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8428322212 38bde51d64 On the Menu for the WeekPhoto credit

Cheesy shepherd’s pie: Just in time time for St. Patrick’s Day! I removed the flour and added grated cheese on top

Kale rice bowl with chicken: A recreation of a meal my boyfriend’s brother made for me in San Francisco! I added tons of sesame oil and sriracha for added flavor

Sausage pizza bites: Bite-sized gluten-free pizza bites with spicy sausage and cheddar cheese inside. Perfect for breakfast or a snack

Lentil soup with sausage, chard and garlic: I substituted kale for the char,d added wild rice, and popped it all into a Crockpot

 Spiced tomato chickpea soup: Still one of my top 5 favorite soups of all time. Thank you, Martha Stewart!

Roasted broccoli: I’ve never been a big broccoli fan into I stumbled upon this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats. Such a simple and delicious way to prepare broccoli!

My recipe, Gluten-Free Pasta with Leeks, Peas, Feta, & Roasted Red Pepper Romesco, is over on GFreeLaura today!

gluten free pasta with roasted red pepper sauce 1024x554 Pasta with Leeks, Peas, Feta, and Roasted Red Pepper Romesco

I found GFreeLaura through Twitter awhile back and tweeted her to say I loved her bio slogan: “Young, wild & #glutenfree.” That turned into us planning guest posts for each others’ blogs since we both share a love of the gluten-free lifestyle.

roasted red pepper romesco 1024x874 Pasta with Leeks, Peas, Feta, and Roasted Red Pepper Romesco

And a quick funny story about this recipe: I had a red pepper on hand, as well as gluten-free pasta and leeks left over from butternut squash mac and cheese with leeks, so I used my handy dandy sourcing skills and performed a Boolean search on Google for a fitting recipe:

(noodles OR pasta) AND “red pepper” AND leeks

I then tweeted my old boss the following: “I now use #Boolean searches for everyday things, like finding recipes on Google. #sourcerproblems.”

His response: “@cmroman Ah we raised you well. #perfectstudent #sourcing.” Haha!

gluten free pasta with feta peas and leeks 1024x682 Pasta with Leeks, Peas, Feta, and Roasted Red Pepper Romesco

 

They say you are what you eat, so I may turn into a cauliflower soon. In one evening, I made cauliflower rice, butternut squash cauliflower risotto, and cauliflower fritters (which taste like potato latkes!).

Cauliflower “rice” has been been floating around the blogosphere for some time now, so I decided it was time to take the plunge and try it out. Even if you’re not super nutrition-conscious, it’s hard to ignore these stats:

rice vs cauliflower Fried Cauliflower Rice

Not to mention that the cauliflower rice is SO good!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 2 eggs
  • Soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and/or sriracha for seasoning
  • Canola oil

DSC 0549 1024x682 Fried Cauliflower Rice

Instructions

In a bowl, thaw frozen peas and carrots. Clean and dry cauliflower thoroughly, then destem and chop into bite-sized chunks. Use a food processor on the pulse setting or a knife to chop cauliflower into rice-sized pieces.* Finely chop half a medium onion and saute over medium-low with canola oil until translucent (4-5 minutes). Add peas and carrots, and cook until the water evaporates (1-2 minutes). Add 2 scrambled eggs and cook fully. Add cauliflower “rice” and cook over medium-high, adding several dashes each of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and sriracha, if you like spicy foods. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes or until cauliflower is crispy.

DSC 0551 1024x748 Fried Cauliflower Rice

Notes

In order to ensure crispy, not soggy ingredients:

  • Use a large skillet so the ingredients aren’t crowded
  • You may need to cook the cauliflower rice in two batches
  • Use canola oil (not olive oil); add more if needed for added crunch
  • Make sure that the cauliflower is dry
  • Don’t overstir!

You can also add chicken or pork to the dish to make it more hearty!

DSC 0552 1024x942 Fried Cauliflower Rice

*This step can be a bit tedious if you don’t have a food processor, so share the task with a friend or rock out (carefully) to Stereo Love on Pandora

 

 



DSC 05611 1024x721 Apple Cheddar Tartine with Spicy Mustard

If you had shown me this recipe or given me this open-faced apple cheddar sandwich a year ago, I would have politely wholeheartedly declined. Sweet apples, sharp cheddar, and spicy mustard? Nooooo thanks (says former me).

But current me says, “The sweetness and slight crunch of the Gonagold apples, the sharpness of the New York cheddar, and the spiciness of the mustard? Bring it on!”

Add to the pretty amazing mix of flavors the fact that this is insanely easy to make- pretty much a winner for a snack or as part of a meal!

Just spread bread (gluten-free if you need) with spicy mustard then layer with thinly sliced apples and sharp cheddar. Broil until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. 

