Food Mamma

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cauliflower alfredo sauce

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The other day, on Facebook, I noticed a recipe for cauliflower alfredo sauce. I was intrigued and knew I had to try it. Cauliflower seems to be the “it” vegetable lately, transforming into a variety of things like “bread” sticks and pizza crusts.

This sauce is super easy to make. In a blender, just whiz together the cauliflower, the water that it was cooked in, some garlic that’s been cooked in butter and a little bit of milk and you have a creamy, delicious sauce. I used a lactose-free milk so that the sauce could be enjoyed by everyone.

Top the pasta and sauce with some cheese and elevate the dish even further with a drizzle of truffle oil. So divine! It’s a perfect dish for Meatless Monday or with some chicken or shrimp.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

1/2 head cauliflower
4 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp minced
butter
salt
pepper
1/4 cup milk

Saute the minced garlic in butter over low heat. Cook for several minutes until garlic is soft and fragrant.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.Add the cauliflower and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to the blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, the garlic and butter, salt, pepper and milk and puree until smooth.

chinese new year

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This year’s Chinese New Year will be celebrated on January 31st ushering in the Year of the Horse.

Food is an important part of the Chinese culture and a lot of significance is assigned to different foods for the New Year. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness and good fortune.

Here are the top 10 lucky foods to usher in the New Year:

Dumplings: Symbolizes wealth as the shape resembles Chinese ancient money.
Rice Dumplings: The round shape of the rice dumplings represents reunion and their stickiness symbolizes cohesiveness.
Mandarins or tangerines: The roundness of these fruit suggests abundant happiness and wholeness. Their Chinese names are also homonyms for “gold” and “luck.”
Lettuce: As a homonym for “making money” in Chinese, lettuce symbolizes the fulfillment of wealth in the coming year.
Whole fish: The Chinese word for “fish” is a homonym for “abundance.” In Chinese culture, eating fish represents having a surplus throughout the year.
Whole chicken: A whole cooked chicken symbolizes prosperity and togetherness of family.
Melon seeds: These snacks symbolize fertility along with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Fried sesame balls: The round shape and golden colour of these snacks are considered lucky. According to the Chinese, since they increase in size as they are fried they are a metaphor for a small venture growing and bringing back a large return.
Deep fried pastry with sesame: This snack’s name in Chinese translates to “smiling mouth,” which symbolizes the happiness it will bring to the family.
Rice cakes: The Chinese name of rice cakes ‘nian gao,’ literally means a “higher year” or year of improvement or advancement.

Adding to the already impressive assortment of international foods
available at Real Canadian Superstore® locations, select new T&T®
brand products are now in-store making it easier than ever to celebrate
Chinese New Year on January 31st .  A box of some of the goodies that they offer was sent to me. A few items included:

T&T® Philippine
Dried Mangoes: These dried mangoes originated from the Philippines’
famous mango city, Cebu. The warm, sultry climate and fertile soil of
Cebu make it ideal for producing the most delicious mango variety. Lush,
creamy and aromatic, these mangoes are a unique blend of sweetness and
tartness. Use them for a garnish in salads or as a substitute for other
dried fruits.  

T&T® Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: The
quality and rich flavour of T&T® Dried Shiitake Mushrooms is
signified by their large cap, fissures and thickness. With a long shelf
life, these mushrooms rehydrate quickly in warm water and are great to
enjoy on their own or in your favourite mushroom recipes.

T&T® Senbei Rice Cracker: Senbei rice crackers are made with the
best rice from Thailand and are a type of Japanese rice crackers that
come in various shapes, sizes and flavours. Senbei are often eaten as a
snack with green tea and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy
refreshment or can be used to make your favourite canapés or hors
d’oeuvres.

T&T® Biscuit Egg Roll: This traditional
street food of Hong Kong and Asia is made with flaky egg dough from
simple but fresh ingredients. Try these biscuits as a delicious
complement to ice cream.

Real Canadian Superstore®
locations will also be carrying a wide assortment of fresh quality Asian
produce for Chinese New Year including Pomelos, Chinese Mini Mandarins,
Guava, Star Fruit, Long Beans and more. I especially loved their shrimp dumplings which were available in the freezer section.

Using the Shiitake Mushrooms as well as the Korean Kalbi Marinade Sauce, I made up this delicious dish.  The mushrooms were meaty and absorbed all the tasty marinade. Even Q, who doesn’t like mushrooms, loved it. Not that I told him that they were mushrooms….

Disclosure:
I received a variety of products from President’s Choice along with a
gift certificate to try out some of their frozen items. I was under no
obligation to write about them. Opinions are my own. – See more at:
http://www.foodmamma.com/2013/12/presidents-choice-for-holidays.html#sthash.DMZwkj7b.dpuf
Disclosure:
I received a variety of products from President’s Choice along with a
gift certificate to try out some of their frozen items. I was under no
obligation to write about them. Opinions are my own. – See more at:
http://www.foodmamma.com/2013/12/presidents-choice-for-holidays.html#sthash.DMZwkj7b.dpuf

Disclosure: I received a variety of products from T&T/Real Canadian Superstore along with a gift certificate to try out some of their frozen items. I was under no obligation to write about them. Opinions are my own.

Shiitake Mushrooms in Kalbi Sauce
Recipe from T &T

1 can of T&T® Chicken Broth
15 pieces T&T® Shiitake Mushrooms
60 g T&T® Korean Kalbi Marinade Sauce
Chopped parsley

Soak T&T® Shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 1 hour. Remove the stems.

