Sauteed Cauliflower, Cheesy Cauli Bake

Today we are going to discuss cauliflower, a vege which confused me as a child because it resembles neither a collie, nor a flower, as you can see by these examples of such.  

Source for cute collie pics

Then again, if the names of veges were descriptive, would the vege department be an R18 area? Things to ponder.

Cauliflower is a strange vege to manage when dealing with special diets.  For sheer versatility, it gets an A+. I'm pretty sure there is nothing that a low carb or paleo dieter couldn't make from cauliflower. 

I've seen pizza crusts, curries, cakes, crispy fried things, mash, dips, gratin, soups and even a whole roasted marinated cauliflower, which gained fame on Pinterest as the Christmas roast for non-meat eaters.

However, cauli is not everyone's best buddy. Being high in polyols, they can cause a tormenting guts-ache to anyone with FODMAPs problems.  I've found cauliflower to be one of those special veges that some people can't handle much of, even if they are generally ok with polyols. 

I'm good with cauliflower, cast-iron tummy over here. My favourite cauli thing is to simply sautee it in coconut oil or butter with a sprinkling of turmeric or curry powder, some salt and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. Once done, it makes a fine side dish, or you can construct a salad around it. The one below contains grated zucchini, chopped raw silverbeet, almonds and there is some ham hiding away under the veges.

A popular dish with my keto-dieting friends is a cauliflower bake.  This fine specimen consists entirely of boiled, drained cauliflower, plus a little onion and some fresh herbs, stuck together with grated cheese of many varieties and then baked for about 30 minutes in a moderate (180C) oven. It was an scraped together dinner on a day when I should have shopped, but didn't.

How it happened was, I looked in the fridge and realised that there was little in there except a big cauliflower and lots of cheese-ends. I have a real compulsion to try new types of cheese, but never finish one before starting the other. Therefore, the cheese compartment hoards little bits of cheese that usually linger for months turning hard and eventually end up feeding the compost mice.

This time, all those little bits went into the Cheesy Bake.

Success. It's always so satisfying to avoid throwing food away. I'm not quite my grandmother, who treats best-before dates with complete disdain (if it smells ok, it's fine!) and never wastes a thing, but I do have a 'use it, or throw it?' tug-of-war over wilty spinach.

You never know... if the apocalypse comes, I'd hate to lie awake just wishing I'd hung onto those crusty cheese ends. ...

Hellooo! + Bacon Wrapped, Cheesy Asparagus

HAPPY NEW YEAR, blog readers!  I just thought I'd let 2014 settle in before joining. Always in the kitchen at parties and all that. Or, in this case, in cars, hotels, boats and  being enthusiastically mauled by hugged by two gorgeous children.

I've just returned from a road trip that involved a wild night in Tekapo (weather, not behaviour), a lazy week in Queenstown, an overnight eat-fest on the Milford Mariner (that chef Jim! can I keep him?) and time in my old town, Dunedin. Having lanky Miss J and the Liechtenstein family here ensured hectic fun, even though it cats-and-dogs'd persistently.

That wasn't necessarily bad. Milford Sound in the rain is especially spectacular: hundreds of enchanting temporary waterfalls and no evil sandflies.

As it's unusual to have overseas family here in summer, we are still eating it up in style.  Last night I made bacon-wrapped asparagus.  Then, as my sister is cheesaholic, we attacked it with mozarella. I wouldn't say this is the most healthy blog recipe, but it's a fun side dish and won't mess up your blood sugar.  Low carbers or keto-dieters, go for it.  The rest of you, just exercise a little dignified restraint and there will be no waistline-related regrets.  

Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Asparagus

Low carb, gluten-free, grain-free

Steam the asparagus shoots until just tender then wrap each in a rasher of streaky bacon. I used Havoc Pork free-range, and one rasher did two asparaguses (asparagi?).  I found that stretching the pork made I go further and prevented 'spring back' once it was placed in the oven pan.

If you want a lower fat version, this recipe also works with prosciutto.

Like so..

and so..

Once all shoots are wrapped, place in the oven at about 180C and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the bacon is to your liking (crispy is my preferred bacon style).

Sprinkle with cheese and grill for a few minutes.

I can actually hear the sighs.  Go on, you know you want to.

Low-Carb / Ketogenic Diet Ideas

Well, I'm not surprised, but it seems that the world agrees on Paleo Bacon Maple Pancakes. It's the most popular post on the blog, after only a few days.  I knew I had kindred spirits, and now I can count them, via blog hits :D**

Low-carb and keto diets. There must be something in the air because every second person I meet is keen on going low-carb, or even trying a ketogenic diet.  The ins and outs of such diets will be the topic of a post in the very near future, for now I'll just say that I have nil problem with these eating approaches, if they are done properly. 

Omelette cooked in coconut oil, with avocado. To lower the fat, increase egg-whites to whole eggs.

The biggest problems people have are: thinking they can low-carb while still exercising intensely, avoiding veges, thinking calories don't matter (yes, you can gain fat while in ketosis), and neglecting to replace electrolytes - magnesium, sodium and potassium being the main ones of concern.

Grilled pork belly, broccoli, olives and grass-fed butter.

The different types of low-carb diet are: low-carb/high fat (like Atkins), low-carb/high protein/low-fat (Dukan) and ketogenic (low-carb, high fat, moderate protein). There are also extreme low-carb diets, like the protein-sparing fast, which is .. well, a fast with a bit of protein.

Another omelette, foldover version. 

Venison loaf (very lean) with salad. There is spinach in the loaf.

As I'm rushing around today getting ready for a conference (and flight that leaves at crazy o-clock in the morning) and will be gone for 10 days, this post is just a quick recap of some meal ideas for low-carbers.

It's in reply to an 'SOS, what do I eat?' email.  Packing can wait, as can that last-minute washing. Who needs clean undies anyway? Pfft, overrated.

Salmon and broccoli/pecan stirfry. I sprinkled a little parmesan (0 carbs) on the vegges

Cheesy,. cauli bake. Stick cauliflower together with cheese and bake it. You can add other veges.

Leftover veges of all types, mashed in the processor and with some eggs added. Bake.

Fat bombs. Melted coconut oil and cocoa butter. Some xylitol, almond butter in the middle.
I made these in a silicone muffin pan.

lean mince meatballs with a chunk of string cheese in the middle. 

Salmon on a big mushroom instead of bread. This cashew nut dressing.

green veges, nuts and a little parmesan (yes, I'm a fan of this combo)

Stuff to snack on.

Bacon-wrapped asparagus, fish, avocado sauce (avo, garlic, lemon juice)

Lastly, I don't have a pic, but you can get in the habit of making various muffins using almond flour, with protein powder added if you use it. These are great for carting to work. Just experiment. Almond flour, eggs and... anything else that comes to mind. Xylitol and erythritol are good for most people. For some people on keto diets, these polyols will knock you out of ketosis, but most people are ok with them.

I hope that gives you some ideas! Another place for inspiration is Pinterest. You might find some ideas on my Eat to Live board.  On my return, I'm definitely trying a squash or cauli pizza base. I've been looking at them with hungry eyes for toooo long. It's past time to fulfil that fantasy.

Have a great weekend, and I'll try to blog while away. Also, I've reconsidered the undies situation: better go throw some stuff in the machine.

**Edit. The Avocado Ganache Cake is now back on the top spot, due to Buzzfeed (number 39). In fact, it's winning by more than 600 hits.. :D Busy day on the blog!