CLOUDS, IMPATIENCE AND A FILLING, END-OF-WINTER RECIPE

Spring is here, - I cannot wait to taste the first asparagus and strawberries. Until then I cook with what I found in our weekly vegbox. Last Friday an attractive cauliflower arrived and I wanted to make something more exciting this time, then the good old cauliflower cheese. So, I found this recipe in my collection, and it turned out to be a great Saturday dinner.




 

Impatience and healthy food

Spring is coming... really slowly this year.
Sometimes I think, this mild winter just does not want to come to the end. Just to do something - as it would speed things up :-) -  we did some gardening last weekend, we sow flower seeds, and cleaned up the last bit of dried leaves. The little daffodils came out - just like the hyacinths, they are the sure sign of spring.
Oh, and one more thing: two little birds moved into the the little bird house what we installed next to the apple tree last summer. They look really happy, and work a lot to make comfy their nest in the little box.
It sounds as we would have a big garden, but it no more than a 10 meters *5 meters little space squeezed between our house and the garage. :-)
 It was really lovely out there, but still cold. I was happy to come in and to make a cup of tea... and a lovely heart warming dinner.

Although I love winter vegetables, I just wish for the tasty, crunchy new springs now. I am dreaming of asparagus, tasty spring greens and - I know it is still early, - but of strawberries. Well, I have to wait, because there were still carrots, beets and cauliflower in the last week vegbox.
So I decided to make  this cauliflower as a main on Saturday. I have an old recipe - I think it is a French recipe - and I just give it a facelift. The best to use a terracota cooker for this dish, but I have only an ordinary pottery pot. If you do not have neither of these just use a normal roasting tin.
This is a low-fat meal, and completely satisfying - even without side dish. It is ideal if you are on a weight loss diet.

I like when the cauliflower is still a bit crunchy, but my girls prefer when it is really soft. So it is really depend on your taste. If you prefer cauliflower really tender just add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time.
The best part that this recipe is really mum-friendly, I just drop everything into one pot and it goes into the oven, while I am playing with my kids... in my dream, as actually I did some house cleaning... but anyway the point is, it is quick to prepare and gives you free time.

Coming: detox week 2015

There is one more sign of spring: my body is really ready for my usual yearly detox. If you are following me, probably you read my last year post on this topic. My plan is to share more details this year and make some photos too. Anyway, detox week is planned for 28th March-3rd April. So it ends by Good Friday. So this week I take it easy and try to eat less meat - and no meat at all after Wednesday. I have invited my husband to join in, but he is still stubborn, he said he is happy join in only at the dinner (which is usually green salad), but he needs more for lunch. Well, this is a partial success, I am happy with it now. We will see next time :-)
So I am putting together a light meal plan for family and a shopping list for next week.

End of winter recipe: Easy cauliflower pot 

Cauliflower pot

Preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time: 60-70 minutes.

Ingredients:

500g minced turkey or chicken

handful of breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 small onion

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

2 tsp parsley

seasoning

! big head of cauliflower

3 tomatoes

1 tsp butter

100ml milk

1 tbsp flour

pinch of nutmeg

100g cheddar cheese

1. First dice the onion to very small cubes, adding the parsley as you go. Then mix the minced meat, breadcrumbs, egg, onion-parsley and lemon zest, then season it with salt and pepper.

2. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces (like head of a tablespoon).

3. Place the tomatoes into a bowl and cover with boiling hot water.

4. Lay half of the cauliflower into the pot or tin, then cover it with half of the turkey meat. Then repeat this with remaining cauliflower and mince.

5. Skin the tomatoes and slice them. Place the tomato slices on the top of your dish.

6. Make a white sauce: put the butter in a pan, add the flour and when it bubbles add the milk. Stir it regularly, when it is thick, remove from the heat, add nutmeg and stir in half of the cheese.

7. Pour the white sauce on the top of the tomatoes. Scatter the remaining cheese on the white sauce and cover (if you are using a roasting tin add a splash of water and cover with alufoil).
Place the pot into the cold oven and heat it to 180 C (350F, Gas mark 4), bake it for one hour. (It is really important to put clay pot or potter, otherwise they may crack).

Serve with fresh bread or boiled potatoes.