cauliflower fried rice with beef

i haven't really been cooking lately, 

but have wanted to make this for some time now.
cauliflower fried rice.

i've made cauliflower rice before, but never a fried version.
{and at this point, you all know how much i love cauliflower mash and cauliflower pizza crust}.

let me tell you, this is delicious and as satisfying as any fried rice i've ever had.

i used this easy to follow and incredible recipe, here,
and made a few changes.

 i started with a package of boneless beef for carne picada.
it's almost like a shaved steak,
or similar to ground beef, but not as ground up, and perfect for this dish.
i buy this at kroger.

i cooked it in my wok with olive oil, a bit of sesame oil, jar minced garlic, dried ground ginger, 

and low-sodium soy sauce.

cook through, then turn on low and let flavors marry. 

i like to season a few times with the garlic, ginger and soy sauce. 

i think it adds layers of flavor that way.

remove the meat from wok and set it aside, but don't clean out the wok.
 

cook cauliflower rice according to the recipe.
 

note: i used 2 one pound bags of frozen cauliflower. i use it often.

it's easier to deal with and less expensive than fresh, and i think it works just as well. 

i let it sit out for a bit, then chop away with my butcher knife until desired consistency.
this will take a few minutes, but i love doing it for some reason.

i also opted for just a pea and carrot mixture, original recipe uses several mixed veggies.
and i stuck with low-sodium soy sauce.

 after your rice mixture is made, add the beef back in to warm.

 we like to serve ours with a few more dashes of soy sauce,
and cashews or peanuts for a little crunch.

 very, very good.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

2 recipes: parmesan crisps and seafood salad

these two recipes don't go together, 

but i wanted to get them written down.

 when you want crackers, but you don't need crackers, these parmesan crisps are perfect.

the recipe i found called for fresh herbs, which i wasn't in the mood to mess with,

and didn't give an exact baking time, so i made a few changes.

i was extra happy to see these for sale for almost seven dollars at the store, 

and i made twice as many, for a little over 2 dollars.

you'll need a 5 oz tub of grated parmesan

(not the dry powdery stuff you put on pizza)

 1/2 tsp minced garlic from a jar

fresh ground black pepper

preheat oven to 350.

mix 3 ingredients well in a small bowl, 

drop by hand into very flat/even piles onto a piece of parchment paper, on a baking sheet.

(make each pile about 3 inches in diameter).

space out each pile just a little, for cheese to have room to spread.

bake for 8 1/2 - 9 minutes at 350 on middle shelf.

let cool and they will crisp up even more.

yields approximately 25 crisps.

you can keep these in a covered container, on the counter, for a few days.

.............

seafood salad.

kevin loves this stuff, and and i'm always looking for it at the store.

it never dawned on me to make it myself, until i ran across this recipe.

he tells me he loves it. 

i trust him, because i don't eat it. 

14 oz imitation crab

1/2 cup mayonaisse

1 - 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp dill

salt to taste

separate crab (if compressed) and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

add rest of ingredients and fold together gently.

serve immediately, or refrigerate.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

cucumber salsa

i had this cucumber salsa at a wedding a few years ago, and loved it. 

i do have a hard time calling it salsa, my texas roots don't want to call it that, 

but i don't know what else it would be.

of course i was going to come home right after that wedding and make it, and i never did.

it came to mind today, so i finally put it together. 

it was just as delicious as i remember.

such a light and healthy snack, with a ton of flavor.

since i'm not good at measurements for most recipes, this is a rough guess.

to fill this medium sized bowl i peeled and diced 3/4 of a large cucumber, 

diced up about 10 grape tomatoes,

diced half of a small purple onion, 

and chopped up about 20 or so cilantro leaves.

add in just a few dashes of lite zesty italian salad dressing for taste.

stir well.

this would also be a nice side if you're having chicken or fish.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

pizza pie, and a sunset

i ran across a new recipe recently, for a carb-free pizza crust.

this one is nothing like the cauliflower crust that i've made a hundred times.

you have to eat this with a fork, and it's so interesting, but so good.

