Creamy Cauliflower Soup and Asparagus Pesto

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I have been reading Peas and Crayons for years and I have tried so many of her recipes. This one was easily one of my top 5 favorite recipes from her site. Other attempts at cauliflower soup have left me with a bland, unimaginative, boring soup that I end up dumping out – but this one is phenomenal!

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 white/yellow onion, chopped to yield 1 cup
  • 1 large russet potato peeled and diced
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1.5-2 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1.5 cups of evaporated milk (heavy cream or half+half will work – I used half+half because I think it tastes better)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of asparagus pesto [Recipe below]
  • 1 TBSP your favorite healthy oil [olive, coconut, etc...]
  • 1/2 TBSP of dried parsley
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cranks of freshly ground black pepper
  • A few ounces of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Garnish with dried parsley and red pepper flakes

Ingredients for asparagus pesto

  • Approximately 18 spears of asparagus
  • 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 fresh cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/4 tsp dried basil
  • a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Clean, trim, and separate your cauliflower into large florets. Blanch  diced potato and cauliflower chunks for approx 15-20 minutes in shallow, boiling water. Once the cauliflower is tender, remove from heat and strain in a colander.  Halt the cooking process by rinsing with ice cold water or plunging florets in a bowl of ice water.

2. While your veggies are boiling, make your pesto. Lightly blanch the asparagus and chill with icy cold water.  Add asparagus along with olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, parm, salt, pepper, basil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to blender or food processor and pulse gently.  Scrape the runaway bits off the side and pulse again until incorporated.  Set aside.

3. Saute onions with a tablespoon of oil, adding the garlic towards the end to prevent burning.  Add the cauliflower, potato, onion, and garlic to your blender or food processor and puree.

4. Transfer pureed cauliflower mixture to a large pot and add a cup and a half of vegetable stock.  Heat to medium-high, stirring frequently and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Once heated, reduce to low and add your evaporated milk or half+half and stir.

5. Season with salt, pepper, a half-tablespoon of  parsley and and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to taste. Once hot, remove from burner.

6. Top with a heaping spoonful or two of asparagus pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Garnish with red pepper flakes, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.  When it’s time to dig in, swirl your toppings into the soup to combine.

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Veggie Fried Quinoa and Hoisin Meatballs

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I have been feeling so uninspired to cook lately – as you can probably deduce from my lack of posting (my apologies). Sometimes life takes over and blogging has to take a backseat. During my hiatus however, I kept track of a few AWESOME recipes to share with you. I love gleaning inspiration from my fellow bloggers and I found a new blog that I am totally obsessed with called Damn Delicious – intrigued? Yes I was too. I found the two recipes below and put them together to make one of the best meals I’ve made in a long time. And what do ya know, it’s super healthy, and damnnnn delicious!

Veggie Fried Quinoa – From Damn Delicious

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas (or edamame)
  • 2 carrots, peeled and grated
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • Sriracha, for serving

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to directions on package.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add broccoli, carrots and zucchini to onion and garlic mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Heat corn and peas in the microwave then add to vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Once quinoa is finished, add veggies.

6. In a separate smaller skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat. Add eggs and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping only once. Let cool before dicing into small pieces then . (I did these one at a time)

6. Add ginger, soy sauce, and green onions then gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Hoisin Meatballs – Damn Delicious

* Editor’s note: (I made these with beef as listed in the original recipe and I made them with ground turkey which was equally as delicious!)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish
For the hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sesame oil, Panko, ginger, egg, garlic and green onion. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs.

3. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through.

4. To make the hoisin sauce, whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a small bowl.

6. Serve meatballs immediately with hoisin sauce, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.

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Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Tilapia

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I loved this recipe. Of course, it’s another Pinterest find! We bought a huge portion of tilapia at Cosco last week but we were sick of cooking it the same way over and over again, so this was a refreshing twist. I served this with a cheesy kale and quinoa casserole which I will post later. Enjoy!

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Tilapia (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 4-ounces of fresh or frozen skinless sole, flounder, or other fish fillets, about 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 cup broccoli, chopped finely in a food processor
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 8-ounce container soft 1/2 fat cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan (and a little more for sprinkling on top)
  • 1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine

* Disregard the cottage cheese in the photo, that is for the casserole that i was making simultaneously…

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine lightly finely chopped broccoli, the beaten egg, half of the cream cheese, stuffing and the Parmesan cheese. Stir until thoroughly combined. Spoon the mixture onto an end of each fillet. Roll up and secure rolls with wooden toothpicks. Place fish in a greased baking dish. Cover dish with tin foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and stuffing is hot.
2. While the fish is baking you can prepare the sauce, in a small saucepan cook remaining cream cheese, milk, and wine until heated through, stirring often. Serve sauce over fish. Makes 4 servings.

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