Roasted Cauliflower

I bought myself a new toy yesterday and I'm so excited.  It's a composter!  Please don't click away....I really am serious.  I've always composted my yard waste and used it in my flower beds and vegetable garden but I've always wanted a covered container for my kitchen scraps that I just throw in the garbage.  I found out that our county environmental agency sells them cheap and I assembled it last night.

Apparently my new composter puts out cute little boys when you put in organic garbage.  Who knew?

In honor of my new purchase, I had to make a recipe that I would have scraps to begin my black gold process.  This recipe is my absolute favorite way to eat cauliflower because it is so simple and you know where I threw my leaves and stems this time....

Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower, florets removed

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

3-4 Tb extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place cauliflower on large sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Using your hands, mix until evenly coated with oil.  Add garlic, salt and pepper and mix again.

2.  Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until cauliflower is caramelized and brown.  Serve immediately.

Raspberry Peach Scones

Happy Blogiversary to me!  I can't believe I've been doing this for a year already and I can honestly say it has been worth my time and effort.  I hope you have at least tried one recipe for yourself.  If not, shame, shame, shame and go try one!!!

To celebrate my big day, I share with you another version of one of my favorite recipes I've posted over the past year.  These have to be my favorite variation I've come up with so far but my kids still love just plain cinnamon sugar ones the best.

To make these delicious scones, use this original recipe removing the craisins and orange zest and subbing in 2 C of diced, peeled peaches and 1/2 C chopped raspberries.  You can use frozen fruit when fresh is not in season, just be sure to allow it to thaw and drain well before using.

Granola

"Mom!  Hurry!  Hurry!  Hurry!"  That was the response of my five year old when I sent her upstairs just a few moments ago to check on my one year old.  

My stomach instantly became nauseated as I imagine what disaster I will find as I run up the steps two at a time.  I found him in the girls bedroom covered from head to toe in hair conditioner.  It is all over a stack of library books, smooshed all over the carpet with a nice trail that leads into the bathroom where he squirted at least half the bottle into and all over the toilet.

If I were a better blogger, I would have grabbed the camera so you see for yourself, but I was a bit overwhelmed and frustrated at the time.  I'm sure all you Mom's can picture it on your own having been through similar situations yourselves.

I had a completely different story to share with you that went hand and hand with my granola recipe, but I thought you would all get a laugh from my morning.

This amazing recipe is made once a week in our house and I make a double batch.  It doesn't last a day.  We LOVE granola and this is so much better (and cheaper) than what you can buy in the store.  What is great about this recipe is that you can change it every time and try all kinds of variations.   We love it served with fresh fruit and vanilla yogurt.

Granola

2 C whole oats (not quick)

2 Tb brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tb canola oil

1 Tb water

1/4 C honey

1 C additional ingredients

1 tsp additional flavorings

Additional ingredients:  coconut flakes, pecans, walnuts, almonds (all nuts must be unsalted and raw), flax seed, raisins, craisins, dried fruit

Additional flavorings:  vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, orange zest, ground ginger

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Mix the all the ingredients together in a large bowl until all the dry ingredients are evenly coated.  

2.  Spread onto a greased sheet pan and bake for 26-30 minutes, stirring completely after the 10, 20, 23, and 26 minute mark.  After 20 minutes in the oven, it browns very quickly so watch it closely and keep stirring until golden brown all over.

3.  Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

My favorite version includes 3/4 C coconut, 2T flax seed, 1/4 C chopped pecans, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  I add dried fruit to the individual servings since not everyone likes it.

Southwest Bean and Barley Salad

My name is Carole and I'm a slob.  Except for my family, I don't think most people would believe this confession because I hide it well.  I have been a slob ever since I was a teenager with a bedroom that was completely out of control.  Once I got married, I thought it would get better until I realized something....I married a slob.  I can remember my parents coming for a visit when we were still in undergraduate school at BYU and we wouldn't let them come see our apartment because it was such a mess.

If I let the cleanliness of the house start to slip, I'll let it completely explode into a disaster before taking it on again.  I invite friends over for dinner and play groups solely so I'll have the motivation to clean the house from top to bottom, corner to corner.  I just wish I could stay on top of it once it is clean.  I try really, really hard to do so but with so many kids in such a small space, I feel like I am constantly cleaning my days away.  

This salad is great for those who hate washing dishes as much as I do because there are very few.  (Have I mentioned I don't have a dishwasher?!)  It's only downfall is that I can't stop eating it when I do whip it up for dinner.  The recipe has evolved over a few years with many additions and improvements and I love where it is right now.  The jicama puts it over the top for me with the sweet crunchiness it provides.  Don't forget the lime slices to squeeze over the top and tortilla chips to scoop it up with.

Southwest Bean and Barley Salad

1 C pearl barley, not quick

1/2 jicama, peeled and diced

8 green onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, diced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

fresh lime slices

Dressing

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 Tb chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/3 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

1.  Cook barley according to package directions and allow to come to room temperature.

2.  Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.  Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the salad.  Mix well to combine.  Taste and add any additional salt or pepper as needed.

3.  Serve salad room temperature with fresh lime slices to squeeze over the top.  It is also a great salad to serve with some tortilla chips to scoop it up with!