DSC 0560 1024x682 Apple Cheddar Tartine with Spicy Mustard

P.S. For a more hearty snack or meal (albeit not vegetarian), consider adding sliced chicken a la Iowa Girl Eats.

I’m not going out of town this weekend (WOOHOO!), which means I did some pretty serious stocking up on groceries at Trader Joe’s and the farmers’ market yesterday. I also bought some nonperishables,  including quinoa, red lentils, and nutritional yeast, from the bulk section of Whole Foods last week.

My boyfriend and I kicked off the week with an amazing home-cooked meal of Trader Joe’s Garlic & Herb Sirloin Steak (cooked on the grill then dipped in this horseradish dipping sauce), a green bean casserole (adapted from this gluten-free recipe), and mashed parsnips with caramelized onions, feta, and horseradish (inspired by the meal at the wedding I went to this past weekend). Not too shabby for a Monday night (or any night!), huh?

DSC 0666 1024x682 Recipes That Caught My Eye This WeekIngredients for horseradish dipping sauce

Here’s what else caught my eye online this week:

This week, I’ll also be making butternut squash leek bisque, an eggplant dish, and spinach quinoa turkey meatloaf. I haven’t found the recipes that I’m using yet, so feel free to send me suggestions!

DSC 0670 1024x989 Recipes That Caught My Eye This WeekCooking with these beat up bad boys this week

I haven’t been cooking religiously for a few weeks, but I’ve been feeling the pull to get back in the kitchen recently. It doesn’t hurt that tons of interesting recipes caught my eye this week!
PicMonkey Collage1 [Potentially] On the Menu for the Week

Photo credits: 1, 2, 3

I’m getting my wisdom teeth out today (ohh, the joys!), so I planned ahead by prepping several different soup varieties to tide me over until I can eat solid foods again.

Here’s what I’ll be eating by the bowlful as I watch Friends, sneak new episodes of Luther, and tweet about my pain (just kidding, I’ll try to abstain from such pointless updates):

(Note: click the soup title for the recipe)

Rainbow chili

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

Zucchini & yellow squash soup

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

Sweet potato, kale, & chicken soup

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

Spiced tomato bean soup

 Fall Soup RoundupPhoto credit

 I made several adjustments for each recipe. For example, I didn’t use flour in the zucchini yellow squash soup and I replaced chickpeas with red kidney beans in the spiced tomato bean soup.

Note: remember to check out the “What I’m Reading” section on my right sidebar for interesting articles that I’ve found through my Google Reader.

What do you think of buy-sell programs for vacation days at work? I had never heard of them before I read this article!

I’m a huge advocate of negotiating- here are five things you may not have known that you could negotiate from the Daily Muse. I actually just got my internet bill down by a few dollars a month!

This piece, called Present Tense, really struck a note with me. Remember: the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

I’m adamant that exercise keeps me sane, so I have no doubt that yoga can help your career!

Need some help learning how to create great presentations? Here’s a free livestream class.

How do you define success? Sam Davidson says your definition of success is too narrow.

I can’t stop raving about fall- one of my favorite things is trying new soup recipes. Here are a few recipes to get me (& you!) started.

And speaking of food…here is a healthified mac & cheese recipe from Caroline of After Dinner Dance.

3841708583 d72c35ef54 Several Weeks of Browsing

Here’s what I’ve been reading online for the past few weeks:

Classy Career Girl had some great advice on how to follow up with your network. A few great ideas: send them a link or resource, offer to volunteer with them, and send them a link to your blog.

Also for job seekers: CollegeRecruiter shows you how to appear determined, not aggressive and lists some interesting questions you should ask at the end of your interview.

Here are a few recipes that caught my eye: Spinach and feta turkey burgers with sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp and rice casserolecitrus & cilantro quinoa saladwarm quinoa salad with 3-herb green sauce.

I love this simple philosophy on accepting and adjusting when you receive hard news in life and this one on how things could be a lot worse…or a lot better.

Other miscellaneous articles and posts that crossed my path: 25 time-saving freezer tips, how to buy happiness for $5 or less20 places every American should see (I’ve only been to five but have a trip to one planned), and Colleen’s funny and relateable piece, “Is It Just Me?”

DSC 00131 On the Menu for the Week

Heart of palm salad from my Pinterest to Plate cooking extravaganza

Quesadillas with feta, refried beans, spinach, and kale

Quinoa and turkey stuffed peppers from Bethenny

Artichokes with melted butter

Gluten-free pizza cupcakes with buffalo chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s

Carrots with Alouette spinach artichoke spreadable cheese

Salads with walnuts, feta, and hard boiled eggs

Indian leftovers

Watermelon + peaches

 

 

pixel On the Menu for the Week
+Cristina Roman