Comunidad Health Foods

Okay, okay, these are not actually called cauliflower latkes. They are actually called Cauliflower Fritters, but tonight is the first night of Hannukkah, and I am determined to share with you a festive recipe. It just so happens that I made these a couple of weeks ago, and they fit the bill perfectly! For those of you unfamiliar with the mysteries of Jewish holidays, the food around Hannukkah time is heavy on the oil, because of the whole made-up story about the oil lasting for 8 days when there was only enough to burn for 1 day (in terms of light, not as a delicious cooking ingredient). This story, as I mentioned, did not actually happen, but that's a whole other topic of discussion. The point is, because of this story, it's become a traditional to gorge on all things fried for 8 days: latkes, jelly doughnuts...and then gelt, which is not fried, but still delicious.

Back to these fritters. This recipe was the bane of my existence at the time that I was cooking it, which perhaps contributed to my underwhelmed reaction to the fritters when I tasted them. You see, I didn't know how to use my new steamer, so I steamed the cauliflower all wrong and it just took forever. And I was starving. I mean really, I was steaming the heck out of these cauliflower florets for like, 40 minutes. I showered while waiting for them to soften. So, needless to say, by the time these fritters had finished I had already heated up a Healthy Choice pasta dish for myself. You know it's bad when I break out the microwavable dinners.

I added paprika to the recipe and next time will add even more; I cut back on the oil and next time will cut back even more (just don't tell Hannukkah Harry). Also, when I ate these for real (reheated, a week or so after my bitterness toward them had subsided), I made them as a main dish served over a bed of greens and some lemon juice. Although this is quite tasty, I was merely satiated, and even after throwing 2 chicken fingers on top (homemade, mind you - more on that in a different post), I had my eye on dessert pretty quickly. L would tell you here that I likely have two stomachs, like a cow, which allows me to go for dessert as soon as I take my last bite of dinner, but don't listen to him. Normally I make myself wait until TV/movie time at night for the good stuff. That night, however, I was all about the idea of more food. All of this is to say, you might want to make some chicken with this, and more than 2 measly tenders breaded and baked. It's a calorie-packed side dish, but definitely not filling enough for a full on main course, usually.

Cauliflower Latkes (or, during the other 51 weeks of the year, Cauliflower Fritters), courtesy - yet again - of Everyday with Rachael Ray
Yield: 12-14, but halved I got about 8
The Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower, about 2 1/4lb, trimmed and chopped
1/2C flour
1 large egg, beaten
10oz salad greens
2 Tbsp. (fresh) lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil (I'd say 1 Tbsp. would be good to start out with, add a little more between batches if you think you need to. These are supposed to be liberally sauteed, but they were just downright greasy when I made them.)
salt and pepper, to taste
*paprika, to taste - I didn't write down my measurements for this but I'd say 2 tsp. would probably be appropriate, maybe 1Tbsp.

The Method
1. Steam the cauliflower until tender, 10-15 minutes (or, you know, 40...). Transfer to a bowl and mash, then allow to cool for another 10 minutes or so.
2. Stir in the flour and egg, season with salt and pepper (and paprika, if using), and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Taking 1/4 cupfuls at a time, roll the mixture into balls and flatten into patties.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high height, and work in batches to fry the patties until golden-brown, 4 minutes per side.
5. If you find them to be on the greasier side, blot them on a paper towel-lined plate before serving, like you would with bacon (or not, I won't judge). Serve with salad greens tossed in the lemon juice. The recipe says olive oil and lemon juice, but I thought it was perfect with just the sprinkling of the lemon.

This is a very refreshing recipe, and because it has such a tame flavor, it would pair well with a lot. I enjoyed it as a main dish flavor-wise (but again, a little more spice next time to up the flavor even more), but if you're really hungry you might want to add a little somethin' somethin'. These are much lighter, I think, than regular potato latkes, and definitely a change of pace. So, if you celebrate Hannukkah, maybe try these out at the family gathering!

PS if you were wondering, I have since learned how to use a vegetable steamer properly.

I don't know about you, but vegetarian entrees fascinate me. You could put a plate of wildly exotic chicken in front of me and then a plate with a plain 'ole, homemade veggie burger in front of me, and I'm likely to choose the burger. And that's not because I'm a burger girl - I'm not. I just love the variation that comes with vegetarian meals. There's so much you can do just with beans alone, much less different vegetables and tofu (also sometimes known as unchartered territory for me, as of yet). I know in my brain that meat introduces more versatility to a diet (assuming you don't simultaneously rule out the good veggie options), but when push comes to shove, I am just always more excited by a dish like this one here, Chickpea & Roasted Pepper Bulgur Salad. A mouthful, but it sounds good, right?

