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More lunch box ideas! Wraps and sandwiches!
Yesterday we talked about how it is that time of year again – Back to School time. We talked about packing lunches and how it seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have more lunch box ideas than the rest of us. Then we talked about how there is the rest of us. We shop and pack and do our best. The lunches are nothing to Instagram but our kids have something good to eat. But then we talked about how there are a few easy lunch box ideas that I love. These lunch box ideas aren’t really fancy recipes but they are good, yummy lunch ideas. I mentioned that I would sharing more lunch box ideas and recipes all week. Here you go!
These are four more lunch box ideas and recipes that are so yummy! I’m starting with these recipes for the “sandwich” part of the lunches. Sandwiches are a standard but they don’t have to be boring. A couple more lunch box ideas on this list would be great for older kids too. It seems many teens are taking their own lunch now as they are face with smaller servings and restrictions that limit their school lunch. These “sandwiches” are perfect for that older tween or teen! Have more lunch box ideas to share? Send them to me and I’ll feature some of the best ones as the week goes on.
Homemade Lunchables
Ingredients:
6 wheat crackers (like Wheat Thins)
3 slices reduced-sodium turkey
2 slices reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, quartered
1 romaine lettuce leaf, torn into large pieces
1 roma tomato, sliced
Directions:
1. Place crackers in a small, resealable plastic bag.
2. Place the turkey and Cheddar cheese squares into a separate resealable plastic bag.
3. Place the lettuce and tomato into a third resealable plastic bag.
4. Serve by stacking turkey, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato on wheat crackers.
Cucumber Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 thick slices whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
6 slices cucumber
2 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tomato, sliced
1 leaf lettuce
1 ounce pepperoncini, sliced
1/2 avocado, mashed
Directions
1. Spread each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon cream cheese.
2. On one slice of bread, arrange cucumber slices in a single layer.
3. Cover with sprouts, then sprinkle with oil and vinegar.
4. Layer tomato slices, lettuce, and pepperoncini.
5. Spread other slice of bread with mashed avocado. Close sandwich.
BLT Wraps
Ingredients:
1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, diced
Directions:
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
2. Place 1 tortilla on a microwave-safe plate. Sprinkle tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese.
3. Cook in microwave 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
4. Immediately top with 1/4 of the bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Fold sides of tortilla over, then roll up.
5. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each wrap in half before serving.
Spinach Roll Ups
Ingredients:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix 1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bacon bits
3 tablespoons chopped onions
10 (12 inch) flour tortillas
Directions:
1. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine spinach, ranch mix, mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon bits and onion.
2. Spread the mixture onto each tortilla and roll it up.
3. Refrigerate the rolled tortillas until ready to serve.
4. Slice each roll-up into 1 inch servings.
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Today is National Cheesecake Day!
Guess what day it is? Guess what – it isn’t hump day! It’s even better! It’s one of those holidays that is so very much fun to celebrate. It’s one of those food related holidays. Today is National Cheesecake Day! Yum! What a perfectly delicious holiday to celebrate. Cheesecake is one of my family’s favorite treats. A couple of us prefer it over birthday cake on our birthdays. We love to try new kinds of cheesecake and National Cheesecake Day seems like the perfect time to do it.
Here are two great recipes to help you celebrate National Cheesecake Day. This first recipe is a new recipe we are trying this year. The second is an old favorite. If you try one, let us know how you like it. We love hearing from you!
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Makes 1 – 9 inch cheesecake
Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.
- In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.
Cheesecake Brownies
Makes 1 – 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients:
1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
Directions:
- Prepare the brownie mix as directed by manufacturer. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on box. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer.
- Bake according to manufacturer’s instructions. Brownies will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and serve.
Love S’mores? Try these recipes!
I love summer time so very much. There are so many fun things to do, there is never a truly dull moment. One thing I love to do in the summer time is have a campfire. I love it so much that we bought a fire pit and we use it a lot. Sitting around a fire seems to be one of those activities that is always fun no matter what else is or isn’t happening. One way to make campfires extra fun is to roast marshmallows and make s’mores. S’mores are a hit with almost everyone. S’mores are a favorite summer time treat.
If you like s’mores as much as I do then these recipes will be sure to interest you! Looking for a few ways to enjoy the yummy s’mores flavor without the campfire? It’s true that campfires are not always practical so we need a way to enjoy the s’mores taste without the fire and smoke. There are some great recipes out there – these are a few of my favorites and what we use when we need to fix a s’mores craving without the campfire.
