Cauliflower is kind of a rockstar when it comes to eating well. Not only is it a delicious side veggie to include with dinners or a great veggie to serve raw on a veggie platter; it can also turn many of your favorite guilty pleasure foods into healthier, but still tasty, options. This idea from Super Healthy Kidsis another great way for cauliflower to shine as a snack or meal. Check it out.
Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided in half
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 ° F.
Rinse a head of cauliflower thoroughly. Then, roughly chop. Put chopped cauliflower into the food processor until it has broken down into very fine bits.
Heat an inch of water in a pot until it boils. Put the cauliflower mixture into the water and steam for 4-5 minutes. Cover with a lid while it cooks, but be sure to keep an eye on it so the water doesn’t boil over.
Once steamed, put cauliflower through a fine mesh strainer to drain the water. Use a spoon to squeeze as much water out as you can. Then, use a clean dry towel to squeeze out the rest of the extra water. Be careful though – water will be hot!
Combine cauliflower with the rest of your ingredients (using half the mozzarella and none of the Parmesan). Mix until well combined.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
Spoon cauliflower mixture onto parchment paper and form a kind of “loaf” with your hands – recipe should form a rectangle that’s about 8 1/2″ x 11″.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Bake for another 10 or so minutes, until cheese is bubbly.
Remove from oven, slice and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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During my travels this Summer, I had a long lay over at the Charlotte Airport. Given that there are the usual fast food joints in the main terminal, I opted to have lunch at a spot in Terminal D, called “The Rum Bar”, which
was reasonably priced considering that it was at the airport. Although a member of the staff highly recommended the Jerk Chicken Sandwich, I thought about eating such a spicy meal and flying would not agree with me, so I chose the Crispy Chicken Tacos,instead, which consisted of two tacos and was mainly composed of fried chicken tenders with an avocado cream sauce, Monterey Jack cheese and diced tomatoes, served on a flour tortilla. You had the options of having french fries or rice and black beans as a side. It was fresh and hot and tasted pretty good considering airport food. I think that three tacos would have been better as a lunch entree, or maybe because I was hungry and wanted more……
So as soon as I got home, I had to try to make these amazing little tacos, but with a little more low fat and low carb healthy choices.
Yes, it takes is a little time, but the effort is worth it, in developing more layers of flavor. So here is my take on The Rum Bar’s Crispy Chicken Tacos. I oven baked the chicken tenders, rather than frying them, reducing the fat content.
Also note that the avocado cilantro lime cream sauce is so delicious and it is also amazing on Chile Verde, chicken, fish, or seafood tacos. It is also great as a dip for vegetables and tortilla chips.
As for a cooking tip, warming the tortillas is usually the last step when serving a Latin inspired meal for dinner. With a little heat, they get soft and pliable – perfect for wrapping around the filling.
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients: For the Marinade:
2 pounds chicken breast, cut into tenderloin strips
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
A pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin,
1/4 teaspoons chili powder
For the Breading:
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 cups Japanese Panko breadcrumb
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
For the Avocado Lime Crema:
1 ripe Haas avocado, peeled and mashed
6 ounces low fat plain Greek yogurt
Juice and zest of one lime
1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
For the Sour Cream Drizzle:
1⁄4 cup light sour cream
1 -2 teaspoons skim milk
One package 6-inch diameter flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, for garnish
4 Whole Roma tomatoes, diced, for garnish
Rice and Black Beans, for serving
Directions:
For the Chicken Tenders, combine the chicken tenders with all of the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag. Seal the bag tightly and gently message the bag to ensure chicken tenders are evenly coated with buttermilk marinade. Place in a bowl, just in case leakage that may occur from the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For best results, marinating over night is ideal.
Preheat oven to 375 °F.
Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade. Lightly season the chicken tenders with salt and black pepper. In a shallow dish, season the flour with salt and black pepper then beat the eggs in another shallow dish with the milk. In a third shallow dish, place the breadcrumbs.
Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and finally, coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumbs.
Place the breaded chicken tenders onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.Remove from the oven and set aside and keep warm.
To make the avocado lime crema, cut the avocados in half, lengthwise and remove the stones and peel. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, place in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent further oxidation and set aside.
To make the sour cream drizzle, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and the milk. Transfer into a small resealable plastic bag and set aside.
To warm the tortillas making them more pliable, preheat the oven to 350°F.Wrap a stack of five or fewer tortillas in a packet of aluminum foil and put it the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through. You can do multiple packets of five tortillas each all at the same time. Alternatively you can also warm the tortillas in a microwave oven. Put five or fewer tortillas on a microwavable plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30-second bursts until they are warmed through. Repeat in batches of five tortillas until all your tortillas are warm.
To assemble the tacos, fill the tortilla in this order: spread a smear of avocado lime crema on the tortilla, add the chicken tenders and top with shredded cheese and a 1/2 teaspoon of diced tomatoes. Snip off one corner of bag and squeeze the sour cream drizzle onto the tacos, in a zig zag manner.
Adapted from a fabulous fish recipe from British Chef Shaun Raking proves forever that homemade is always better. Chef Rankin uses lemonade in his batter, which may seem a bit odd at first but is actually an inspired choice as the bubbles give a beautiful lightness.
Given the seasonal products that I can find at my local supermarket, I am always willing to try new things. So, there was a carton of Limited Edition Limoncello Soda, sitting on the store shelf and I decided to give it a try in this recipe, substituting for the lemonade found in Chef Rankin’s version. On it’s own, the Limoncello Soda was way too sweet for my taste, but it worked perfectly in the batter.
This dish is best served on a platter with plenty of tartar sauce for a summer get-together, or with your choice of sides for lunch.
Adapted from Chef Shaun Rankin Great British Chefs, 2015
Serves 4
Ingredients: For the Fish:
Canola oil, for deep frying
Eight 4-ounce cod fillets, skinned and cleaned
One 12-ounce bottle of Limoncello Soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
Preheat the deep fat fryer to 365°F (180°C) . Alternatively, fill a deep saucepan with the canola oil to halfway and, using a cooking thermometer, heat to 365°F (180°C).
Rinse fish, pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Limoncello Soda, flour, garlic powder, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper, baking soda and baking powder to make the batter. A thin batter is formed. Set aside.
Dip each fish piece in the batter until completely covered. You should be able to see the fish through the batter after it has been dipped.
Carefully lower the fish into the deep-fat fryer or saucepan and cook for 4 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Deep-frying should not make food excessively greasy. The trick is to keep the oil hot enough and not leave the food in it for too long.Remove the fish from the fryer using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Lightly season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with the lime and lemon wedges and some dollops of tartar sauce and seasoned waffle fries.
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