Of course right.

This recipe for chickpeas and bulgurs and roasted peppers came from none other than the Smitten Kitchen, and it just may be the first non-dessert I've tried from her (I'm not going back into my 50+ entries to check this), and it was a big success. And by that I mean, I only made it for myself, so its recorded of pleasing its eaters is currently 1 for 1. Regardless, it's an extremely delicious option for a light dinner or lunch. I didn't switch much up, except the recipe calls for red peppers and yellow tomatoes, but yellow tomatoes hide from me at the supermarket, so I chose to do yellow peppers and red tomatoes. Then there was the dried parsley instead of fresh because, well, we've gone over that one before. I also may or may not have used a red onion - I tend to only buy white ones because I mostly cook my onions, and I never know how red ones are supposed to taste not mostly raw. I can't remember. This is why I now take notes on my meals - I do it for you guys. All for you, and only minimally to shield my pride from the embarrassment of never remembering anything about the food I eat by the time I get around to blogging about it. I really do need to catch up to speed here.

So anyway, I know that it's slightly past the season of lighter meals, and probably everyone on earth is posting about soups and stews and casseroles. But you can't eat heavy dishes all the time, right? And every so often you're still just in the mood for a smaller meal, right? So you see, I'm not being completely seasonally inappropriate. Except I'm sure tomatoes are out of season by now, so maybe I am. But regardless of season or appropriateness, this bulgur salad tastes good. It's a little citrusy and super light, yet you walk away satiated. There are varying textures going on, from slightly firm chickpeas to crunchy lettuce and soft bulgur and roasted peppers. Also, it looks pretty with all of the different colors playing off each other, and with crockpot season on our tails, it's not often these days we get to say that a meal both tastes and photographs well.

Bulgur Salad with Chickpeas and (Red) Peppers, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 4 as a main course (I cut it in half for 2 meals)
The Ingredients
1 1/2 C fine-grain bulgur
3 C boiling water
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I use the bottle, come on now)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt (omitted)
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 oz drained jarred roasted red peppers, diced, about 1 C (I roasted my own - wait until you hear that story!)
1/2 C quartered yellow cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, finely chopped (to reduce its bite, you can soak it and then squeeze it out with the bulgur for some or all of the absorption time)
1/4 C minced fresh parsley leaves (or an indiscriminate amount of dried, about 2 Tbsp. should do the trick)
1 medium head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated (or any salad greens - I probably used a spring or romaine mix) 4 pita breads, warmed and cut into wedges

The Method
1. Prepare the bulgur by placing it in a large bowl and adding the boiling water to it. Set aside, stirring only occasionally, until the bulgur has softened (15-20 min). For some reason, I'm always nervous to prepare grains this way (okay, I know the reason - it's because the back of the package doesn't tell me that I can, not that that's stopped me haphazardly preparing any other food group), so I just cooked it based on the instructions on the package.
2. No matter how you manage to cook the bulgur, once you get there, drain it well and return it to the bowl.
3. While the bulgur cooks, whisk the lemon juice, honey, cumin, cayenne, and salt (if using) together in a small bowl. Continue whisking as you slowly add the oil until the dressing is smooth, or an otherwise desired consistency.
4. Add the chickpeas, roasted peppers, tomatoes, red onion, and parsley to the bowl of bulgur and mix it up to incorporate it. I also heated mine on the stove top (in the same pot used to prepare the bulgur) for a little bit, because I prefer these kinds of things to be warm. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
5. Assemble plates by lining them with lettuce, top with bulgur, and arrange the pita around it.

Aside from all of the chopping and prep work that goes into this, it's a very feasible meal to do for a weeknight, or the night before to bring in for lunch the next day. It kept well overnight in the fridge, and I don't think I have any complaints.

Now as for those homemade roasted red peppers, that story deserves a whole post of its own...

This is it: my last archived summer recipe. As I sit here, feeling the chill of the stormy, fall air mix with my stubbornness to keep the heat off and my electric bill down just a little bit longer (watch, my dad will have a fit over that comment - I'm such a miser), I feel a little sad saying goodbye to summer so officially. However, I couldn't hold off for too much longer. If I did, I'd be giving you flat breads in November when all you probably want to cook up is soup, and who would read my blog, then? So, here it is - the honey-lime chicken pitas that rounded off my summer vacation all those months ago.