Baked S’mores
Makes 1 – 9×13 inch dish
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup white sugar
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs until well coated. Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the chocolate chips, then the marshmallows. Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker mixture over the marshmallows and press down with a spatula.
- Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, until marshmallows are melted. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
S’mores Frappucinno
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
3/4 cup ice
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons marshmallow topping
1 shot cold espresso
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 cup whipped cream
1/2 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs
Directions:
- Blend ice, milk, marshmallow topping, espresso, cocoa powder, and sugar together in a blender until smooth.
- Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs.
Indoor S’mores
Makes 16 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups honey graham cereal
3 tablespoons margarine
6 cups miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
Directions:
- Coat a 9×13 inch dish with cooking spray. Place cereal into a large bowl; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt margarine. Add marshmallows and corn syrup and stir until melted and smooth.
- Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Remove from heat and pour over waiting cereal; stir well to coat.
- Press into prepared pan. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
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Good eyesight? Eat right!
I still remember when I was just starting 6th grade and I made a devastating (to a 6th grader) discovery. I could not read the teacher’s writing on the chalk board clearly. This was not something I had experienced in the 5th grade. I could see the writing on the 5th grade classroom chalk board just fine, or at least I thought I could. I loved school and was truly upset when I couldn’t read the things my new 6th grade teacher was writing on the chalk board. My eyesight was not good at all. I remember the trip to the optometrist and the happiness I felt when I got my first pair of glasses. I could see the board! It was a great moment.
There was probably not much that could have been done back in 6th grade to help my eyesight. I probably would have needed to get glasses no matter what I did or tried. But are there things that I can do now to try to maintain good eyesight? Yes! The common thought is that there are things we can do as adults to help us maintain our eyesight. One of the easiest ways to help maintain good eyesight is to eat a diet that contains foods that promote good eye health.
Want to eat right to help maintain your good eyesight? The same foods that are known to help your heart can also help your eyes. Regularly eating these foods can help lead to good eye health:
Green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and collards
Leafy green vegetables are high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients found in the healthy eye that are believed to lower your risk for things like age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Salmon, tuna and other oily fish
There are some studies that suggest that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acid from fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and halibut can reduce the risk of developing certain eye diseases later in life.
Eggs, nuts and beans
Eggs are another good source of lutein and zeaxanthin; mentioned above regarding green leafy vegetables. Legumes of all kinds, including peanuts, contain zinc, a trace mineral that is found in high concentration in the eyes. Almonds contain vitamin E, which research shows slows macular degeneration.
Oranges and other citrus fruits or juice
These fruits contain vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts.
Carrots
It isn’t just an old wives tale. Carrots and other orange colored fruits and vegetables contain Beta-carotene, a type of vitamin A that helps the retina and other parts of the eye function properly.
Add these foods to a lifestyle that promotes good eye health and your eyesight will thank you! An eye healthy lifestyle includes doing things like wearing sunglasses, using safety glasses, taking a break from the computer screen, quitting smoking and remembering to visit the optometrist. Doing all of these things and eating eye healthy foods will help your eye health and help you maintain good eyesight.
Popcorn recipe? What’s your favorite?
Do you love popcorn? I do! Yesterday we talked about how much I love popcorn and how it really can be the perfect snack. We talked about how it is actually quite healthy and also quite cheap. Popcorn is fun to eat plain but it is also fun to make fancy and yummy popcorn. I love that there are so many things you can do with popcorn and how many ways you can make it different. I just love all kinds of popcorn and I have some really good popcorn recipes that I promised to share on the blog today.
When it comes to popcorn recipes, I don’t think you can have too many! I love trying new popcorn recipes and discovering new treats. Any time I have fancy or yummy popcorn while out, I try to think of how to find the recipe or create it myself at home. If you have a yummy popcorn recipe, please share it with us in the comments section below. We love to hear from all of our awesome readers.
Here are just a few of my favorite popcorn recipes:
Caramel Popcorn Recipe
Makes 5 quarts
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
- Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
Kettle Popcorn Recipe
Makes 10 cups
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
Directions:
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn.
- Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning.
- Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped.
- Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.
