Cauliflower Crust

I've shared my recipe for Cauliflower Crust previously in my post for BBQ Chicken Pizza. However, it is so versatile and so fantastic I felt it deserved a page all on its own. The process of making a cauliflower crust may sound imtimidating, and sure, it requires a bit more effort in making BUT, once you understand the steps it can be very easy!

The process of making the crust starts just like you would for making cauliflower rice, if you are familiar with that. Loosely chop 1 head of cauliflower and pulse it in a food processor until a "rice" consistency is reached.

You take it a step further once you have the rice by steaming the cauliflower and the squeezing all of the liquid out. This is a critical step in making a crust that keeps shape once it has been baked. You can steam the cauliflower rice in the microwave (quickest method) or by baking it in the oven, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. 

Once the cauliflower has been steamed, then transfer the rice to a mixing bowl that has been lined with a tea towel. Allow the rice to cool down a bit before the next step!

Once cool, gather the towel, forming the rice into a ball and SQUEEZE! You will actually be surprised with how much liquid cauliflower contains. 

This will take a few rounds of twisting and squeezing to make sure all of the liquid has been drained. ​

The end result is a ball of cauliflower "flour" to which you add your egg white, cheese, spices, and coconut flour. I found the coconut flour to really hold this crust together. On my first attempt at making this, I still felt there was a bit too much moisture and needed a binder. The coconut flour seemed to do the trick! Once mixed, you flatten and  bake until golden brown.

The final step is adding toppings, treating the crust like you would any other pre-baked pizza crust!

Cauliflower Crust

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium head of cauliflower, yielding about 3.5 cups flowerets (350g)
• 1/3 cup shredded fat-free or low-fat monterey jack cheese (1.5 oz)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp italian seasoning (equal parts dried oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°. 
2. Chop cauliflower into small flowerets, discarding of leavings and stem. Place cauliflower into food processor and pulse until you get a "cauliflower rice" consistency. 
3. Transfer cauliflower to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 3 minutes. This steams the cauliflower. Alternatively, you can also bake the cauliflower for about 10-15 minutes (ensuring it doesn't begin to brown) if you do not have access to a microwave. You will need to spread the cauliflower rice out in a thin layer on baking sheets (this may require 2 sheets).  
4. Once cooked, transfer cauliflower again to a tea towel lined bowl. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, gather up the towel and squeeze the cauliflower into a ball -- and continue to squeeze! I can't stress enough how important it is to squeeze ALL the liquid out of the cauliflower. You should have about 1/2 cup of liquid when you are done. The end result is a ball of cauliflower "flour".
5. In a mixing bowl combine cauliflower, shredded monterey jack cheese, egg white, coconut flour, seasonings and salt. Mix with hands until ingredients are well incorporated.
6. On a parchment lined baking sheet flatten out dough, shaping into a thin round disk or a rectangle, about 1/4" thick.
7. Bake in a 450° oven for 10-15 minutes or until it begins to turn golden.

Fig, Caramel and Goat Cheese Chocolate Cakes

Once upon a time I was really into baking cupcakes.

OK, it was borderline obsessive. Almost every week I was creating a new pairing of flavors and would pawn these cupcakes off on my friends, family, coworkers...really anyone that was willing to eat a cupcake. I definitely had a reputation of being "the cupcake girl". However, this was a few years ago, before I really understood nutrition like I do now and the direct effect it had on my health and how I functioned. Once I started educating myself on proper nutrition and the importance of high quality of ingredients, my cupcakes comprised of all-purpose flour, refined sugar and artificial coloring were the first to go. While I love baking, I gave it a break for quite some time. 

While reorganizing my baking ingredients and accessories Saturday I suddenly had the urge to bake again. I was reminded that I had these fantastic vintage fluted baking molds that my mom sent me. I've had them for months (years?!) and never known what to do with them. They are traditionally used as brioche molds, but I immediately saw them as sophisticated cupcakes.

I recently saw a cake on Pinterest that was garnished with FIGS, walnuts and caramel sauce. It is absolutely stunning - bad part is the website was in German and the cake (from the half translation I was able to manage with Google Translate) was not gluten free. 

That wasn't going to stop me.

The thing about baking is that you can't really "wing it" like you can cooking. You need to have the right ratios of ingredients - it is a science. I turned to one of my favorite chefs, Simone Miller, for the most amazing gluten free chocolate cake recipe. 

