla banana-avocado soft serve.

• 1/3 cup each: frozen blueberries and strawberries
• 1/2 cup pure unsweetened cranberry juice
• 3-4 drops Stevia extract
• 1 tablespoon Elderberry syrup
• 1 teaspoon Echinacea infused raw honey

It’s rough.  You put all these ingredients in a blender and turn it on until you it looks smooth like sorbet.

Then, make the perfect counter part to this sinfully nutritious parfait, vanilla ice cream!  Ha!  It is even more creamy and delicious because it’s ALL GOOD FOR YOU! Next time, I will add chia seeds for another boost.

Home crafted Echinacea infused honey and Elderberry syrup alongside pure unsweetened cranberry juice & locally harvested frozen berries send a zing to your immune system that kicks flu to the curb!

For the Vanilla “Ice Cream”

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1/2 almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Hard again.  Put it all in the blender, turn it on and make ice cream.

You can put these into the fridge for a few minutes, and they will be colder and firmer.  But, I kinda like mine semifreddo, so I eat mine right away.

Layer into a small (or large) glass and devour!