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature, 2 eggs, black pepper and garlic powder, 1/4 c dried parmesan.

mix in a bowl with hand-held electric mixer. pour into lightly sprayed baking dish. 

i actually doubled the recipe for this large rectangular dish,
which makes a pretty thick base, so you can try it either way. 

bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until browned.

let cool a few minutes, put toppings on, and put back in oven for about 10 minutes.

i always make my own pizza sauce. 

here i just used canned tomato puree. i love that stuff.

then i sprinkled it with dried italian seasoning.

i added diced green bell pepper, mozzarella cheese, and cut up pepperoni.

so yummy.

in fact i've made it twice this week.

it's good leftover, and if you eat it cold, you can eat it with your hands because it will firm up.
{for more ideas, google cream cheese pizza crust}.

and, how about this texas sunset.

it was perfect.

kevin and boyd even ran out to see it with me, which made it even better.

love,

nicolle

shepherd's pie

 i know. 

shepherd's pie isn't very exciting.

but, this version is so delicious.

especially if you make it with cauliflower mash.

a neighbor recently gave me her recipe for shepherd's pie.

i'm not sure that i've ever made it before. 

now i've made it twice in the last month.

the first time i topped it with mashed potatoes,

tonight i made cauliflower mash, and you'd really never know it was cauliflower.

brown 2 pounds of ground beef, with salt and pepper, onion and garlic powder, worchestershire sauce.

drain any fat.

add in a large can of cream of mushroom soup,

2 cans of low sodium veg-all, drained,

about 1 cup of frozen peas.

stir well and simmer for about 30 minutes.

transfer to a large rectangular baking dish, lightly sprayed.

top with mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.

bake at 300 degrees for approximately 30 minutes,

then broil at the very end to lightly brown on top.

if using mashed potatoes, i just used 2 packets of instant buttery potatoes.

for the cauliflower mash...

steam two 16 oz bags of frozen cauliflower,

drain all liquid.

transfer to a blender that has a tall blade, or a food processor.

add salt and pepper, 1/2 stick unsalted butter, 1 heaping T minced garlic from jar.

blend until very smooth.

we can't get enough of this dish.

be back soon.

love,

nicolle

zuchinni pizza boats

these were amazing.

 zuchinni pizza boats.

 brown one pound of ground beef, drain any fat, add onion and garlic powders, 

black pepper, italian seasoning, and one 15 oz can of tomato sauce.

let simmer about 30 minutes.

wash and cut ends off of 4 zuchinni, cut in half lengthwise, 

scoop out quite a bit of the centers by running the tip of a spoon down the inside,
but not all the way to the ends.
you'll want the indentation to hold your filling.
bake the zuchinni by itself, about 15 minutes at 350 in a lightly sprayed/greased baking dish.

add the meat mixture, top with mozzarella and fresh parmesan, and dried oregano.

bake another 20 minutes or so.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

mexican spaghetti squash pie

i've made the spaghetti squash pizza pie many times, here. and, here.

i wanted something similar, but with some spice.

so i thought about it for a while, and threw some ingredients together.

i'm in love with this tomato sauce, and hatch chiles are the way to go.

heat oven to 400.
puncture a medium/large sized (mine was 4.14 lbs) spaghetti squash several times, bake whole for one hour.
remove from oven, cut lengthwise, let cool, remove seeds and toss, scrape out squash strands for use.
place strands in large mixing bowl.

cook one pound (or a tad more) of ground beef, a small diced yellow onion, salt and pepper.
drain any liquid, add mexican tomato sauce, green chiles, and a can of drained diced tomatoes.
add this mixture to squash in mixing bowl.

add in a handful of mixed mexican cheese, and 3 whisked eggs, to mixing bowl.
 stir everything very well, add to greased 9x13 glass baking dish.
top with a little more cheese.
bake at 350 for an hour, uncovered, until firm and crust starts to form.

it's delicious, and probably even better left over.
i kind of like this more than the italian version, although they are both amazing.
we will eat on this for 2 or 3 days, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

enjoy.

{original recipe credit goes to paleomg, here}.

love,
nicolle

portobello crust pizza

i posted about these pizzas before, ages ago, but wanted to update. 

seems like each time i make something i make a few changes. 

i had two of them for dinner tonight, and they were heavenly.

portobello mushrooms can go bad quickly, and if you've ever smelled a bad one, you know what i mean. you can't always tell by looking, so as much as i hate to admit this, i sniff the package at the store, and sometimes i puncture the cellophane just a tiny bit to make extra sure that they are good. 

the good ones will have almost no smell, to a faint earthy smell. 

the bad ones, well, you will just know.

you can usually find a 2 pack of these large mushroom caps.

scrape out the gills carefully, with a spoon, and remove the stem.
try to preserve/maintain the lip of the mushrooms, as this is what holds your ingredients in place.

lightly wash and pat the mushrooms dry.

place them open side down, on parchment paper and a baking sheet, 

and bake for 5 minutes on 375. 

remove from oven, flip them over, 

then fill with sauce {i just use plain tomato sauce and italian seasoning},

cheese and meat. 

add a little more italian seasoning on top.

bake on middle rack for about 20 more minutes.

let sit about 5 minutes before eating. 

they will definitely fulfill a pizza craving. 

