Roasted Cauliflower Grilled Cheese with Greens and Mustard Aioli

Roasted Cauliflower Grilled Cheese with 
Greens and Mustard Aioli
(Adapted from Daphne Oz)

Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium sized head cauliflower, florets removed from core
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
10-12 slices whole wheat panini-style bread
1 cup washed baby arugula or baby greens
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
softened butter

Mustard Aioli
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 jalapeño, minced fine
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch salt

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Toss the cauliflower florets on a rimmed sheet pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

3. In a medium sized skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the sliced onion and a small pinch of salt. Caramelize the onions down for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, stir the ingredients for the aioli together and set aside.

5. When the cauliflower is done cooking, give it a rough chop on a cutting board so all the florets are small and bite-sized. Place the cauliflower in a bowl and add the caramelized onions and the grated cheese.

6. Set a pan or stove-top griddle or outdoor grill to a medium low heat. Spread 1 slice of bread with some aioli. Top with a little of the cauliflower mixture, a small handful of greens, and more cauliflower mixture. Butter the bread lightly and cook until both sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Other grilled sandwiches you may enjoy:

Grilled Sweet Onion Panini with a Garlic White Bean Spread
Guacamole Grilled Cheese
Pesto Panini Sandwich
Provolone White Bean Grilled Panini with Basil & Tomato 
Spinach Artichoke and Hummus Panini

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

I was lamenting with a friend a few years back about how a roasted chickpea recipe I tried did not leave my chickpeas crunchy. Yes, on that particular day, chewy roasted chickpeas was something I was lamenting over. Let's face it, when you are craving a salty snack, more often than not it needs to have the crunch factor to go along with it.

Thankfully that friend of mine understood my woes and knew she had a recipe for roasted chickpeas that she remembered being crunchy.

I tried it.

I loved it.

I threw away my old recipe for not-so-crunchy roasted chickpeas.

There was no going back.

This recipe for roasted chickpeas are loaded with flavor AND crunch! Now I'll be honest, I'm not much of a measurer when it comes to this recipe. I drizzle. I sprinkle. I bake until I think they're done. Feel free to follow the recipe or wing it on your own. Enjoy!

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
(or about 1 1/3 cups dried beans that have been soaked and cooked- this is what I prefer)
3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Dry the chickpeas as best you can. I like to give them a spin in a salad spinner and then blot them on a clean kitchen towel.

3. Spread them out on a rimmed sheet pan so that they are in a single layer. Roast (with no oil or seasoning) for 20 minutes, until they are dry to the touch.

4. Remove them from the oven and raise the temperature to 425 degrees.

5. Toss them with the oil and spices.

6. Roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. (Sometimes I will even go up to 30 minutes if I think they aren't crispy enough yet. I like some of my chickpeas black and toasty.)

7. Season the chickpeas with a little more salt if they need it. Then put them back in the oven and turn the temperature off. Allow the chickpeas to continue drying out and crisping up as the oven cools. (This step is not necessary, but I find it helps.)

8. Store in an airtight container or glass jar for up to 1 month. Make sure your chickpeas are completely cool before storing. (The chickpeas will begin to lose a little crunch over time.)

Eggplant Pasta Sauce

I found this wonderful pasta sauce over at Ally's Kitchen. Delicious chucks of eggplant get cooked down in olive oil and cabernet and then get covered in hearty tomatoes and fragrant basil. Some green olives and red chili flakes give this dish a perfect salty/spicy kick.

Our family enjoyed a beautiful spring evening dinner out on the deck with this delicious sauce served over whole wheat rigatoni. (And my husband and I enjoyed finishing off the rest of the bottle of cabernet.... waste not want not!)

Ally's original recipe called for boxed tomatoes which I could not find in my area. I substituted a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes and crushed them through my hands along with adding the liquid. Since there is nothing else I changed about her amazing recipe, I am going to send you on over to her page to find the directions.

You can find Ally's recipe for Eggplant Pasta Sauce here.

Enjoy!

(If you love eggplant, also try my recipe for Eggplant & Sundried Tomato Pesto with Almonds.)

Easy Cast Iron Skillet Biscuits

These light and fluffy biscuits make the perfect breakfast when topped with butter and jam. The best part is, there is no kneading, no rolling, and no cutting. They are simple, easy, and delicious! If you don't have a cast iron skillet, try them in a round cake pan.

