Side Dishes

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower – Two Ways (Spiced & Buffalo Style)

Leave a comment
Cauliflower_SpicyRoasted_logo

Spiced Cauliflower

Cauliflower_Buffalo_logo

Buffalo Cauliflower

Both these cauliflower recipes are pretty much on repeat in my house.  Raw cauliflower?  Nope.  But roasted cauliflower is amazing!  I like it with several different seasoning variations but these two are my favorite. Both my kids even like the spiced one… one insists on dipping in ranch dressing but I still consider it a win!  My son will eat the buffalo version, but I’m not going to lie — it’s too spicy for my daughter.  My husband, Albert, and I love both versions.  Sometimes we make the buffalo version and just eat it all by itself (with Ranch) for lunch. ~Erin

Spiced Cauliflower Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower, washed, stem & leaves removed, cut into small pieces
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. paprika (I used smoked paprika but you can use either.)
  • ¼ tsp. chili powder
  • ¼ tsp. onion powder
  • ¼ tsp. garlic salt (regular table salt is fine if that’s all you have)
  • dash of cayenne pepper
  • nonstick cooking spray

Buffalo Cauliflower Ingredients:

  • Cauliflower (one or two heads), washed, stem & leaves removed, cut into small pieces
  • Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
  • Cooking spray
  • Foil (highly recommend – the cooked-on sauce is hard to scrub off)
  • Ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping, optional

Spiced Cauliflower Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Spray a large sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine olive oil and all spices.  Pour spice/oil mixture into a gallon size resealable baggie.  Squish (Yes, that’s a technical term.  Ha!) the oil mixture around to coat the bag.  Open the bag and pour in the cauliflower pieces.  Squish it around again to evenly coat the pieces.  Pour the coated pieces onto the prepared sheet pan and spread evenly into one layer.  Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the edges & small pieces begin to brown.

Buffalo Cauliflower Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Cover a sheet pan with foil.  Coat it with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.  Place cut cauliflower in a gallon size baggie.  Pour in Frank’s wing size, a little at a time, sealing and shaking the bag to coat the cauliflower each time.  Add more if needed, until all the pieces are LIGHTLY coated.  Spread the cauliflower on the prepared sheet pan; roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with Ranch or blue cheese dressing.

WW Freestyle Info.: The Buffalo version is 0 points.  The spiced version is 4 points for the entire recipe (divide as you wish or eat the whole thing) because of the olive oil.  You could easily make it 0 points as well by coating the cauliflower in cooking spray instead of oil.

Mango Salsa

Leave a comment

IMG_3865

Visiting an old friend is always fun, but when that friend has a husband who cooks while you sip drinks….well, that’s friendship gold.  Tracy’s life-long friend Dana has a husband who whips up a great Mango Salsa that is a summery treat you’ll love.  Thanks for sharing this recipe, Marc!

Ingredients:

  • 4 to 5 large Roma tomatoes, diced
  • ½ yellow or white onion, diced
  • ½ red or green bell pepper, seeded & diced
  • 2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced
  • 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 to 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
  • ½ tsp. salt

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir together well, and enjoy!

This salsa is best served over a juicy piece of grilled chicken with some tortilla chips on the side!

WW Freestyle Info.: Drumroll please:  ZERO points.  Enjoy all you want.

Aunt Annie’s Green Chile Corn Casserole

Leave a comment

Ever have a day when all you want to do is hang out with the kids instead of spending time in the kitchen? Well, Robin felt that way daily while she was going to school and working full-time. 🙂 We’re sure many of you can relate to an overly busy schedule at times…Enter Aunt Annie’s green chile corn casserole!

Always one of our favorites, this rich and creamy corn dish with a mild chile flavor can be thrown together very quickly – and even cooked in the microwave if needed on those days when the oven is full.

CornCasseroleWithLogo

Garnish with a pepper if you want to get fancy!

This recipe makes enough for a crowd, so you may want to cut it in half. This is the perfect side dish for busy week nights, but it’s decadent enough to serve on holidays. ~Robin

Ingredients:

  • 2 4-oz. cans of chopped green chiles, drained (Hatch chiles are best, if available)
  • 4 15-oz. cans of whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • ½ c. of milk
  • Salt to taste

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Soften cream cheese and butter in the microwave (just enough that they’ll mix in well), heating on high for short intervals. Set aside.

Drain chiles and dump into a small separate bowl; remove any stray stems.

Place drained corn into a 3 quart, oven-safe casserole dish. Add drained chiles, cream cheese, butter, and milk. Stir together, then salt to taste (will taste saltier when cooked so be sure to err on the side of caution with salt). Cook until boiling.

Tips:

For better presentation, stir well again before serving.

If cooking in the microwave, loosely cover the dish with a paper towel to prevent splattering or, if using a lid, be sure to tilt the lid to the side to allow space for steam to vent for safety. Cook on high, first for 3 minutes, then in 2 minute intervals, stirring each time.