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

it got hot in texas

we've been lucky to have a pretty mild june, and start of july,
but it's finally hot here in texas.
the kind of heat that is exhausting.
we decided to stay inside today.

we've turned into fish this summer.
i love the water more than i remember.
so thankful for these friends, and for pools.

what can i say, the waterpark is hot and loud and crowded, but boyd loves it, and most of the time i do too.
i can't really complain because this waterpark is very clean and draws a nice crowd,
but i was hoarse from going the other day, and we were asked to go again today, and i just had to say no.
i'm not good at saying no, but i'm learning that it's ok.

 we've been grilling,
and spending time with family.

3 generations.
doing guy things.
i love these guys.

i made this delicious spicy watermelon mint salad yesterday. i loved it.
i wasn't sure if kevin would love it, but he did too.
spicy and sweet are one of my favorite combinations.
thank you sealaura for the recipe.

 cube a small watermelon, add a bit of fresh mint, juice from a couple of limes,
paper thin sliced fresh jalapeno, and a bit of sea salt.
 {i didn't really measure anything, but you can check out her blog for better instructions}.
i think this would be a wonderful summer salad to take to a gathering, just make sure your guests know about the jalapeno, it can sneak up on you and it's kind of surprising with watermelon.
but oh so good.


and, a couple of funny things from boyd.

the other day he said something about his privates, 

and then he said,

sorry mom. sorry i had to say that word in front of you.

spoken like a little man.

when boyd was with my mom recently they were at a store,

and saw an old typewriter.

boyd asked my mom what it was, 

and she told him it is what was used to write letters and such, before computers.

he looked at her and said,  

yeah but how do you play video games on it?

i'm going to go pour some ice water,
and say thank you for our air conditioning.

love,
nicolle

loaded cauliflower mash

i just had the most delicious lunch.

loaded cauliflower mash.

i used my recipe for cauliflower mash, here, and topped it with bacon and green onion.

pretty perfect.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

lately

hello.
it's been a while.

last weekend boyd's t-ball team had an end of season party at a local park.

they were presented with trophies.

it was a sweet and proud moment for boyd and his teammates.

 life has been delicious lately.
and good, better.
remember the ebb and flow, the good and bad, it's always there.
i've spent precious time with family and friends,
eating out, talking and laughing, grilling, drinking wine in the front yard.
the picture taker in me wants to photograph all of the food, so that's pretty much what i do.
do what makes you happy, right?!

boyd went to a cute birthday party last weekend, at a neighbor's house.

he was the only boy there, he pestered all of the girls, just as it should be.

i came upon this converted school bus the other day, in one of my favorite parts of ft. worth.
it's call the wow bus, or words on wheels.
it's a non-profit traveling library of sorts.
you can sit inside and read, take a book home for free, or donate books.
the book lover in me went crazy. i love it.
i've got a bag full of books in my trunk now, ready to donate next time i see the bus.

boyd brought chumlee the lizard home from school.

he got to spend a few days with him, and write about their adventures in a journal.
 boyd read to chumlee, and we took him to starbucks.

 boyd brought home a lot of sweet things for me from school, for mother's day.
this one makes me laugh.
he loves me, but he REALLY loves his daddy.
it's hard to read, but at the top where it says mother's day,
he added in pencil, and dad.
he didn't want his dad to feel left out on mother's day.

then this.
he has written this several times,
when he grows up he wants to help people.
my heart's desire is that he is kind to others, and always helps those in need.
so, of course, this makes me happy.
and, he can't wait to grow up so he can deeside what restront to go to.

and i can't believe there are only a couple of weeks left of school.
it feels like we just started kindergarten.
i say this often, but it is SO scary and so wild how fast it all goes.

the dog situation. oh it's a doozy, but we're dealing with it.
seems like something new comes up every day with it.
boyd doesn't want me to go walking anymore,
and i jump at the sight of any animal.
but my arms are healing just fine.
it's all good.

kevin is smoking a brisket this weekend.
one of my favorite things made by one of my favorite people.

and i will leave you with this layered salad recipe.
i grew up eating it. it reminds me of church potlucks.
i recently got the recipe from my mom and she made one a couple of days ago,
and i made this one yesterday.