I stuck to what I knew I could create myself: frosting and caramel sauce. Once you've made one buttercream, you've made 100. It is so fundamentally simple and you can't really mess it up. Not sweet enough? Add more sweetener. Not thick enough? Add more butter. Simple. Caramel is also basic: sugar, butter, cream. 

These little beauties are topped with a goat cheese and mascarpone frosting, a drizzle of decadent caramel sauce and garnished with a fresh fig. Goat cheese and fig go together like peanut butter and jelly. Its a match made in heaven. Goat cheese and normally thought of as a savory flavor, but it brings an amazing element of character to this not-so-sweet buttercream. 

Make no mistake - these aren't "healthy" to the point where you can go crazy and have 5 and call it dinner. However, there are certainly occasions that call for a special treat, and when those occasions arise you should always aim to use the highest quality of ingredients (i.e. ditch the heavily processed flour and artificial food coloring).

I hope you give these a try for your next special occasion...even if the occasion is simply surviving a week of work making it to the weekend!

Fig, Caramel and Goat Cheese Chocolate Cakes

No Joke Dark Chocolate Cake

I used Zenbelly's No Joke Dark Chocolate Cake recipe for these cakes.  It is FANTASTIC. Not overly sweet but rich with chocolate flavor. I made the recipe she has in her cookbook which is scaled to a slightly larger batch. I was able to make 8 larger fluted cakes and 6 smaller, using the molds shown above. I would imagine this recipe will make 12 cupcakes. 

If you use the molds like I did (and recommend!) then make sure you grease these VERY liberally or else you won't be able to remove them. You should also  plan on leveling out the cakes once they have cooled and been removed from the molds. Slice any excess from the bottoms so that the cakes sit flat. 

Goat Cheese Frosting

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 5 oz goat cheese
• 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar OR homemade unrefined powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine mascarpone cheese and goat cheese in a large mixing. Using an electric hand mixer or standing mixer, beat on low for about 1 minute to cream the cheeses together. Add powdered sugar and beat on high for about 3 minutes until frosting begins to firm up and hold shape. Transfer into a pastry bag fitted with the decorating tip of your choice and frost the tops of the cakes. You can also simply transfer the frosting to a Ziploc bag and snip a small hole in one of the corners. 

Caramel Sauce

Yields roughly 1 cup of caramel sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp grassfed butter
• 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar (this a rich, unrefined sugar - in a pinch you could substitute light brown sugar but coconut palm sugar is recommended!)
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix butter and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar melts into the butter, about 1 minute. Increase heat to medium and slowly pour the half & half into the saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and continue mixing intermittently, allowing sauce to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Add vanilla and cook for an additional minute to combine. Make sure you keep an eye on stirring this mixture as it cooks or else the butter may separate from the sauce and create a layer of oil on the top. 

Pull mixture from stove and allow to cool. Transfer to a glass jar and continue to cool mixture in the refrigerator. You won't use all of these caramel sauce on the cupcakes so you will have some leftovers - it tastes great drizzled into your coffee or over a scoop of coconut ice cream!

Assembly of cakes

Servings: 12

• No Joke Chocolate Cakes 
• Goat Cheese Frosting
• Caramel Sauce
• 6 fresh figs, quartered

Directions:

Top each cupcake with frosting. Next, drizzle caramel sauce over each cake. I transferred the sauce to a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut the smallest hole in the corner which worked great for drizzling. Lastly, garnish each cake with 2 cut pieces of fig.

How to Build an Epic Cheese and Charcuterie Board

Yum

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to entertain. 

LOVE IT. In fact, I find more joy in feeding and entertaining other people than I do cooking just for myself.

With Labor Day this coming weekend, I figured this was the perfect time for me to share how I build an EPIC cheese and charcuterie board. The holidays are always a time which calls for gathering, celebrating and entertaining.

 I recently went to Malibu Wines in Malibu (duh) and decided that occasion called for a cheese and charcuterie board. Follow along as I break down how you too can assemble this epic board. 

Wine tasting or not, cheese and charcuterie are ideal for any occasion. It is the perfect start to a dinner, fantastic addition to a party, a great option for a picnic, or simply "just because". My components for assembling the perfect board include:

1. Cheeses
2. Charcuterie
3. Something Salty
4. Something Sweet
5. Bread and Crackers

And of course, let's not forget the serving platter,small dishes, name makers and cheese knives!

