January 12, 2015

A New Year, A New Focus..... And some delicious Cauliflower "couscous"









It almost feels weird getting back into blogging. I have taken a super long break from it and have been focusing all of my time on my three littles. And I could not be enjoying my time more. But, as the oldest now spends over half his day in kindergarten, and my 3 year old will play by himself for hours, and my toddler takes a solid 2 hour nap everyday, I have found myself needing something for "me to be working on. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with these boys all day, but there are a few minutes in the day that I would like to be working on something for me. And I think my life is finally to a point that I can dedicate some time for it. So here I am. Back at it. And honestly I had no intentions of posting a recipe anytime soon, but I have had several people ask me when I am going to start posting recipes again, and I felt it was time. 

This year I am re-foscuing on feeding my family natural. whole foods. While we mostly eat that way anyways (besides a few treats here and there), I felt the need to re-energize myself on menu planning, exercising, and re-inventing our diet to be fun, satisfying, and completely free of processed anything! I am constantly being emailed by friends or even random people who know we eat well, asking me for advice on how to feed them and their kids, how to balance everything, and of course recipe suggestions. So here we are. A new year, and a new focus. I am focusing on using my talents and passions and helping others live a healthier and happier life! The picture below looks terrible. In fact the cauli "couscous" does not look at all appetizing! I didn't think to take a picture until we ate most of it and packaged up the rest for later. And I thought, maybe I would like to use this recipe sometime. Next time I make it I will update the picture, but until then trust me when I say this salad is seriously amazing. I had everyone eating it up! It is somewhat of a pain to make, but makes a huge batch and is so good the next day. Its a great way to fuel your body and enjoy what you are eating. Below I am posting a bit about the benefits of some of the ingredients in there .. Enjoy! 


Cauliflower: Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a cancer fighting agent. It is a great anti-inflammatory and provides 77 percent of your daily need for vitamin C. 

Bean Sprouts: When you sprout anything, the Fiber, Protein and Vitamin content increase dramatically. Sprouting the lentils and beans also makes them much easier to digest. 

Avocado: Did you know avocados contain more potassium than a banana? Yup, thats right. They are also loaded with vitamins, from vitamin C, K,to all the B's. My favorite reason for eating them is they are loaded with monounsaturated Fatty Acids, making them the perfect healthy fat. I will be writing a post soon on the importance of eating lots of healthy fats :) 


Cauliflower "couscous"
Recipe adapted from Green Kitchen Stories 
Ingredients 
1 Large head of cauliflower (I used a mix of orange and white, thats why mine is a weird color)
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped 
1/2 cup diced bell peppers ( I used a mix of red and yellow) 
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
1/4 cup (or so) of crunchy mixed sprouts, or broccoli sprouts
1 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons chopped green onions 
1 tablespoon capers
1 lemon, juice
1 tablespoon of avocado oil, or cold pressed olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
1: Bring a saucepan with water to a boil
2: Meanwhile, coarsely chop the cauliflower and place the florets and stem in a food processor and pulse until fine couscous, or rice like texture. Do it in batches if it won't all fit. 
3: Pour the cauliflower into the boiling water, and lower heat to simmer and cook for 3 minutes (or slightly less).
4: Drain the cauliflower in a fine mesh sieve and let drain completely. You may have to spoon it around to let water run out. Pour into a serving bowl. Toss in everything but the avocado, feta and pine nuts and toss to combine. Serve warm, or I prefer it chilled. Once chilled, toss with avocado, pine nuts and feta and serve. 


A little green smoothie for me and these little monsters! 


No comments:

Post a Comment