Kool-Aid Popcorn Recipe
Makes 6 quarts popcorn
Ingredients:
6 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup butter
2 (.13 ounce) envelopes unsweetened soft drink mix, any flavor (such as KOOL-AID)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
- Combine drink mix and baking soda in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture into drink mixture, stirring carefully. Sugar mixture will bubble. Pour mixture over popcorn; toss to evenly coat. Transfer coated popcorn to baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until coating has hardened, about 30 minutes. Cool and break popcorn into pieces.
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Yummy recipes for that leftover ham!
Yesterday we talked about all of the Easter leftovers and the leftover ham. We talked about lots of great ways to use that ham. I promised that today we’d share some of my favorite recipes and here they are – my family favorites. There are recipes for Ham and Potato Soup, Ham and Cheese Quiche, and Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham. Let us know if you try one. We love to hear from you!
Ham and Potato Soup
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Directions:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
Makes 1 – 9 inch quiche
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
3 eggs
2 slices Swiss cheese
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup canned mushrooms
1 cup ham, flaked
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together flour, salt, half-and-half and eggs in a medium bowl.
3. Place Swiss cheese flat in the pie crust. Arrange spinach evenly over Swiss cheese, then cover with mushrooms. Pour the flour and egg mixture over mushrooms. Cover with flaked ham and top with Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 45 to 55 minutes, until surface is golden brown.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups peeled and sliced potatoes
2 cups diced ham
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, diced
1 pinch paprika, or to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Layer half the potatoes, half the ham, and half the onion in an 2-quart baking dish; repeat the layers.
3. Heat milk, peas, flour, butter, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir Cheddar cheese into sauce until cheese is melted.
5. Pour sauce over potato and ham mixture; sprinkle with paprika.
6. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.
8. Remove foil and continue baking until lightly browned, about 15 minutes more.
Leftover ham – what to do?
The Easter holiday has come and gone but there are probably lots of remnants of Easter around your house. Are there baskets filled with come candy and mostly wrappers? How about little bits of Easter grass hiding here and there? What is it with that stuff? It seems impossible to clean it all up. How about plastic eggs? Did you find them all? Hopefully you found any and all of the real eggs that were hidden! What about your fridge? Are there lots of Easter leftovers? How about hard boiled eggs? We talked about lots of ways to use them up last week. And how about the ham? If you are like most of the country, there is probably leftover ham in your fridge and you need to find a couple of ways to use it.
Using up the leftover ham might be as easy as just warming it up for an extra meal. But for lots of people the leftover ham goes way beyond one meal of leftovers. What can you make with it? Here are a few ideas for using up that leftover ham.
Ham and cheese sandwiches
This favorite way to use leftover ham doesn’t really need a recipe. Slice the ham thin and use it on sandwiches with your favorite cheese. Yum!
Ham salad sandwiches
This is another is great sandwich option when it comes to using the leftover ham. Put your ham in the food processor, salad shooter or use a hand grater to get it shredded into very tiny pieces. Add some mayonnaise and pickle relish. My family loves these sandwiches.
Salad topping
Ham makes a great salad topping. Dice your leftover ham or put it in the food processor, salad shooter or use a hand grater to get it shredded into very tiny pieces. Use these to top your favorite salad. Try adding some diced beets and shredded cheese too. It turns a plain salad into a great ham salad.
Ham and Eggs
Slice or dice the leftover ham and add it to breakfast with some scrambled eggs. Do you still have left-over hard boiled eggs? Use them with the ham and have a yummy breakfast.
Soup
It is still soup weather in many parts of the country – use your leftover ham and add it to your favorite soup. Make a homemade soup or add it to a store bought soup. It’s a great idea.
Dice and freeze
This is another of my personal favorite ways to use leftover ham. I like to dice or shred the ham and put it in freezer bags. Later on I can pull it out and use it to make a quick and fun dinner. It makes for a quick dinner prep on a future busy night.
Hambone
Many people save the hambone and use it later to make hambone soup or other recipes. Wrap the bone in foil and then place it in a freezer bag or use freezer wrap.
Have more ideas about how to use up the leftover ham from Easter? Let us know – we love to hear from you! Stay tuned tomorrow night when we share some of our favorite leftover ham recipes.
Use up those leftover hard boiled eggs!
