veggies

Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash

I’m a veggie girl. I have always been one. One of my grandma’s favorite stories about my childhood was eating dinner and me patiently waiting for everyone to be done and asking to finish the vegetables. Yeah, I was a weird kid. I loved all of those veggies that you hear of kids hating, broccoli, spinach, lima beans, cauliflower, and more. Even today, I have gone through vegetarian periods while my husband has been away. My husband on the other hand was anti-vegetable when we first married but has started to learn to love veggies now that he is in his thirties.  One of those vegetables is Cauliflower.


Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash | Country Girl Gourmet

I serve cauliflower on a regular basis in our house. Usually I serve it raw, steamed or roasted but sometimes I mash it. I always forget about how good cauliflower mash is and I was reminded again this month while working with Allrecipes and Swanson. This month one of my Allrecipes Allstar activities was to make, review and take pictures of various Swanson recipes and one of the ones I chose was their Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash and I am glad I did. It was delicious and super easy to make!

Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash | Country Girl Gourmet

It honestly couldn’t be any easier. You take a head of cauliflower and cut into florets add to a pot with garlic and chicken broth. For the broth, while I am a huge fan of making my own chicken broth sometimes I use prepared and Swanson now has unsalted broth which I loved! I’m not a fan of overly salted dishes. You have to let the flavor of the food come through and the unsalted broth does just that!

Once you have your ingredients in the pot bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes, drain reserving broth and mash adding broth, butter and parmesan. You can also season with some salt and pepper and then voila you have an awesome and easy to make side dish in less than 30 minutes! Add it to some roast chicken and maybe some green beans or broccoli and you have yourself a delicious and nutritious meal.

Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash | Country Girl Gourmet

What is your favorite way to serve Cauliflower? Have you tried it mashed?

Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash
 
Author:
 
Ingredients
  • 4 cups cauliflower florets
  • 1¼ cups Swanson® Chicken Broth
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
  1. Heat the cauliflower, broth and garlic to a boil in a 10-inch skillet over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover the skillet and cook for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
  2. Mash the cauliflower mixture in the skillet and stir in the Parmesan cheese and butter. Season to taste.

Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower Mash | Country Girl Gourmet

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews on Country Girl Gourmet. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Country Girl Gourmet.

 

Easy Roasted Cabbage

Do you like cabbage? Have you heard that it is among the many superfoods? Cabbage has lupeol, sinigrin and sulforaphane, compounds that may help fight breast cancer by stimulating enzyme activity and inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors. It is great to eat if you are trying to watch your weight and/or detoxify your body. Cabbage has high levels of vitamin C and sulphur which help purify your blood and remove toxins like free radicals and uric acid.  It is very low in calories (seriously, approximately 22 calories in one cup!) and high in fiber. Honestly the list of health benefits goes on and on. It is a great thing to eat and there are better ways to add it to your diet than the classic cabbage detox diet soup.

While soup is good, what is even better is roasted cabbage. There is just something about the simplicity of roasted veggies. It has become one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables. Cabbage has become one of the newest vegetables on my list to roast and it is so good! All  you need is a head of cabbage, some olive oil and some salt and pepper and you end up with delicious roasted cabbage. It turns ordinary everyday cabbage into something really special that even picky eaters, like my oldest son, gobble up. If you haven’t tried it, it needs to go on your to try foods list so you can see for yourself just how good it is!

 

Easy Roasted Cabbage | Country Girl Gourmet

 

Easy Roasted Cabbage
 
Author:
 
Ingredients
  • 1 head cabbage, sliced into six 1-inch pieces
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  2. Brush each cabbage piece on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 40 to 55 minutes.

From Allrecipes.com

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

I have always been a vegetable lover. As a child I would eat seconds of my veggies and loved broccoli and spinach. One vegetable that we never had was Brussel Sprouts so I always assumed they were gross little green balls. As an adult I never really had any desire to buy them but one day while grocery shopping my daughter asked me to buy a bag in the frozen food section. So I did. I made them and no one would touch them. They were soggy little things, overcooked by the steam bag.I knew there had to be a better way to make brussel sprouts and my daughter still wanted her brussel sprouts.

I came up with this recipe accidentally and it has become a fast family favorite since.  It is quick and easy and doesn’t disappoint. I highly suggest trying these Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and giving these wonderful sprouts another try!

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta | Country Girl Gourmet

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Ingredients

1lb Brussel Sprouts

3 slices thinly sliced Pancetta,diced (I like to use a scissors and cut it. Bacon can be used instead of Pancetta)

2 TB Butter

2 Cloves Garlic

Fresh Ground Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Wash  and cut Brussel Sprouts into quarters.

2. In a large skillet using medium heat melt butter and then add Pancetta and sauté until it begins to crisp.

3. Add Brussel Sprouts and garlic and sauté until brussel sprouts start to brown and are cooked thoroughly. This should take less than 10 minutes.

4. Season with Salt and Pepper and serve.