 from bottom to top...
chop up iceberg lettuce into small pieces
cherry or grape tomatoes chopped up
about 6 green onions, diced
small bag of frozen peas
bacon bits
{normally i would use real bacon, but these are the inexpensive, crunchy ones,
 and they just work for this salad. it's the taste i grew up on}.
water chestnuts, diced
miracle whip
grated cheddar, and a few more bacon bits

cover, and it will keep 2-3 days in the fridge.

enjoy.

love,
nicolle

spaghetti squash pizza pie

i made this a few weeks ago and wrote a little bit about it, 

but i made it again this morning, made just a couple of changes, 

and wanted to post it again. it's so good, i can't stop eating it. 

there are a few steps involved, and a lot of dirty dishes, but worth every second.

i've been eating like crap all week/stress eating, and i figured i needed to get a hold of myself.

recipe can be found, here. 

i've always cooked my spaghetti squash for one hour in the oven at 400 degrees, whole, but poke a few holes with a knife. then let it cool a bit, cut lengthwise, remove seeds and middle and toss, then scrape out strands for use.
{do this. cook it first. don't kill yourself trying to cut a raw spaghetti squash to cook}.

this time i just seasoned up some ground beef with lots of dried italian seasoning.

i also use a bit more sauce than it calls for.

i like to mix everything in a large mixing bowl before i put it in the greased baking dish, 

i think the egg gets combined better this way. 

i topped mine with just a little parmesan cheese this time, before baking, mozzarella last time. i think the yellow color comes from the eggs and squash, and it looks really cheesy in this picture, but it's not. 

you can add different veggies, pepperoni, anything really, just as long as you follow the basics.

because it's a lot of work, i'll make a double batch next time.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

texas caviar dip

my aunt sent me a recipe the other day called cowboy caviar, 

and i thought about the texas caviar that my mom and i have made over the years. 

there are so many variations on this recipe, and i kind of did my own thing this time, and i loved it. 

i can see this in our fridge all summer. 

one can of black beans, drained and rinsed

one can of golden and white corn, drained

2 or 3 green onions, diced

a handful of grape tomatoes, diced

one avocado, diced

zesty italian dressing, enough to coat and flavor

stir and chill in fridge for flavors to combine.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

green bean fries

we always have frozen green beans in our freezer.

i love them, and maybe i over use them, but i'm ok with that.

i throw them in stir fry, make spicy green beans often,
sometimes i leave out the spicy and just make garlic green beans, and so on.

i came across this recipe today, here.

i made these green bean fries right away.

i didn't have the oil that she mentioned,
but my extra virgin olive oil was fine, and did not burn.
however, i do believe i will use sunflower or coconut oil next time.
i also added black pepper.

they get a little crispy on the ends.
i can't explain how good they are.
and it's crazy, but they do taste like fries.
try them.
delicious.

recipe:
one bag of frozen french green beans. do not thaw.
toss with a little bit of oil, black pepper, garlic salt.
line a large glass baking dish with parchment paper.
add beans and spread out as much as possible.
bake on middle shelf at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, toss, bake another 20 minutes.
serve right away, with ketchup.

and the best part,
boyd doesn't like green food,
but i caught him sneaking some of these when i wasn't in the kitchen.

love,
nicolle

cauliflower crazy

cauliflower mash.

i've made this before, but failed a couple of times.

in the past, i used a hand electric mixer, which didn't quite give that creamy consistency that i wanted.

recently both the blender and food processor that we received as wedding gifts broke, 

and kevin surprised me with a ninja blender, which has a tall blade.

i'm forever changed. i love that blender.

for this recipe you'll need a tall blade blender or a food processor.

two 16 oz bags of frozen cauliflower.

steam with water on stove top until very tender.

drain all water and transfer cauliflower to your blender. 

add a couple of pats of real butter, a couple spoon fulls of sour cream, a dash of salt,
and some black pepper.

blend away.