Easter is almost here! There will be lots of fun activities and candy. There will also be lots of hard boiled eggs to color and dye! What do you do with all of those eggs after you color them? Maybe you hunt for them? Maybe you use a little salt and pepper and eat a few just like they are? But then what to do with them? If you are like my family you probably have lots and lots of leftover hard boiled eggs to use up in just a couple of days. Here are a few favorite ways to use up all of those leftover hard boiled eggs:
Deviled Eggs
This seems like an Easter meal staple – a favorite way to use up those leftover hard boiled eggs. Shake things up this year and look for fun new recipes online.
Egg salad sandwiches
This is another favorite way to use up those leftover hard boiled eggs – egg salad sandwiches can be yummy! They are one of my family’s favorites.
Breakfast burritos
We’ve all made breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs but they can also be made with leftover hard boiled eggs. Add some leftover ham and cheese for a yummy breakfast treat.
Salads
We all know that thinly sliced or diced leftover hard boiled eggs really round out a leafy green salad, but also think about adding them to pasta salads. Yummy!
Eggs Benedict
Have you tried this one before? Check out this recipe:
Eggs Benedict
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pinch ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
8 strips Canadian-style bacon
4 English muffins, split
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Directions:
- Fill the bottom of a double boiler part-way with water. Make sure that water does not touch the top pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon water.
- Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, and remove from heat. Place a lid on pan to keep sauce warm.
- Preheat oven on broiler setting.
- Brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- Toast the English muffins on a baking sheet under the broiler.
- Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one slice hard-boiled egg.
- Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.
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Cauliflower Recipes – Yummy!
In the quest to eat healthier I’ve been looking at ways to add more vegetables and reduce the breads and carbs my family eats. I’ve been fascinated with all of the talk about cauliflower and how people are using it instead of potatoes or crusts. For years I have heard of having mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. I have even had it a few times. I thought it was pretty good but I never really thought about branching out and finding more recipes. I recently decided to do just that and I so far I have found a few winners. My whole family, even the picky eaters, loved these recipes!
Loaded Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 large head of Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (approx 6 cups)
6-8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (Cooked in oven at 400° for 20 mins)
6 Tbs chopped Chives
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 cups Colby Jack Cheese ( may use cheddar)
8 oz container sliced mushrooms
Directions:
– Preheat oven to 425°
– In a large pot boil water and cook Cauliflower for 8 – 10 minutes, drain and let cool.
– In a large bowl combine sour cream, mayo, 1/2 of crumbled bacon, 3tbs chives, 1 cups of cheese, mushrooms and cauliflower and mix well.
– Place in baking dish and cover with remaining 1 cup of cheese and rest of bacon crumbles.
– Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with remaining 3Tbs chives and serve.
Cauliflower Pizza
Ingredients:
1/2 Head of cauliflower (mine was a smallish head)
2 C shredded cheese divided (I used mozzarella, but any medium/hard cheese will work)
Italian seasonings (I used oregano, parsley, fresh garlic and some onion)
Pizza sauce or marinara sauce of your choosing
Toppings (we used sausage, black olives and pineapple)
Directions:
– Grate your cauliflower. I used a food processor with the grater blade (cause you don’t want it to become pureed, just shredded). Place the grated cauliflower into a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 6-8 minutes (depending on your microwave). You want to make sure the cauliflower is soft but not mushy. Do NOT add water or anything to the cauliflower.
– While the cauliflower cools off (I put mine in the freezer to cool it quickly), preheat the oven to 450* and prepare a cookie sheet or pizza pan by spraying it with cooking spray. This is also a good time to prepare your toppings.
– To the cauliflower add 1 C shredded cheese and spices and combine. Add egg and mix well with your hands. Press the crust onto a pan and shape into a 9-12″ pizza (depending on how thin you want the crust). I did mine closer to a 12″ and it worked great! Spray the top of the crust with cooking spray (to help brown) or brush with oil.
– Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes (or until golden brown). It is really important to get it nice and brown so that it has a crispness to the crust otherwise, the texture isn’t a convincing pizza crust! When you pull out the pizza, turn your oven to broil.
– Add your toppings (we did 1/2 sausage and 1/2 pineapple/black olive) including 1 C cheese and put pizza under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Just broil it long enough to melt the cheese and caramelize the toppings a bit.
Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
– Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a large casserole dish.
– Place the olive oil and garlic in a large Ziploc bag. Add cauliflower, shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
– Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.
Have a good cauliflower recipe? Let me know! I’m looking for more good ones!