Caramelized Cauliflower Plain and Fancy

Caramelized Cauliflower Plain and Fancy

This dish can be prepared one of two ways: plain or fancy. Roast it in the oven and serve as is for the plain version, or to prepare the fancy version, go one step further and add the Sicilian flavors, like capers and raisins. Try substituting escarole for the chopped cauliflower for a variation on this recipe.

From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6.

* PLAIN
* 1 head of cauliflower, washed, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced (pieces will crumble; doesn't matter)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
* FANCY
* 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, well rinsed
* 3 tablespoons golden raisins
* 1 recipe Caramelized Cauliflower Plain (see above)
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the cauliflower in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Roast until the cauliflower is lightly caramelized, turning once, about 30 minutes. Serve as is for the plain version or proceed with the variation below for the fancy version.
2. Heat a small pan, and then add olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the capers and raisins and cook for another minute.
3. Drizzle the caramelized cauliflower with the caper mixture and parsley and toss to coat well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cake Mix + Diet Soda

Cake Mix + Diet Soda

PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 171 calories, 3.25g fat, 301mg sodium, 34g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19g sugars, 1.5g protein
Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients:

One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix

One 12-oz. can diet soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.)

HG's Sweet 'n Sticky Sesame Chicken

HG's Sweet 'n Sticky Sesame Chicken

PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe, about 1 cup): 288 calories, 4g fat, 815mg sodium, 24g carbs, 2.25g fiber, 6g sugars, 37g protein
Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

10 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour, divided
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tbsp. lite/low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. sesame seeds
2 tbsp. thinly sliced scallions
Optional: crushed red pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

Place chicken in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and cover with egg substitute. Toss to coat and set aside.

Place 2 tbsp. flour in another bowl. Use a fork to transfer half of the chicken to the flour bowl, allowing excess egg substitute to drain back into the egg bowl. Thoroughly coat chicken with flour, and then transfer to the baking sheet. Wipe the bowl clean, and then repeat with remaining flour and chicken.

Bake chicken in the oven until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine broth with cornstarch in a small nonstick pot and stir to dissolve. Add syrup, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Mix well and bring to medium heat on the stove. Stirring often, cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, 2 - 3 minutes. Set aside.

Place cooked chicken in a bowl, top with sauce, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. If you like, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Eat up!

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds
Martha Stewart

A healthy side of steamed green beans and mushrooms is finished with crunchy, toasted almonds.

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8.

* 2 pounds trimmed green beans
* 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 1 whole scallion, thinly sliced white and green parts
* 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* Salt and pepper


Directions

1. Blanch green beans for 5 minutes in boiling salted water.
2. While the green beans are blanching, place large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and unsalted butter. Add mushrooms and saute until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sliced scallions, saute 1 minute more. Pull green beans out of water and carefully add to pan.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and finish with 1/2 cup toasted almonds. Serve.

Scones

Scones
Rachelle Mathia

2 Cups all purpose flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 Cup sugar

1 Stick frozen butter

1 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Orange zest

Dried cranberries



Preheat oven to 425.

In a mixing bowl, combine and sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Take a cheese grater and grate the frozen butter on top of the mixture. Combine gently (should be very easy and resemble sand).

Add zest and cranberries and stir. Mix in cream just enough to combine it all (dont want to overmix it).



Bring the mixture into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured board. Break apart the ball into 2 balls and flatten slightly so you have a mound. Cut into triangles and transfer onto an ungreased baking sheet and lightly brush cream on top. Sprinkle coarse sugar on the creamed scones and then put in oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.



For the blueberry version, I use lemon zest. If you have frozen berries, then wait until the end and add them to the top of the creamed and sugared scones, press them in slightly so they stay. I bake for 16 minutes, it's just long enough to get a deep crispy edge, mmm!