In large saucepan over medium heat, add mushrooms, chicken broth and kalbi sauce. Stir well, then cover the saucepan and allow the mushrooms to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Simmer covered for 1 hour.

Spring the parsley over the stew and serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings

meatless monday: eggplant and okra curry

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I’m not one for resolutions but meatless Monday is something that we are trying to implement around here. It’s not too hard to go meatless especially when it’s so easy to whip together a pasta or a big pot of soup.  This week, we decided to go Indian. There are so many vegetarian options and the Indian flavours make you almost forget that you’re skipping out on the meat.

This curry is super easy to put together. Two vegetables and a few items from the pantry and you’ve got yourself a tasty meal. In my case, I’ve also got myself a happy hubby, who sometimes complains that I don’t make enough Indian food.

Eggplant and Okra Curry

1 pound okra, cut into rounds
6 to 8 small eggplants
3 TB fried onions
3 TB crushed tomatoes
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
water
oil

Heat oil on medium heat so that it covers the bottom of a pan. Add the okra and let cook until golden. Stir occasionally, so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Combine the tomatoes, paste, and spices. Make little exes on the eggplants and fill them with a little bit of the spice mixture.

Once the okra start looking golden, add the onions and the remaining spice mixture. Add the eggplants along with a few tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over low heat until the eggplant are tender and start falling apart. Add water if necessary.

Top with cilantro and serve with chapati.

cauliflower curry

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I’ve been trying to keep the fridge stocked with cut veggies, so that there are always healthy snacks on hand. The carrots and broccoli and the snap peas and red peppers, are all happily enjoyed, being dipped in hummus or yogurt. The cauliflower always seems to get left behind. I was tempted to make the cauliflower bread sticks but knew Indian flavours would make hubby pretty happy.

I played with the flavours and the end result was a success! The fragrant veggies are perfect eaten on their own or with a bowl of basmati rice.

Cauliflower Curry

Oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 head cauliflower
2 – 3 tomatoes, cubed
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup water

Heat some oil in a pan and add in the mustard and cumin seeds. When they start popping, add in the cauliflower, tomatoes and spices. Stir so that the cauliflower is well coated. Add the water and cover with a lid.  Cook until the cauliflower is tender and the water has evaporated.

som tam – thai green papaya salad

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It was only recently that I tried Som Tam, thai green papaya salad. It was at White Elephant a couple of months ago and both hubby and I were pleasantly surprised at the flavours. I bought a green papaya to use as a tenderizer but then I recalled the fabulous salad so had to try and make it myself.

I used the recipe from Thai Table as a reference but had to make a few changes based on what I had in the house.  Dried shrimp was replaced with shrimp paste and palm sugar was replaced with granulated sugar. To shred the papaya, you make cuts into the peeled papaya and then slice off the shreds. This is what I did the first time I made the salad. Subsequent times, I just grated it using my food processor. So much easier!

I’ve been eating this salad for the past few days.  It’s a great mix of salty from the peanuts, sweet from the sugar, sour from the lime and savoury from the fish sauce and shrimp paste. It’s quite addictive!

Som Tam – Green Papaya Salad
(Adapted from Thai Table)

5 Cherry Tomatoes
2 chili peppers or hot sauce
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1 1/2 TB fish sauce
1 clove garlic
2 cups shredded green papaya
3/4 lime, juiced
1 1/2 TB sugar
2 TB toasted peanuts

Crush the peanuts using a mortar and pestle and keep aside. In the mortar, smash the clove of garlic.  Add the tomatoes, chili peppers, shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and peanuts and crush.  Add the papaya and mix it well with the rest of the ingredients.

garlic mashed cauliflower

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It is so easy to get lost on Pinterest and be inspired by all the recipes on there. Always looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into our diets and making substitutions for the foods we should be avoiding, I was happy to see so many recipes for mashed cauliflower.

I was surprised by how much it resembled mashed potatoes without all those unnecessary carbs. Smooth and creamy, it went great with our barbecued kebabs and we didn’t even miss the potatoes!

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

1 medium cauliflower, cut into pieces
1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup reserved cauliflower liquid (or milk or buttermilk)

Boil the cauliflower in boiling water until cooked, about ten minutes.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and drain the cauliflower.  Put in a food processor with garlic and olive oil.  With the processor running, add liquid until you get your desired consistency.  Top with green onions or chives.

chocolate zucchini bread

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We were lucky to get some home grown zucchini from hubby’s co-worker this year. The possibilities of things to make with them were endless – bread, fritters, pasta…What I really wanted though was chocolate zucchini bread.  I searched for a recipe but most called for canola oil, which we had totally run out of.  I was happy when I found a recipe from Tara from seven spoons.  I loved that the recipe called for so much zucchini – what a great vehicle for eating your veggies!  Q has become a little nut monster lately so he got to pick what we used.  His nut of choice for the bread – pecans.  This bread was so good, it didn’t last long at all.  It was amazing with a tall glass of milk. Q loved it and I was happy for him to have seconds because of all the greens that were baked in. The last batch of the zucchini went into two more loaves today.  So good!  Thanks T for the zucchini and thanks Tara for the great recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
adapted from seven spoons

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the nuts and chocolate. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil and buttermilk. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in the zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stir until combined, taking care not over mix. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake, rotating once, until a cake tester inserted into the loaf comes out almost clean, which should be around 50 minutes. Cool loaves in their pans on a rack for 20 minutes.