Easy Cast Iron Skillet Biscuits
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (or a 50/50 blend of all-purpose
flour and whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons soft butter
2 tablespoons shortening (or you may substitute 2 T. butter for shortening)
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 additional tablespoons melted butter
1 additional cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees F.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda with a whisk.

3. With a pastry blender, or your hands, cut in the butter and shortening into the four mixture until the the butter/shortening is about the size of peas.

4.  Add the buttermilk to the mixture and stir just until combined.  Allow this to sit for 3 minutes.

5. In a separate bowl, place your additional 1 cup of flour.  Using an ice cream scoop, or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop 1 scoop of biscuit mixture into the flour. Gently toss the biscuit in the flour and scoop the biscuit up from the bottom with your fingers. Lightly shake off the excess flour.  Place the biscuit in a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan.

6. Continue with the other biscuits until you have about 10 biscuits. Pour the additional 1 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter over the biscuits.  Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Celebration Sandwich Cookies {Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream}

What do I make for my friend who is turning 50 and loves all things chocolate chip cookies? Well, last year I made her my Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. (That one is hard to top!) This year I decided to make a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies and sandwich them between some decadent vanilla buttercream frosting.

Oh... and sprinkles.

Everything is more festive with sprinkles!

Celebration Sandwich Cookies 
{Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream}
((Printable Recipe))

Here's what you'll need:

- About 30 small chocolate chip cookies (I used a 1 inch cookie scoop) from my Overnight Chocolate Chip Cookies


- sprinkles

- Buttercream frosting:
1 stick room temperature unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
small pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
about 1 tablespoon whole milk

Directions:
1. Beat the butter and add in the remaining frosting ingredients together. Add enough milk to thin the frosting until you have a consistency you like.

2. Put a heaping tablespoon or so onto the bottom of one cookie, smoothing out to the sides. Top with another cookie and gently press.

3. Roll in sprinkles.

Guacamole Grilled Cheese

I was browsing Pinterest the other day when I was inspired by a photo for Guacamole Grilled Cheese. So, I set out to make my own using my favorite guacamole recipe.

I have one word for you: Fabulous! 

Now, making guacamole grilled cheese really isn't rock science. I'm not going to bore you with a long recipe.

In a nut shell, here's what you do...

Guacamole Grilled Cheese
((Printable Recipe))

Directions:
1. Butter the outsides of some whole wheat panini-style sandwich bread.

2. Slice some sharp cheddar cheese and some Roma tomatoes.

3. Make up a batch of fresh guacamole. You can find my recipe here. (I left the tomatoes out and saved them for slicing.)

4. Layer one slice of bread with cheese, guacamole, sliced tomato, more cheese, and the final slice of bread.

5. Grill on a hot griddle or cast iron skillet on both sides until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty.

That's it. Bam. Done. Acabado. You have made heaven in a sandwich.

Other grilled sandwiches you may enjoy:

Grilled Sweet Onion Panini with a Garlic White Bean Spread
Pesto Panini Sandwich
Provolone White Bean Grilled Panini with Basil & Tomato 
Spinach Artichoke and Hummus Panini

Quinoa Granola

Cereal and toast are our two main breakfast staples here. Since I make all our breakfast cereals from scratch (we save boxed cereals for special dessert bars) I'm always looking for new twists on the classic breakfast recipes I make. Granola is one of the easiest things to make. When developing my original recipe, I was looking for a way to make granola that had far less fat and sugar than what you find at the store. This newest granola recipe I developed follows my classic recipe, along with the delicious addition of protein-packed crunchy quinoa.

Quinoa Granola 
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
7 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
2/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fat (tahini, butter, or coconut oil)
1/4 cup pepitas (optional)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
2-3 Tbs. ground flax seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F. Melt the honey, orange juice, and fat together.

2. On a large sheet pan or divided between two cast iron pans, mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour the liquid over and stir well.

3. Bake for 1 hour, stirring ever 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Other homemade cereal recipes you may like:

Bran Cereal Flakes (three ways)
Cast Iron Coconut Maple Granola
Corn/Wheat Cereal Flakes
Dark Chocolate Granola Cereal with Peanut Butter
Granola Cereal
Nutty Pumpkin Granola
Steel Cut Oats
Tahini Granola