1. Cheeses

My general rule is 3 oz of cheese per person if the board is the main food for the event. If you are serving multiple appetizers or want this to be a lighter snack, then scale back the amount of cheese you buy. 

I like to select 3 - 4 different types of cheeses. If you are having a large party (8+ people) you can opt for even more choices. When I am thinking about what cheese to serve, I try and select a soft, semi-soft, semi-hard and hard cheese. You should plan on allowing your cheeses to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving. Their flavors are best when they are at room temperature and not as hard blocks straight from the refrigerator (which mutes the flavor)! 

Soft: These are soft and creamy cheese which are spreadable. Goat, Brie, Chevre, Camembert

Semi-soft: More firm than soft cheeses but still has a high moisture content and tend to be mild in taste. Munster, Gruyere, Blue-veined cheeses (although these aren't mild but much  more distinct and "stinky")

Semi-hard: These cheese are much lower in moisture than soft cheese and aged for a longer time. Cheddar (which there are so many varieties of based on aging length), Gouda

Hard: These are the cheeses that are packed very firmly, aged for months or years, and when cut are very crumbly  due to their low moisture content. Manchego, Asiago, Parmigiano-Reggiano 

For my board I selected Truffle Tremor as my soft cheese (from Cypress Grove Chevre) as it is a wonder balance of goat cheese and Italian black summer truffles. If you haven't ever tried this cheese I highly recommend it! I wasn't necessarily in the mood for a semi-soft cheese for this occasion, so instead I selected 2 semi-hard cheeses - Gouda and Irish Cheddar. Lastly, for my hard cheese I chose Manchego. 

You'll notice that all of my cheeses have name tags. It is important to let your guests know what they are eating! I bought these adorable chalkboard markers off Amazon but even just paper name tags will do.

2. Charcuterie

Similar rules apply here for the amount of meats to serve. I aim for 2-3 oz of meat per person but again, if you are looking for something lighter you can decrease the amount of meats you buy. 

I am by no means an expert on different types of dry-cured meats and sausages. I found this article on The Savory very helpful and informative - Charcuterie Study Guide: A Meat-by-Meat Breakdown.  Charcuterie varies from region to region, but below are a few popular choices. 

Dry-Cured Meat:  

Italy: Prosciutto, Speck, Bresaola

Spain: Jamon Iberico, Jamon Serrano

Dry-Cured Sausage:  

Italy: Mortadella, Salami, Soppressata, Coppa

Spain: Chorizo

Other:

France: Pate comes in many different textures and compositions. They can be made from pork, rabbit, duck or chicken liver. 

Italy: Ciccioli is a pressed cake of fatty pork made from lard renderings. This is by no means good for you in large quantities...but it is hands down the most delicious thing I've ever had on a charcuterie board. I've never made it myself (only had it at a restaurant) but there are plenty of recipes out there should you want to try making!

For my board, I selected (from left to right) Prosciutto, Jamon Iberico, Chorizo and Sopressata. 

The main components of our board are now in place, but the accompaniments are equally as important to bring good balance. 

3. Something Salty

The salty components I chose for my board included Marcona almonds, an assortment of olives and sun-dried tomatoes. A good mix of crunchy and salty goodness. 

4. Something Sweet

For the sweet, I added raw organic honey, fresh figs, nectarines and a few squares of dark chocolate. This can really change based on the types of cheese and wine you pair for the occasion. If you were drinking full-bodied red wines, I may opt for cherries, plums and chocolate. We were eating this during a hot day so I knew we would be drinking a crisp, cold white wine so figs, nectarines and honey were a great pairing!

5. Bread and Crackers

Last, but certainly not least, you need to choose what type of bread or cracker you will eat all of these delicious meats and cheeses on! You can go simply with just bread or just crackers, but I personally prefer a mix of both.

Cracker, goat cheese, prosciutto and fig

Crackers are a great base for your soft, spreadable cheeses

 Baguette, cheddar, chorizo and sun-dried tomato

Once you have all of your components, it is time to assemble. This is the part I love! You can use a mix and match of cutting boards/serving platters or just choose one large board. Cutting boards are recommended so that your guests can easily slice the cheese directly on them. 

