Almond Cranberry Cauliflower Rice

Almond Cranberry Cauliflower Rice

This light dish is sure to delight family and friends during Thanksgiving and Christmas!

1 lb. cauliflower rice

2 Tbsp. Basting Oil (or other herbed oil)

2 Tbsp. Shallot Thyme Finishing Butter

1 handful of sliced almonds

1 handful low sugar dried cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet on high heat, warm oil up. Add cauliflower rice and salt/pepper and stir constantly until nearly soft. Add in butter, almonds, and cranberries. Reduce heat and allow butter to melt. It's done when the "rice" is soft and has absorbed most of the oil/butter.

Original Recipe courtesy of Wegmans

Super Light and Fluffy Cauliflower Mash

Because I just had my wisdom teeth taken out, I'm on a strict soft foods diet for a few days. I needed my cauli mash to be super soft, so I decided to boil the florets before putting them into the food processor/Ninja. It came out light and fluffy and smooth and amazing! I might just do this from now on! Here is the base recipe, add a combo of ingredients for different flavors.

Base recipe for Cauli Mash

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into roughly equal sized florets
4 to 5 oz. cream cheese
1 cup of chicken broth, bone broth, or veggie broth (add more if desired)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Boil the florets in salted water. I used a metal frying/boiling basket for quick and easy removal. When you can easily stick a fork through them, drain and put into the food processor. Add cream cheese, broth, and salt and pepper. Whir until completely smooth.

What can I add?
-Garlic Parsley Mash: 1 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 Tbsp. minced garlic) and 1 Tbsp. parsley
-Mexi-mash: dash of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 c. cheddar, monterey jack, colby(jack), or pepper jack cheese, shredded, 1 finely diced jalapeno, 1 chipotle chile (if you like them), and 1/4 c. fresh cilantro (if you like it), squeeze of lime juice
-Loaded Mash: 1/2 c. bacon crumbles, 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, 1 tsp. garlic, 2 Tbsp. fresh chives

Whatever else you like!

Velvety Portobello Mushroom Soup

I recently had some Trader Joe's Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup. It was condensed, so I added some water and cream. It was delicious, but a little high in carbs. So I decided to make my own. I'm having my wisdom teeth (all 4!) out tomorrow, so I figured I should make some smooth soup while I'm able.

Velvety Portobello Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
1 32 oz. container Trader Joe's Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth
1 32 oz. container Pacific Organic Mushroom Broth
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
~11 large portobello mushroom caps, washed, dried, and diced
4 oz. butter (1 stick)
2/3 c. Cabernet Sauvignon (I used The Path brand found at Wegmans- $6!)
1 Tbsp. Thyme
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. onion powder [OR 1/2 an onion sauteed with mushrooms]
1 6 oz. jar artichoke hearts, quartered and marinaded (I only added this much but you can add more if you wish!)
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pan. Add all spices and some salt and pepper. Add mushrooms (a little at a time if necessary) and sautee until reduced a bit. Add wine and artichokes. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the mushroom broth. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Heat the rest of the broths in a large soup/stock pot. When the mushrooms are soft and have reduced in size significantly, add the mixture into the soup pot. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend again. Add salt and pepper to taste.