Cauliflower Salad

This salad is very versatile. Lately I have been experimenting with cauliflower in all the different ways you can transform it. I tried cauliflower pizza crust, mashed cauliflower and now discovering cauliflower rice. I love this way because you don’t even need to cook it, all you do is put it in the food processor. I use the top part of the processor I think the grater. I start by chopping the cauliflower into pieces I can fit in the hole of the processor.
I usually meal prep on Sunday's before the week starts and this salad is awesome to take for lunch or even a quick side for dinner during the week. Also, you get a good serving of vegetables and it’s light and fresh. Which I think is great for summer. I don’t like eating hot and heavy things when I’m usually sweating my bum off.
So now we have the cauliflower rice done. I then transfer it to a big mixing bowl. I start chopping all the vegetables I want in the salad. Lately I have been using mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, green onions, broccoli and celery. You can use whatever you would like or whatever you have laying around. I chop them all up in similar bite size pieces.
Next, I season everything with salt and pepper. This time I used Enzo's Table, but sometimes I use regular olive oil or even organic Italian dressing with no added sugar. I don't measure how much olive oil I use but just start with a little then toss and if you need more add more. I always use a good amount of lemon zest (at least 1 tsp) and I squeeze half a lemon or sometimes a whole lemon depending on the size of the salad. Then toss the salad thoroughly and I always give it a taste test to check if it’s seasoned well. This salad is so easy and convenient. Just store the bowl in the fridge and the flavors will marry even more while waiting to be eaten.
I’m thinking for the 4th I will do this salad but more of a pasta salad feel with black olives and maybe chop up some uncured pepperoni.
If you have any questions leave it in the comment area below.

Spaghetti squash with pesto and shrimp

I found this Hope Foods hummus at Natural Grocer's and they make hummus and I saw they make pesto too. I love making my own pesto, but for a quick and easy pesto with no dairy, this is delicious. I roasted my spaghetti squash in the oven on 400 for 45 mins. You could always use whatever pasta you would like. I cut the ends off of the squash and then split it in half, it sometimes is difficult. I scoop out the seeds and membrane. I season it with olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Flip it over on your baking sheet so membrane is down. I move on to the shrimp and de-thaw and take off all the tails. I heat up a pan of olive oil and once hot I toss the shrimp in and season with salt and pepper. I minced up some garlic and added it once they were almost all pink. Once the shrimp is done I put a spoonful of the kale pesto in with the shrimp. Once the squash is done I use a fork and kind of pick it to make long strands to resemble pasta. Don't pick it long ways (vertical) do it horizontal. I toss the shrimp, squash and pesto all together. I added some more salt and pepper and the rest of the pesto. Make sure to test before serving so its not bland. Cheerio!

Interview

Shrimp pasta!

I love a good shrimp scampi. It is filled with delicious buttery sauce, but having no dairy is a little difficult to do. So, I just whipped this recipe up, you can add whatever vegetable you like. I got frozen already cooked shrimp and de-thawed it. I got my noodles boiling, I used the brown rice noodles with no gluten. I cut up red pepper and sauteed it in Earth Balance butter spread with no soy. I added olive oil in my sautee pan and added crushed up garlic. I sprinkled oregano, salt, pepper, and parsley on the red pepper. I then add my shrimp to the pan. When my noodles are done are spoon them out of the water and put them in the sautee pan and add a little bit more Earth Balance. This meal is pretty simple and taste delicious!

Sweet spot!

This is a good easy sweet snack! You can use any nuts you like, but I use macadamias, pecans, and walnuts. I do 1 cup of macadamias and pecans, then 2 cups of walnuts. I get the skillet hot and add the nuts. I then pour in a 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup. I mix them around and put a dash of sea salt on them. Then I let them simmer and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. I spray nonstick spray on some foil and pour nuts on when done. I love this simple sweet and salty treat!

Taco Salad!

This is very simple taco salad, and you can add whatever you like. I had left over taco meat from the night before, which is lean hamburger and my own variety of seasonings. I usually leave out chili powder because we have a chili allergy in my house. I use onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano. It is as good as the packaged taco seasoning. I make my salad with romaine (I like the crunch) and I added yellow peppers to the mix. I put the warmed meat on the salad then I cut up avocado on it. I didn't have cherry tomatoes or radishes, I usually add those on my salad too. This is very simple and you can add whatever vegetable you like.

Pancakes!

Another breakfast option is pancakes, they are a delicious alternative to the real thing. I mash up one banana, and add one whole egg then I add the white of another egg. You could do both eggs, but I think one yolk is enough. Then you just mix the egg and banana together. This time I didn't have any nuts or I usually put walnuts in them. All you do is get your pan hot and flip them a couple times. If I had nuts I put them in when I put the egg mixture in the pan. I added raspberries, but I put them on top when they are finished. You can't have pancakes with out syrup, so I drizzled a little pure maple syrup on them. The picture is not that good, but it's a little difficult flipping them.