Roasted Cauliflower

I know you probably saw cauliflower and decided to skip this post, but don't! This was actually a pretty tasty, spicy little side and  recipe I would try again!

Here's a link to the pin:http://pinterest.com/pin/103793966383108961/

and the actual recipe: http://remcooks.com/2012/02/02/roasted-cauliflower-with-red-chile-cilantro-lime/

Actual Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 large head Cauliflower
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Red New Mexico Chile Powder (substitute Ancho Chile Powder if you don’t have Red New Mexico)
• 1/2 tsp crushed dried Red Chile
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds toasted and ground
• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 Lime, juiced
• Salt to taste

** I substituted regular chile powder for Red NM Chile Powder and ground cumin for the seeds. I never like to buy an expensive spice I will only use once!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Separate the florets from the Cauliflower.  Put them in a bowl with the garlic, chile powder, crushed chile, cumin, salt & olive oil and toss gently to mix together and coat well. Spread the seasoned Cauliflower in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until tender, stirring occasionally. Dress with lime juice and stir in chopped cilantro and serve.

Ingredient Availability-3
The original recipe is full of unique ingredients I don't keep on hand, but there are pretty reasonable, simple substitutions you can make (as noted above)
Ease on the Waist Line-10

This is super healthy and quite spicy!
Prep Mess-7

Very little to clean up
Overall Difficulty-EASY
Overall Taste- 6.5
Pretty good for a veggie but a little too spicy for my taste. I'll have to reduce the amounts of red pepper and chile powder next time.
Hubby Rates It-6

When I asked him this, he asked if he should rate it based on how it was for cauliflower or compared to anything else he wanted to eat...he came up with 6. So, hubs doesn't like cauliflower...good to know.
Ease of Clean Up-7

Before

All Seasoned up

Out of the oven

Add cilantro and lime

Serve it up!

On the plate with sweet and spicy chicken!

I served this with Spicy Honey Chicken so it was an overall spicy night at our table! I'll review that recipe soon!

Kale Salad with Maple Poppyseed Dressing

Let's be honest, this is a dressing recipe. No one wants to eat kale, but the "super food" boasts so many health benefits that if you can find a way to choke it down, it's definitely worth it. This dressing was definitely pretty good and made the kale almost tasty...until you get to the texture and feel like you're eating straight from a tree with the leafy, grassy....anyway, this was supposed to be about the dressing!

Link to Pin:http://pinterest.com/pin/103793966383239760/
Link to Recipe:http://www.simplebites.net/two-simple-salads-for-winter/ (there's another salad at this link too, but it had zero appeal to my taste buds so you will not see me reviewing it!)

Recipe

• 1 bunch kale, washed and dried
• 1 teaspoon Dijon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

In a small glass jar, combine Dijon, salt, maple syrup, vinegar, and lemon juice. Finely chop garlic or grate with a microplane and add to the jar. Top with lid and shake well.

Add poppy seeds and olive oil, cover and shake well. Refrigerate until ready to use. May keep up to three weeks if kept chilled.

May I take a moment to introduce my sous chef?? 

Tear kale, toss with dressing and add dried fruit or nuts or other desired add-ins.

Isn't he the most talented sous chef you've ever seen??

I added in a little of this.

The finished table- see tiny dressing bottle!

Ingredient Availability-7
I had to buy pure maple syrup and a few other things that weren't normally on hand in my kitchen
Ease on the Waist Line-8

This number varies based on the amount of dressing you use!
Prep Mess-9

Hardly any mess at all
Overall Difficulty-EASY
Overall Taste- 5
This would be a good dressing on another type of green- I just really didn't like the kale!
Hubby Rates It-2
Is anyone surprised?
Ease of Clean Up-8

"Melt in Your Mouth Chicken"

Because I often buy chicken breasts in bulk from my local discount warehouse store, I'm always on the lookout for a good weeknight chicken recipe. I've seen the "Melt in your Mouth" chicken recipe all over Pinterest and thought it would be a good recipe to test out early on the blog and, if it was great, might even become a staple meal for our house.

I'll start with the basics on this one...
Link to Pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/103793966383239617/
Link to Actual Recipe*: http://www.food.com/recipe/melt-in-your-mouth-chicken-breast-37336

melt in your mouth chicken breast: 
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1 c greek yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper
spread mix over chicken breasts, bake at 375 for 45 mins

*It should be noted that Pin recipe calls for nonfat greek yogurt where the actual recipe calls for mayonnaise. I followed the pin instructions and used the yogurt.

Accuracy of Recipe- 4
I think this dish could be greatly improved by using less salt/season salt and reducing the cook time. I followed the recipe and my chicken was dry and overdone and very salty.
Ingredient Availability-9
I like that it used very few ingredients and none were rare or hard to find.
Ease on the Waist Line-7
The use of the non-fat yogurt really lightens up this dish from the mayo version. Also, the quantity of cheese used is very reasonable so I would guess this is a somewhat low-cal dish.
Prep Mess-8
I mixed all ingredients and coated the chicken in a ziploc bag so my cleanup was just tossing the bag and cleaning my casserole dish.
Overall Difficulty-EASY
The prep time for this was less than 5 minutes. Super easy weeknight option
Overall Taste- 5
Like I said, could have been greatly improved by a shorter cook time and less salt
Hubby Rates It-5
He expressed that it had potential but missed the mark
Ease of Clean Up-8

I would be willing to try this recipe again but it definitely needs some work.
MY SUGGESTIONS:
Reduce season salt to 1tsp
Reduce cook time to 30-35 minutes (maybe 25 if using thin chicken breasts). Check chicken for done-ness after 30 mins by cutting through the thickest part of the meat and making sure it is cooked through. Also, mix all ingredients in a ziploc bag and throw in chicken to coat. Transfer to your baking dish, then spread remaining mixture on top (pics below)

Ready for the oven

I served this with Roasted Okra and Kale Salad with Maple Poppyseed Dressing...reviews of these recipes coming soon!