MEAL OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER

Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Bacon & Thyme

2 heads cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil
1 quart chicken broth
1 pint half and half
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
10 slices apple wood smoked bacon (or 3 slices country ham) minced & cooked
Pinh of white paper
kosher salt

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil lightly misted with cooking spray.

Cut out and discard the core of each head of cauliflower and then cut off the heads into large florets.

Drizzle florets with olive oil and toss to evenly coat.  Next, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of salt and toss again.

Arrange florets in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.  Flip the florets and roast for an additional 30 minutes until deeply caramelized and golden.

Transfer roasted florets to blender and add 2 cups of broth.  Puree and then add half and half.  Puree for an additional 3 minutes or until smooth.  At this point the puree will be very thick.  With the blender running, add the remaining both, thyme, and white pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

The soup can be transferred to a saucepan and gently heated.  It can also be refrigerated and reheated easily.  The flavor is best when allowed to rest overnight.


Gluten-Free Nutella Cheesecake Pots
(This recipe is in grams so use a kitchen scale)
Makes 6-8 ramekins.

Crust:

150g gluten-free graham crackers
50-60g butter, melted

Cheesecake:

390g cream cheese, room temperature
50g light brown sugar
90g Nutella
40g chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse the butter and graham cracker until they form crumbs.

Scoop spoonfuls of the crust mixture into small ramekins or mugs.  Press down lightly, but not as much as you would a normal cheesecake.

Clean food processor thoroughly.

Next, pulse together the cream cheese, sugar, and Nutella until smooth.  Take a taste and add additional Nutella if you wish.

Add chocolate chips and pulse until ground into fine bits.

Divide the cheese cake between the ramekins.  Cover and chill for six hours or until set.

Remove from fridge and let set on the counter for 20 minutes before serving.

(Thanks to The Gluten Free Scallywag for this epic recipe.)

It's that good!

MEAL OF THE MONTH FOR JULY

Japanese Pork Cutlets

1 to 1 1/2 coarse bread crumbs such as panko
1 to 1 1/2 lbs pork chops or pork steak, 1/2 inch thick\
1 egg
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1/2 shredded carrots
salad oil
salt and pepper to taste
Tonkatsu Sauce (See recipe below)

Tonkatsu Sauce:  Stir together 1/2 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.

Set aside your bread crumbs and Tonkatsu Sauce.

Trim and discard fat and bones from pork.  Place meat between sheets of wax paper and pound with a mallet until the pork is a quarter inch thick.

Lightly beat egg with the water.  Next spread the bread crumbs on a piece of wax paper or cookie sheet.  Sprinkle each cutlet with salt and pepper to taste.  Dust each piece of meat with flour, shaking off any excess.  Dip cutlets into egg and press into crumbs to coat thickly all over.  Set aside for 10 minutes.

Using a wok or a covered saute pan, pour oil in to a depth of 1 1/2 inches and heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 360 F.

Add one or two cutlets at a time turning as needed until golden brown on both sides.  About 2 minutes or so. Drain briefly on paper towels.

In a separate pan, saute the the cabbage and carrots until lightly softened but still maintaining the crunch. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate the dish, spoon sauteed veggies onto a serving platter.  Next lay the pork cutlets over this.  Finish with a drizzle of Tonkatsu Sauce over the meat.  You can serve the remaining Tonkatsu Sauce in condiment cups for dipping.

MEAL OF THE MONTH: MARCH

Oven Roasted Meatballs


Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground veal
1/4 lb ground pork
1 slice sandwich bread (Wonder, etc)
3 TBSP whole milk (you could substitute lower fat milk if you are watching your weight)
1 whole egg plus 1 additional yolk
Chopped Herbs (parsley and rosemary work wonders)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1.) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2.) Oil a sheet tray with cooking spray (you could also cover the sheet tray with foil or parchment paper)
3.)  Soak bread in milk until it becomes softened.  Mash with a fork to form a paste.
4.) Whisk in egg and additional yolk, herbs, cheese, salt,  pepper, and meat mixture until combined.
5.) Form the meat mixture into 15-16 balls and bake for 5-8 minutes until the bottoms are brown.  Flip and continue to cook for another 11 minutes or until done.

VOILA the versatile start to any number of dishes!