BBQ and Peanut Sauce Cauliflower Tater Tots

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I can't stand cauliflower. Hate hate hate it. 

When I started researching recipes for clean eating, I saw many links for roasted cauliflower covered in spices, cheese, or buffalo wings sauce. This intrigued me, but since I'm not a fan of the texture (on top of the taste), I wanted to find a way to make cauliflower that I could actually tolerate.

Welcome, cauliflower tater tots.

I originally wanted to make a cauliflower tater tots recipe with buffalo wings sauce, but as my bag of frozen cauliflower was sitting on the counter, realized I didn't have any. I did, however, have barbecue sauce and a bottle of peanut satay sauce recently purchased on a whim from Trader Joe's.  About half way through forming the mixture, I decided to incorporate both sauces and cover half the tots with peanut satay sauce and half with bbq sauce.  These came out tasty and didn't taste like traditional cauliflower at all!

Preheat the oven to 350*. Throw a bag of frozen cauliflower in a food processor (could use fresh as well). I let mine thaw a few minutes, so that my food processor wouldn't sound like it was trying to puree rocks. Toss in 4 carrots and 4 stalks of celery and blend everything together, then empty the mixture into a large bowl

Add 1/2 a diced onion (you could puree this with the other vegetables in the food processor, but I wanted to cut mine into large chunks).  Then add whatever spices you like. I did a few shakes of cayenne pepper, black pepper, and creole seasoning

Add a few squirts of worcestershire sauce, sriracha sauce, and one egg 

I added 1 tbs of this chili paste for fun (another impulse buy from Trader Joe's)

Add 1 cup oatmeal flour (or whatever flour you want)

Mix everything together well, then form little tater tot shapes with your hands. Should look roughly like these. Place them on a baking pan sprayed with coconut oil

Pour some of your peanut satay sauce into a small bowl

 …And some bbq sauce in another bowl. I found that the easiest way to coat each tot was to take a spoonful of sauce and drizzle it over each one. Then bake for about 25-30 minutes at 350*.

These are the finished tater tots with peanut satay sauce (bbq ones pictured at the top).  The sauce got crispy, and the flavor complements the cauliflower well

BBQ and Peanut Sauce Cauliflower Tater Tots

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen cauliflower

4 carrots

4 celery stalks

1/2 yellow onion

1 tbs Thai chili paste (optional-found it for 99 cents at Trader Joe's)

Peanut satay sauce (about half a bottle)

BBQ Sauce (about 1/4 a bottle)

2 tbs worcestershire sauce

2 tbs sriracha sauce

1/2 tbs cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tbs creole seasoning

Pepper

1 egg

1 cup oat flour

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350*.  In a food processor, puree cauliflower, carrots, and celery stalks.

2) In a large bowl, combine cauliflower mixture with onion, Thai chili paste, worcestershire sauce, sriracha sauce, and spices. Add egg and oat flour.

3) Form mixture into tater tot shapes and place on a coconut oil sprayed baking pan. Coat half the tots with peanut satay sauce and half with the bbq sauce.

4) Bake 25-30 minutes until crispy.

Spiced Carrot Chia Muffins

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I used to be the type of person who would skip past any recipe online labeled as "healthy." However, I've started to shift my diet toward clean eating, which means I've been doing a lot of experimenting with recipes lately.  This spiced carrot chia muffins recipe is one of my favorites so far. After perusing multiple carrot cake muffin recipes online to get an idea of base ingredients/proportions, I attempted to make my own healthy version and am amazed at how good the recipe turned out! The muffins are ridiculously fluffy and moist, which I honestly wasn't expecting. My goal was to create a healthy muffin that would be passable as a dessert and satisfy my sweets craving, a boring healthy treat covered in the illusion of rich carrot cake, but these muffins are some of the best I've ever had--even without the addition of vegetable oil, white/brown sugar, egg yolks, butter, and flour.

Whether you're gluten intolerant, on a low-carb diet, reducing your sugar intake, or just looking for a tasty carrot muffin recipe period, these will not disappoint! And that's coming from a girl who loves sugar, carbs, and rich desserts ;)

First, place 3/4 cup raisins in a bowl of warm water and set aside until ready to use. This helps plump them up. Then in a small bowl, combine 1.5 cups almond meal, 1/4 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cloves, and 1/2 tsp ginger. You can substitute the nutmeg/cloves/ginger for pumpkin pie spice if you want

I used this almond meal! You could easily just toss some almonds in a food processor and make your own, but I was feeling lazy

In a medium bowl, add 1 mashed banana and 1/4 cup honey

Add 2 tsp vanilla, 3 egg whites, and 1/3 cup melted coconut oil. Looks nasty right now, but I swear it turns into something amazing and delicious :)

 Add your raisins. I used golden raisins from Trader Joe's

Add 2 cups finely diced or grated carrots (I just threw some carrots in my food processor and pulsed until they were finely diced). Next add 2 tbs chia seeds! The recipe would be perfectly fine without them, but I wanted the extra fiber boost. Then mix in your dry ingredients

 At this point, I looked at the batter and decided it needed something more, since I was afraid it wouldn't stay moist after baking. I stirred in 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt.  Adding it after the dry ingredients were incorporated didn't cause the world to burn, but feel free to add it earlier with the wet ingredients if you want

(Shout-out to my phone's camera for making the batter look like chunks of tomatoes)

Better picture here. Batter's all ready for the oven!