You should separate the stronger smelling cheeses from the milder ones - you don't want to interfere with the flavors of your cheeses. I also make sure that the charcuterie is divided about board. Once the charcuterie and cheese are in place, fill in the gaps with your accompaniments. If everything doesn't fit on the board - that's OK! You can see I used small bowls for the nuts and olives. If you want to get really creative (and why wouldn't you) garnish the board with some greenery to finish off.

You literally cannot go wrong. Whatever you choose, it is guaranteed to be tasty. Have fun and enjoy the company of those you share this with! Cheers!

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Fennel, Fig and Arugula Salad

Fennel, fig and arugula - oh my! If you follow me on Instagram  (and if you don't...then what are you waiting for?) you KNOW I'm already loving fig season.

I decided I needed a recipe where FIGS were the star. This salad is so simple, but it allows you to appreciate the natural goodness of the ingredients. I absolutely love arugula in my salads. It is peppery and crisp! I add a bit more volume to the salad with baby kale - not as harsh and fibrous as standard kale. It is lovely and delicate in salads and provides a great balance to your mix of greens. 

Next let's talk salad toppings. Raw fennel bulb adds crunch with a subtle sweetness and provides a hint of licorice to the salad. Figs add such a great texture and flavor to this salad. I'm using Black Mission Figs in this salad, but really any variety will do. They have a smooth skin with a soft and chewy body filled with bursts of crunchiness from their seeds. The goat cheese rounds out this salad, providing a creaminess to the mix. 

The dressing is just as simple as the salad. I didn't want to overpower the raw goodness of the salad components. All I've used to dress this salad is a simple Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. That's it. Celebrate the beauty of figs and try this salad ASAP!

Fennel, Fig and Arugula Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• Arugula, 3 cups 
• Baby Kale, 1 cup
• Fennel bulb, shaved or thinly sliced, 1 cup 
• Figs, 8 (cut into halves or quarters)
• Goat Cheese, 4 oz
• Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 

For the Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 3 tbsp
• Balsamic Vinegar, 1.5 tbsp
• Honey (preferably Raw Honey), 1 tsp
• Water, 1 tbsp

Directions

1. Mix together ingredients for the Vinaigrette. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine arugula, baby kale and fennel. Toss with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. 
3. Plate salads and top with figs and goat cheese. 

Nutritional info (Salad)

180 Calories - 5 g Protein, 26 g Carbs, 6 g Fat

Nutritional info (Dressing)

105 Calories - 0 g Protein, 3 g Carbs, 10.5 g Fat

Crunchy Asian Slaw

I've never been a huge fan of coleslaw. First off, I don't really like mayonnaise all that much and secondly, it usually doesn't have any sort of texture - basically a creamy, mushy mess. Some people dig it...I am not one of those people. I DO however LOVE this Crunchy Asian Slaw!

In my opinion, vinegar based coleslaw is far superior to mayonnaise based. I also think having a crunch and texture to your coleslaw makes a world of difference. The combination of red cabbage, napa cabbage, carrots and scallions with a dressing made from rice vinegar, sesame oil and lime juice is my definition of a good slaw.

This slaw is fantastic just on its own OR you could served it as a side with my Seared Ahi Tuna.  Need a bright and colorful dish to bring to a party or friend's barbecue? This is a great option! Its quick and easy. I love meals like this because they are delicious, filling and still an excellent healthy meal choice. Could you say the same after eating your traditional mayo-based coleslaw? 

Crunchy Asian Slaw

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 5 cups

Ingredients

For the slaw:

• Red cabbage, 3.5 cups shredded 
• Napa cabbage, 1.5 cups shredded
• Carrots,1 cup shredded
• Scallions, 3 sliced
• Cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped
• Sesame seeds, optional for garnish

For the dressing:

• Lime, 1 oz juiced
• Sesame oil, 1 tbsp
• Rice Vinegar, 2 tbsp
• Coconut Aminos, 1 tbsp (you could sub for soy sauce if you don't have coconut aminos)
• Sunflower butter, 1 tbsp (you could sub almond or peanut butter here as well)
• Ginger, 1/2 tsp grated
• Garlic, 1/4 tsp chopped

Directions

1. Mix together ingredients for the dressing. 
2. Combine all ingredients for the slaw (except for sesame seeds) in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing.  Plate and garnish with sesame seeds.

Nutritional info (1 serving, approximately 1 cup)

85 Calories - 2 g Protein, 9 g Carbs, 4.5 g Fat