cauliflower Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Cauliflower

January 23, 2017 By Becky 31 Comments

This Instant Pot potato leek soup is lightened up with the addition of cauliflower, and comes together super quickly in a pressure cooker. It’s also paleo and Whole30 compliant!

It’s Day 1 of my January/February Whole30! Usually I start a Whole30 right at the beginning of January, but this year I had plans to help out with a styled wedding shoot and travel to Florida. I wanted to make sure I could eat some faux wedding cake and all the Cuban food, so I pushed my start date to today. I went to a great yoga class last night and made some mini frittatas (similar to these) to reheat for quick breakfasts, so things are going swimmingly so far. Tonight my Whole30 partner in crime Lindsey and I are making my shepherd’s pie with rutabaga, which is one of my favorite cold-weather meals of all time.

This instant pot potato leek soup is a great addition to my winter Whole30 repertoire. The base of the soup is half potato and half cauliflower, so you get the great flavor and creaminess of potatoes without the huge carb spike. Anyone suspicious of cauliflower will not be able to taste it! The leeks add wonderful savory flavor to the soup, which is further complemented by the grassy, oniony freshness of the chives sprinkled on top.

Cider-Glazed Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower Rice

January 25, 2016 By Becky 20 Comments

This cider-glazed chicken with roasted cauliflower rice is an easy but gourmet paleo meal that comes together quickly. It’s also Whole30-compliant!

I’ve had a jug of local cider in the fridge since Christmas, and have been wanting to reduce it into some kind of sauce for a savory dish. The idea got stuck in my head right away, so even though I love to have a glass of cider on its own, I’ve pretty much just been saving it, biding my time until a great idea for something savory with cider sauce came along.

Serendipitously, I found the idea as soon as I started exploring Erin’s blog, The Spiffy Cookie, which was my assignment for this month’s Secret Recipe Club reveal. Erin has an index of all her gluten-free recipes, which made it really easy to find good candidates for me to adapt into paleo-friendly dishes. (I had to avert my eyes from all of her ridiculously good-looking desserts, but will be back to browse those once my Whole30 is over!) Before the gluten-free recipes page had even fully loaded, Erin’s cider-glazed chicken with browned-butter pecan rice caught my eye.

Roasted Romanesco with Za’atar Yogurt Sauce

February 26, 2015 By Becky 4 Comments

Strange coincidence: last year, on January 25th, 2014, I wrote about romanesco in a post entitled 7 Uncommon Vegetables for your Produce Bucket List. I had never seen romanesco in a store. I kept my eyes peeled for it all year, but could never find any. That is, until last Wednesday, when I finally spotted some at my local Whole Foods . . . on January 25th, 2015. Weird, right?

Coming across this gorgeous vegetable exactly one year after posting about it has me wondering if it might be magic. I mean, look at those spirals! According to Wikipedia, the number of spirals on a head of Romanesco is a Fibonacci number, and its form approximates a fractal. How is it possible that something like this exists?

In addition to its special properties, romanesco is delicious. I roasted it whole because I couldn’t bear to slice it up any sooner than I had to. Its flavor is similar to cauliflower and broccoli, but a little milder and nuttier. And, just like with cauliflower or broccoli, the browned bits are extra delicious. If you can’t find romanesco, you could definitely use one of its brassica cousins for this recipe instead.

Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Cilantro Pesto

February 21, 2014 By Becky 11 Comments

Do you like to read “day in the life” posts? I loved this one on What’s Gaby Cooking (the first food blog I ever read!), saw this one recently on How Sweet It Is, and was inspired to write my own. I think it’s fun to get a peek into someone’s daily routine. Of course, if you don’t, you can just scroll down for the recipe.

If you’re still with me, here’s the story of my Thursday!

I woke up late, around 9:30. Since Ben works from home on Thursdays, he had made coffee. I had mine with vanilla chai spiced ghee and a splash of cream, blitzed with my immersion blender.

In the kitchen, I briefly contemplated abandoning my cauliflower plans since I wasn’t sure I had time to cook and photograph everything before class at noon, but I decided to go for it. I had a gorgeous orange cauliflower from Whole Foods, so I had to take a few shots of it before chopping it up.

Moroccan Beef with Apricots & Dates + Simple Cauliflower Mash (Whole30 Day 22)

January 22, 2014 By Becky 8 Comments

It’s Day 22 of my Whole30! I can’t believe it’s been over three weeks. This month really is flying by. I have more energy, more even moods, and while I still get hungry, I no longer want to kill all the things when my stomach starts rumbling. Also, my pants are looser and I’m recovering more quickly from my workouts, with much less soreness.

Yesterday, a big snowstorm came to town. After traipsing home from the train station in the snow, I made this Moroccan beef. It’s almost a stew, but I wanted the sauce to be nice and thick so that the beef wasn’t swimming in liquid. The meat is perfectly spiced, and the sweet fruit provides a wonderful counterpoint. The garnishes–toasted almonds and fresh cilantro–are highly recommended. I served this beef over a simple cauliflower mash, but it would also be great with spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or even real rice–anything that will soak up the delicious sauce. No matter how you serve it, this dish will comfort and warm you on a cold winter’s night.

Creole Hash & Eggs (Whole30 Day 2)

January 2, 2014 By Becky 6 Comments

It’s Day 2 of my Whole30, and I’m feeling great so far! Yesterday I had quite a headache, which I think was because I tried to replace my morning coffee with tea. It was too soon for that–I need to take my changes one at a time! Since I don’t like black coffee very much, I did a little research and found this recipe for bulletproof coffee. It’s basically hot coffee mixed with some ghee and coconut oil. I made some using my immersion blender, and it was pretty good! Not quite as delicious as my regular cup of joe (with copious amounts of grassfed milk, a splash of maple syrup, and a few drops of vanilla extract–none of which are allowed on the Whole30), but much more palatable than plain coffee.

Indochinese Chilli Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice

August 13, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

I LOVE Indian food. Luckily for me, my mom’s apartment is just blocks from Singh’s Cafe, which has a fabulous lunch buffet every day of the week. I go more than anyone should go anywhere, but I just love it so much. One of the best parts of going to lunch buffet is that there is no waiting: you show up, you sit down (or not), and you go get your food! I also love it because you can try some of everything.

Mocha Marinated Steak with Peach Salsa and Cauliflower Mash

August 5, 2013 By Becky 17 Comments

If you haven’t stopped by since last month’s chocolate party, you’ll notice that things have changed some since the days of double malt ice cream sandwiches. A Calculated Whisk is going paleo! I’m doing a Whole30, and the blog is doing it with me. So for the rest of August, you’ll find more healthy recipes with fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, and seafood, but no grains, sugar, sweeteners, legumes, soy, milk, or processed food. Desserts (at least paleo ones, which can still be impressively delicious!) will return in the fall.