{other optional ingredients might include greek yogurt, cream cheese, dry ranch mix.
top with cheese, sour cream, bacon and/or green onions}. 

i won't lie and say they taste just like mashed potatoes, but the taste is so close it's crazy, and the consistency is just like mashed potatoes.

i might have been licking the spoon and dancing around the kitchen.

a perfect substitute in my book.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

good things

good things this past week...

friends

cupcakes

{a lemon cheesecake cupcake for me}

back to school

grandmas
a dinner date

spiky hair

sunset watching

a fox sighting, that boyd asked if we could bring home for a pet
jesus calling

coffee at brewed

grits and tacos with my mama
a new homeless friend

a new recipe
a warm fireplace

lots of snuggles

balsamic vinegar brussels sprouts.

i used a 10 oz bag of fresh, shaved brussels from trader joe's. 

heat oil in pan and saute' brussels until slightly browned, 

add salt and pepper, and 1/4 c balsamic vinegar.

cook until just slightly tender, but still pretty firm.

i loved these, a lot. 

love,

nicolle

zucchini noodles

zucchini noodles.

cut off ends and peel off zucchini skin with potato peeler, wash.
shred zucchini with potato peeler, until you get to the seeds, then throw out the rest.
toss zucchini with just a dash of sea salt and let sit in a strainer, over a bowl, to remove excess moisture.
heat up a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and heat zucchini through, for a few minutes.
top with homemade meat sauce.
amazing.

homemade meat sauce.

i always make my own sauce. it's rewarding and therapeutic. i just love it.

brown a pound of lean ground beef with dried minced onion and black pepper.
drain any grease.
add a 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, some jar minced garlic in oil,
plenty of dried italian seasoning, more black pepper, and let simmer. {i rarely measure, so just add the seasonings to your taste, but i don't think you can add too much}. the longer the simmer, the better.
it's simple and you can change it up, but that is my basic recipe, and i usually double it.
if you don't want chunks of tomato, use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of diced.

i really want one of these contraptions here, also called a spiralizer,
but i don't like to have a lot of kitchen gadgets, so i'm still thinking about it.
but i really want the true spaghetti noodle shape. oh what to do.

here is another link for some great ideas on the noodle technique, and some recipes.

sure i'd love a big old plate of pasta all day, every day, but when you think about it, pasta doesn't have much flavor, it's just carrying the flavor of your sauce, and so zucchini is a perfect, healthy alternative. 
close your eyes and you wouldn't even know.

enjoy.

love,

nicolle

these days...

i hope to post here more than once a week, but lately that's all i can muster. 

we had gorgeous weather for the last few days, and today it's hovered right around 33 degrees, and it's pouring. i wish we'd get a bit colder and get some snow.

this picture was from a couple of days ago, it was practically shorts weather here in texas.

the colors of fall are brilliant, aren't they.

i'm thankful that i'm done with the cardiologist for 6 months,
that i have medicine to fix what is wrong,
and that i have a new outlook on life.
because i've been a mess the last few weeks.
i have taken my 40 years of good health for granted, like i'm invincible or something,
and apparently, none of us are. {news flash}.
i've been walking and it feels so good. i've lost 8 pounds since i started seeing the cardiologist, which shocked me yesterday when i got on the scale. 

i will miss my walk tonight, although if the rain stops, i'm bundling up and going for it. 

there is something about walking at night that is so liberating and so peaceful. i used to be scared to go alone, but i go with a flashlight and pepper spray,
and i remember what my mama always says about herself,  
i'm too mean to be scared. 

for now, more decaf, and i'm a happy girl. thank you jesus for decaf coffee.

here is my little pumpkin pie before school this morning. kevin and i walked him to school and stayed for a sweet little thanksgiving program that the kindergarteners put on. during his performance, boyd actually had the cry face going on, and i was surprised. i asked him after school what happened, and he said he just missed me. i think he was a little shy up there, which is definitely not in his nature. 

thank you jesus for this sweet child of ours, who is still being a toot in school, 

but he's just doing what 5 year olds do best.
or at least that's what i keep telling myself.

i was thinking of this soup last night, and i sent a text to my girlfriend, who used to make it.

i haven't had it in 10 years or more, and couldn't find the recipe. 

she wrote me back and said she had just made it a couple of nights ago, and she sent me the recipe,

so i made it today.

it's an old weight watchers recipe, and it's so easy.

1 16 oz bag of frozen california style vegetable mix

1 can of low sodium chicken broth

1 can of Rotel

4 oz of light Velveeta

cook first 3 ingredients together, until veggies are tender, add in cheese. i am a rebel and used regular velveeta, and maybe i used just a little more than 4 oz.
i also doubled the recipe.

top it off with a few bacon crumbles if you need a little bit of meat with it. yum.
{i think i will chop the veggies next time, before cooking, just to make them into much smaller pieces}.

i filled up my happy bowl with these today, and i've been eating them like candy.

and these replaced my tired looking mums today.

i hope you have a good thanksgiving week, whatever your plans may be. 

it's good to be thankful.

love,

nicolle