This was by far my most successful on-vacation recipe, and I can guarantee that you'll love it, too (assuming you're not a vegetarian or dislike lime, of course). As always, it's easy enough to win my approval and tasty enough to make me look forward to making it again. The marinade gives it just enough flavor to pop amidst the lettuce, tomato, and whatever-your-heart-desires toppings, without overpowering the dish. It's also pretty darn healthy, which is nice to be able to say after all of my dessert posts as of late. They do teach me something over here in my Nutrition program, have no fear.

Honey-Lime Chicken Pitas, courtesy of the Gluten Free Goddess
Yield: 4 (I cut it in half for 2 people)
The Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (approx. 1lb of meat, tops)
4 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped (I used some mysterious amount of pre-minced)
1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice (or, you know, freshly squeezed from a bottle)
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. agave (I used honey, hence the name)
pinch of cumin, to taste
optional: cilantro (omitted)
toppings: 4 tomatoes, chopped
2 C shredded romaine lettuce (I didn't shred mine, plus I used spinach)

I promised all of you a prompt post about those delicious roasted tomatoes that I paired with my Spicy Hake from a few nights ago. But I'm not here with no pesky roasted tomato recipe; no, I'm here with something much, much better. Apparently, my brain has adopted a new habit of inventing recipes while I am otherwise trying to fall asleep, and I can't say that I am much complaining. This time, I was drifting off when, all of a sudden!, I thought of a bunch of rapidly ripening bananas on my counter along with the plump-and-surprisingly-not-moldy raspberries in my fridge. Then, I got to thinking about breakfast for the next morning, and before I knew it my brain was adding ingredients like nutella and bread, and as a result I can present to you one of the most satisfying breakfast/lunch/light dinner/dessert recipes I have ever tried.

Banana, Raspberry & Nutella Anytime Sandwich
Serves: I'm still working on this one; currently, 1, but I'm really thinking that halving it would be better. But really, who wants an extra half a banana lying around? Exactly.
The Ingredients
1 banana, preferably close to baking-softness for prime mashing ability
1/4 C (ish - I wound up using about 8) raspberries, washed and patted dry
2 slices (whole wheat) bread
1 Tbsp. nutella, divided

The Method
1. Toast the bread (I like mine lightly done, but feel free to make it as dark or as light as you like)
2. While the bread is working in the toaster, coarsely mash the banana just to break it up. Add the raspberries, flattening them with the back of a fork and then mixing them up with the banana. Try to get the two fruits evenly incorporated, but really, don't fret about the exact ratio.
3. When the toast is done, spread about 1/2 Tbsp. nutella on each slice, and then spoon the fruit mixture onto one slice.
4. Top with the other piece of toast, slice (or not), and enjoy!

I say that this might be better off with half as much filling because, well, pureed fruit is gooey and gloppy and tends to escape the confines of the bread before it can fully make it to your (re: my) mouth. So, if you're making more than one sandwich I'd suggest using 1 banana for every 2 sandwiches. Otherwise, unless you know of a good use for half a banana, make the full filling and be sure to eat over a plate or napkin. Scooping up some unruly banana-raspberry puree with your finger at the end is never a bad thing.

This sandwich is quick, easy, and - in the grand scheme of things - pretty good for you, too. You get 1 1/2 servings of fruit plus the benefits of whole grain if you choose to use that type of bread. The only thing I have to warn you about is sodium levels - bread loves to sneak unnecessary sodium into its crevices. Each slice of the bread I had (much to my dismay upon reading the label after buying it) contained 200mg sodium, which makes my whole sandwich a whopping 550mg sodium bomb. Considering how I try to keep my entire day below 1500, that's pretty significant.

Still, that has not stopped me from having this sandwich two mornings in a row (what? The first time was a test run and the second was absolutely imperative to be able to give all of you proper measurements!), and I don't regret it one bit. Letting the bananas get soft releases all of that sugary goodness, while the raspberries offer a bold tartness that's very recognizable even with only 1/4 C of them. The nutella is just strong enough to blend into the other flavors, complementing them with a slight nuttiness and chocolaty burst that any morning could benefit from. Toasting the bread gives the sandwich a crunch, so that you're not biting into total mush, and allows the nutella to melt just slightly by the time you get it to your mouth.

Do you understand now why I had to interrupt my recipe line up for this? Do you forgive me? If you don't know, go and try this sandwich, and then I think you'll understand completely. It's worth it.

Oh, and while you're busy forgiving me for delaying the roasted tomato post, you'll have to also forgive me for that picture up there. It was 6:30 in the morning, I was hardly awake, the sun was hardly awake, and I'm amazed I didn't wind up with blurred, flash-on, terribly-angled pictures as is. The truth is that this sandwich is colorful and only minimally mushy-looking, as one might expect.