Turmeric-Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower

From Love and Lemons Everyday Cookbook (p. 187)

I bought a really large cauliflower, and after using just half of it in another dish, I was looking for a recipe different from the usual roasted florets - which are delicious, but I needed something new.   I really like the combination of spices in this one, and it’s easy to mix up while the cauliflower is roasting.  Also nice looking presentation.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium cauliflower (2 pounds)

3 Tbsp EVOO, plus more for drizzling

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

4 cups mixed spring greens

1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley)

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds

SPICED TURMERIC SAUCE:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (use Greek-style Kite Hill almond yogurt to make it vegan)

2 Tbsp EVOO

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp (or more) ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp maple syrup or honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and loosely line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2)Slice the bottom of the core off the cauliflower so that it sits evenly on the baking sheet.  Drizzle 1.5 Tbsp of the OO over it and use your hands to coat evenly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes.

3) Make the sauce: in a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.

4)Remove the cauliflower from the oven and use a fork to gently start to pull apart its crevices.  Pour another 1.5 Tbsp OO and the lemon juice over the cauliflower, especially into the crevices and roast for another 15 minutes (you may need to cover with foil at this point to avoid burning)

5) Remove the cauliflower from the oven and spread 1/4 of the yogurt sauce all over.  Roast for another 15 minutes. 

6) In a large bowl, toss the spring greens with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt.

7) Remove the cauliflower from the oven.  It should be tender outside and fork-tender inside.  Top the cauliflower with more sauce and sprinkle with the herbs and nuts.  Slice into quarters and serve with the salad and the remaining sauce on the side. 

Cinnamon Vanilla Bliss Balls

From Chef AJ’s Sweet Indulgence book

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz raw, unsalted almonds, about 1 cup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla bean powder

6 oz pitted dates - about 1 cup

(Sometimes needs more moisture to form balls - add almond butter, a Tbsp or so at a time)

Extra cinnamon to roll balls

DIRECTIONS:

In a food processor, process the almonds into a flour-like consistency.  Do not over-process into a nut butter.  Add the cinnamon and vanilla bean powder and process again briefly.  Add the dates and process until it clumps together.  Using a retractable cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop about a TBSP of the mixture and roll into balls, then roll each lightly in cinnamon.  Can serve in pretty candy papers.   

sweet potato casserole

 https://www.loveandlemons.com/sweet-potato-casserole/

4.92 from 58 votes

Prep Time: 20minutes mins

Cook Time: 1hour hr 20minutes mins

Total Time: 1hour hr 40minutes mins

Serves 6 to 8

SAVE RECIPE PRINT RECIPE

This sweet potato casserole features a crisp, savory pecan crumble instead of a traditional marshmallow topping. Delicious and healthy, it's a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. Find make-ahead instructions in the blog post above.
Used plain soy milk, olive oil instead of butter, added fresh grated nutmeg to the topping. didn't have rosemary.  Taste is very good.

Ingredients:

    5 large sweet potatoes, 3 pounds

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter, plus more for drizzling
• 1¼ cups milk, plus more if necessary
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Crumble Topping

• ⅔ cup whole rolled oats
• ½ cup pecans, plus more for garnish
• ½ cup walnuts, plus more for garnish
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush an 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Use a fork to poke a few holes into the sweet potatoes. Place on the baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 60 minutes.
• Make the crumble topping: In a food processor, place the oats, pecans, walnuts, garlic, maple syrup, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and pulse until just combined. Remove and set aside.
• Scoop the cooked sweet potato flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor. Add the olive oil, milk, ginger, salt, and pepper and process to combine. Spread the mixture into the baking dish.

Peanut Chaat - cold salad with Indian spices

From WaPo 12/4/24. By Ellie Krieger

Really good, cold, crispy, tasty.  Mixed my own chaat masala (didn’t have it in Indian store) and only used 1 tsp of it, plus some Aleppo pepper from Shafa spices. 

This easy, no-cook peanut chaat, a type of Indian snack or appetizer, is crunchy, sweet, spicy, tangy and salty. With this recipe from food writer Khushbu Shah’s cookbook, “Amrikan,” you can substitute any crunchy vegetables you like, such as carrot, jicama or radish, or use diced apple instead of the pomegranate.

Storage: The chaat is best eaten as soon as it’s made; it does not store well.

Where to buy: Chaat masala, a spice blend, is available at Indian markets and online.

Adapted by cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger from “Amrikan” by Khushbu Shah (Norton, 2024).

Ingredients

measuring cup

Servings: 6 (makes about 4 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate seeds
• 1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber (any kind)
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons chaat masala (see Where to buy and Notes)
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• Fine salt (optional)

Directions

Time IconTotal: 15 mins

1. Step 1

   In a medium bowl, gently stir together the pomegranate seeds, peanuts, bell pepper, cucumber, onion and cilantro until combined. Add the lemon juice, chaat masala and chili powder, and gently toss to combine. Taste, season with salt, if desired, and serve right away.

Substitutions

Bell pepper or cucumber >> any crunchy vegetables you like, such as carrot, jicama or radish.
Pomegranate seeds >> diced apple.
White onion >> red onion.
Peanuts >> chopped unsalted, roasted cashews.
Kashmiri chili powder >> conventional chili powder.

Notes

To make your own chaat masala blend, combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder, 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (black salt), 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon fine salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.