Roasted Cauliflower with Israeli Couscous

Oh please, you shouldn’t have. A round of applause for posting within two weeks of my last post? Oh stop! Call it a mid-year resolution or that I’ve seen the blogging light radiating out from my computer screen. Either way, my camera is firmly planted on A’s couch ready to document our cooking adventures. Maybe not the popcorn for dinner ones.

I have a slight announcement to make but, until plans are set in stone, I am going to keep things vague. There may or may not be a move in the future, most likely by the end of the summer. My internship with Edelman is coming to a close next week and I’m looking forward to enjoying my free time in the (theoretical) Seattle sunshine. Plans are being made for mountainous hikes, city bikes and a little fun in Canada.

Now that I will have a bit more time on my hands (or in the kitchen), look forward to seeing posts more than once every ice age (the glacial event, not the never ending sequels of children's movies). For the time being though, I present you with my flavor of previous week - roasted cauliflower with Israeli couscous!

You would never believe it, but this was the first time I ever made Israeli couscous. Usually I order it without hesitation at restaurants and find myself craving it every few months but for some reason I never thought to make it myself. If you're spying on me, you can see that I'm kicking myself right now. Not only is Israeli couscous a lot easier to make than rice or normal couscous, I think it has a certain bite that the former are lacking.

That combined with my gut wrenching love of roasted vegetables, I had a lunch made in heaven on my hands. I even pawned some off on "A" for lunch twice last week... he didn't complain. Nor should he.

Roasted Cauliflower with Israeli Couscous

Adapted from The Whinery 

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower (or other)
• 1 head of purple cauliflower (or other)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped (divided)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons everyday seasoning (I use Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning)
• 1 cup cooked black-eye peas (optional)
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)
• 1 – 2 cups Israeli couscous, cooked (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Prep and cut cauliflower into florets
3. Cut onion and bell pepper into even bite-size chunks and dump into a large bowl
4. Add a tablespoon of parley
5. Drizzle with olive oil, and add salt, crushed pepper and seasoning
6. Toss and mix well to coat
7. Spread out in a single layer onto a baking dish or pan
8. Roast in the oven for about 15 – 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender and caramelized
9. Mix in black-eye peas and capers with the vegetables and roast for another minute or so
10. Remove from oven, mix in Israeli couscous, sprinkle another tablespoon of parsley on top and serve immediately

Israeli Couscous
Ingredients:

• 2 cup Israeli couscous, preferably whole-wheat
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups of water 
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan and add the couscous.
2. Stir until the couscous begins to color and smell toasty, 4 to 5 minutes. 
3. Add water and salt to taste and bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the couscous is tender. Drain if any liquid remains in the pan.
5. When the couscous is done, fluff and set aside to be tossed with roasted cauliflower

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

I can't believe I'm scything this, but before this recipe I never had cooked quinoa before.  Now, I had eaten plenty of quinoa, but cook it I had not.  What was wrong with me?  Not only is it delicious, but it is easy to make.  You can make your life so much easier by making it in a rice cooker, but I took the hard route and easily made it on the stove top.

I think what I like most about a quinoa salad is that it's so adaptable to what vegetables are in season… or like me, what you happen to have in your pantry.  Summer squashes?  Roast them up and throw them in.  If you're like me, use some peppers, broccoli and onion; essentially the only good produce Trader Joe's had that evening.

Also, I really think you guys deserve something good and healthy after the past few recipes.  Yes, the salted caramel peanut butter brownies are incredibly delicious but won't help you fit into those new skinny jeans hiding in the back of your closet.

Also, happy birthday to Julie McComish and Emily Arntson!!

Pita Pizza

I would be lying if I said I only had this every once in a while.  I eat a pita pizza about 5 times a week, usually for lunch.  It is inexpensive to make, doesn't take much time and is healthy.  The pitas I use are low carb and because I use pesto as a base, they are low sugar too.  Then to make them even healthier, I load it with veggies and sometimes use a little bit of shredded chicken lunch meat.  What's even better, is that this is filling.  I rarely am hungry for something else once I'm done eating.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat a pita pizza for dinner - with pesto, yellow/red/green pepper, diced onions, blue cheese & crushed red pepper.

Pita Pizza
Ingredients:

• 1 whole wheat pizza cut in half
• Sauce of choice (I use pesto)
• Choice of toppings, I used blue cheese, shredded lunch meat chicken, onions, crushed red pepper and spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with tin foil.
2. Slice pita in half (so you have two circles).  Spread on sauce of choice, sprinkle on cheese of choice and finish off with some veggies.
3. Cook in oven for 8 minutes, or until the crust is crispy.
4. Let cool for one minute, cut and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza

I'm back living at my parents house until I move out to Seattle in August.  I graduated a week ago, two of my housemates are in Greece/Dubai, the other is in New Mexico for the summer and I didn't want to be all by myself in Ann Arbor.  It's also really nice to be home, I'm spending some very nice quality time with my parents until I leave "forever."  I've been helping my mom around the house… and cooking dinner.  While their house may be a little bit messier when I come home (sorry Mom!), they can't complain because I cook dinner a fair amount.  Case in point, Whole Wheat Pizza.  My best friend, Katherine (Crutcher, she lives in Texas) sent me a similar recipe about a month back.  I added sugar (fun fact: yeast love sugar, it's their superfood.  The more they eat, the faster and better they grow), spices and decreased the all-purpose flour by a ½ cup.  I also adapted the cooking time.  The two pizzas I made were quite different but equally delicious.  The one pictured on top has a pesto base with sun dried tomatoes, basil chiffonade, pine nuts, onions (diced), mozzarella and parmesan.

This one has a tomato sauce base with onions (diced), red & yellow peppers (diced), broccoli, blue cheese, pine nuts, mozzarella and parmesan.

It's an easy and healthy dinner, and even if you haven't had much experience making bread, this is a fairly smooth dough so the kneading isn't hard at all!

Whole Wheat Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2/3 + 4 TBSP warm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 packets of yeast
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp italian seasoning
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Cornmeal for pan

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.
2. Mix in spices, salt and olive oil.  Add in flour one cup at a time.  Depending on the weather and the humidity, you made need ½ cup more of all-purpose flour.  Knead for 5 minutes.
3. Form dough into a tight ball and let rise in an oiled bowl covered with a damp and clean dish towel for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat ove to 450 degrees.
5. When dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide into two equal sections.  With either your hands or a rolling pin, make into two thin 12-inch pizzas, dusting the pans with cornmeal.
6. Pre-bake crusts in oven for about 6 to 7 minutes.  Top pizza with desired toppings and cook for about 7 more minutes, or until all the cheese is melted.
7. Let cool for a minute (if you can!), cut and enjoy!