Divide the batter into 12 paper-lined muffin tins. I chose to sprinkle a little bit of coconut sugar on top of each muffin before baking, but this step is completely optional

 Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked all the way through

And there you have it, beautiful/healthy/delicious carrot chia muffins

Nom nom nom

Spiced Carrot Chia Muffins

Ingredients:

1.5 cups almond meal

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

*1/2 tsp nutmeg

*1/2 tsp cloves

*1/2 tsp ginger 

1 mashed banana (or 3/4 cup apple sauce)

1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)

2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup melted coconut oil, cooled several minutes

3 egg whites

2/3 cup raisins

2 cups finally diced or grated carrots

2 tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt

Coconut sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

*Instead of nutmeg/cloves/ginger, feel free to use 1.5 tsp or so of pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350*.  Place raisins in a bowl of warm water and set aside until ready to use.

2) In a small bowl, combine almond meal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.

3) In a separate medium bowl, combine mashed banana, honey, vanilla, melted coconut oil, yogurt, and egg whites. Stir in raisins, carrots, and chia seeds. Add dry ingredients.

4) Pour batter into a paper-lined muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked all the way through.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

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Well school has sure been fun this semester, covered in rainbows and sprinkled with glitter.  Been awhile since I updated this blog, since most of my free time this semester consisted of eating dessert in bed and crying over it while watching Netflix, avoiding school projects and responsibility. That's college summed up in a nutshell. Made it to finals, so now I'm procrastinating on doing a take-home test so that I can tell you about some pot roast!

I wanted to make a meal that would leave me lots of leftovers to fuel me during finals next week. And since I'm a lazy ass, I wanted to something that I could throw in the Crock-pot to cook while I was at work. There are a billion ways to make pot roast, and since it is so versatile, you can add more/less ingredients without the pot roast gods getting angry. Everyone seems to have a way of cooking pot roast he or she likes best, so alter the spices/ingredients based on your preferences.

Ingredients: 2 - 2.5 lb chuck roast, little potatoes cut in half, (I used 12 red and 3 gold ones, but the exact number/proportion doesn't really matter), 1 yellow onion cut into wedges, a bulb of garlic peeled and diced (I like garlic, so use less if you're not insanely obsessed with it), 20 pearl onions (again, use as many or as few as you want-or skip them and add an extra yellow onion instead), 5 carrots cut into chunks, 1 cup beef broth, and enough rosemary/thyme/salt/pepper to coat the roast.

Begin by securing yourself a good 'ol chunk of cow. I chose a cheap chuck roast. A sticker on the package labeled it as a roast meant for the oven, but using my Crock-pot did not make me go up in flames, so use whatever your little heart desires. F*** you, meat stickers, you don't tell me what to do.

The night before you're planning on making your roast, rub all sides of it with enough salt to make your doctor cry. Sprinkle a decent amount of pepper, dried thyme, and dried rosemary all over it as well.   Might seem like too much, but these spices are going to be flavoring your vegetables too, so don't skimp. Place the meat in a ziplock bag and leave in the fridge overnight. 

Put your roast on the bottom of the Crock-pot, then add the sliced potatoes.

Next, sear your vegetables. In theme of the whole pot roast flexibility concept, this step is something you can skip, but I think it helps add flavor. I warmed about 3 tbs of oil in a medium pan, then added 2 tbs of butter (I am a fat kid at heart). Turn the heat to medium high.

Take your onion wedges and toss them into the hot oil/butter. Since they're going to be sitting in the Crock-pot for hours, you don't need to cook them in the pan very long, just a few minutes to get a little color on the edges. I cooked them longer than I needed to. Make sure and flip them a couple times so they don't burn. Then, using a spatula, take them out of the pan and place on top of the potatoes in the Crock-pot. Leave the leftover oil/butter in the pan.

Throw in your carrot chunks and pearl onions and sear those for a few minutes. Except, don't throw them hard, or else you will have little onion bouncy balls going everywhere, while butter/oil splatters everywhere. I speak in theory, of course.

So on second thought, don't throw them at all. Be gentle with them. Treat your pearl onions and carrots like sleeping babies as you gently slide them onto the pan without waking them up. 

*Disclaimer: No, I don't cook babies. My pre-finals brain is confused and doesn't know how to simile. Don't judge me, plzkthanks.

Once those start to get a little color, toss in the garlic. Turn down the heat to medium and mix everything often, because the garlic will brown quickly.

Once the garlic has browned, toss all this goodness into the Crock-pot. I stirred the vegetables to get them more evenly spaced out.

Lastly, add your cup of beef broth. I used a little more than a cup since I can't follow exact measurements. I have a problem with recipe authority.

Let's all take a moment to appreciate my narrow escape from adding coffee to the recipe. Make sure the liquid you pour in is beef broth and not the cup of coffee you precariously placed next to it. This isn't a peppermint mocha pot roast, yo.

Turn your Crock-pot on low for 6-7 hours, go about your normal duties, and come home to a hot meal! I ended up leaving mine alone for 8 hours since I couldn't get home right away, but it was still fine. Slow cooked meals make me feel like someone else cooked the meal just for me.

I could barely get the meat out of the Crock-pot without it falling apart. How it should be ;)

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2 - 2.5 lb chuck roast
15 small potatoes, cut in half (assortment of red and yellow)
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
20 pearl onions, peeled
5 carrots, cut into chunks
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and diced (or just use a few cloves)
1 cup beef broth
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs butter
2 tbs dried rosemary
2 tbs dried thyme
Salt/pepper to coat

Directions:

1) Rub rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper over roast. Place in ziplock bag and let set overnight in the fridge

2) Put roast on the bottom of the Crock-pot, then add potatoes 

3) Warm up oil in a medium pan, then add butter. Turn the heat to medium high

4) Toss yellow onion wedges into the hot oil/butter. Cook them several minutes until seared, flipping as needed.  Place on top of the potatoes in the Crock-pot. Leave the leftover oil/butter in the pan. Place carrot chunks and pearl onions into the pan and sear those for a few minutes. Add a little more oil if you need to. Once those start to get a little color, toss in the garlic. Turn heat to medium and mix everything often. Once garlic has browned, add the vegetables in the Crock-pot.

5) Add beef broth. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, then enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

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The weather may be warm, but my mind has leaped ahead to Fall.  I've been suffering from mad cravings to bake with pumpkins, but since they aren't available, I'm making due with other fall style deserts for now.  Figured apples would be a good start, especially when paired with caramel. However, I decided to up the complexity a little and combine caramel apples with cheesecake! The result: caramel apple cheesecake bars.

These take a little bit of time to make, but they are by no means difficult to do. So if you love cheesecake and caramel apples, give this recipe a try!

Start off making the crust.  Combine 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a medium bowl

Cut in 1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

Blend with a fork until the mixture looks all crumbly :) Preheat the oven to 350*

Press the mixture evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned, like this! Set it aside to cool

Now start the cheesecake portion! In a large bowl, beat 3 packages of cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth

Add in 1 1/3 cup sugar and mix again. Then add a pinch of salt and 2 tsp vanilla

Now mix in 4 eggs

And 2/3 cup sour cream

Lastly, blend in 2/3 cup heavy cream. Yummm

Now pour your delicious cheesecake batter on top of the crust

Smooth it out all pretty-like and set aside

Now make your apple mixture! Dice 3 apples (I used two green and 1 random red).  A food chopper makes this part easy.  Mix them in a medium bowl with 2 tbs brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tsp apple pie spice.  Make your own apple pie spice if you want--I just happened to have some on hand that I'm trying to use up

This is what will make your cheesecake healthy ;) 

Now pour the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake batter. 

If you do this carefully, the apples won't sink

Now make your pecan streusel topping! Mix 3/4 cup flour and 2/3 cup chopped pecans

Then blend in 1/4 cup brown sugar and 6 tbs butter, softened

It should look like this

Sprinkle the streusel all over the apples, then throw your pan in the oven at 350* for about 40 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 and cook another 25-30 minutes.  When the cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the middle, it is done!

Ta-daa! Let your cheesecake cool for a few hours in the fridge and then cut into bars

Now for the caramel topping--it's quick to do and "makes" the recipe.  Put 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 tbs butter, and 3 tbs corn syrup in a medium pot.  Simmer on medium heat until a candy thermometer reads right below the soft ball stage.  If you want your caramel less firm and more like ice cream caramel syrup, just simmer the mixture for about 6-7 minutes and it should be good to go!

Cut up the cheesecake into bars, then pour the caramel on. Or pour it on before you cut the bars, but I personally like having dripping caramel down the sides of each bar ;)

...I took a lot of pictures of the caramel pouring stage, obviously

Happy almost-Fall!!

Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

Cheesecake:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

4 eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup heavy cream

Apple mixture:

3 apples, diced (I used 2 green and 1 red)

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp apple pie spice

Pecan streusel topping:

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 tbs butter, softened

Caramel sauce:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 tbs butter

3 tbs corn syrup

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350*

2) In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Line a 9x9 baking pan with tin foil, oil it, and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake about 15 minutes until it is lightly browned.

3) In another bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixture until smooth. Add in sugar and mix again. Then add salt, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well, then add sour cream and heavy cream, one at a time. Once the mixture is smooth, pour over the warm crust.

4) In a small bowl, stir together diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and apple pie spice. Once incorporated, spoon evenly over cream cheesecake mixture.

5) For the pecan streusel topping, combine flour and pecans in another bowl. Then add in sugar and butter and mix until there are coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle the topping over the apples and bake at 350* for about 40 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325* and bake another 25-30 minutes, until the cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the middle. Let cool for a few hours, then slice into bars.

6) For the caramel topping, put 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 tbs butter, and 3 tbs corn syrup in a medium pot.  Simmer on medium heat until a candy thermometer reads right below the soft ball stage. Then pour over your bars and enjoy!!!