THAI-ISH CAULIFLOWER RICE SALAD

I saw this recipe on pinterest recently and given I (ironically, it is a long list) had all of these ingredients, I could not stop thinking about it. I strayed really far from the original, but am happy with where I ended up. I could eat this all day long. I am aware it is not a truly authentic Thai list of ingredients, but it tastes delicious at the end so I'm not concerned. I don't like rambling on to sell you a recipe so instead, here are a few podcasts I listened to this past week that I really enjoyed. Not sure how you listen to podcasts, I trust you can search for them. 

Oprah Super Soul Conversations : Brene Brown and Shonda Rhimes
The Liturgists : Body Image
How I Built This : Howard Schultz/Starbucks and Gary Hirshberg/Stonyfield Yogurt

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THAI-ISH CAULIFLOWER RICE SALAD

Serves 4-6

Recipe inspired by The Awesome Green

It is a long list of ingredients, and quite a bit of chopping, but worth the time. I add some grilled chicken or tofu, both of which I marinate in sriracha, sesame oil and a bit of tamari. Salmon would be AMAZING here. Any leftovers will keep for a few days, covered in the fridge.

The Salad

• 1 bell pepper, small dice
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1/2 a red onion, small dice
• 2 Persian cucumbers, small dice
• 1/2 a small head of purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 mango (or 2 ataulfo mangos, preferable if you can find them), small dice
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• 1 small bunch mint
• 1 large lime
• sea salt and pepper


• nub of coconut oil
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, riced (about 1 1/2 cups prepared)
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 avocados, for garnish
• toasted cashews, for garnish

Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup creamy, salted peanut butter
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• juice of two large limes
• 2 inch nub of ginger, grated
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• dash of fish sauce, optional
• 1 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
• sea salt and pepper

Recipe Instructions

Put all the prepared produce in a large mixing bowl. Chop the cilantro and mint, add that too. Squeeze the lime over everything, add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss everything to mix. Set aside, room temperature or in the fridge.

Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the riced cauliflower, pinch of salt and pepper and saute until it begins to soften. Add the coconut milk and saute another 2-3 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool down.

When the cauliflower cools, make your sauce. In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, juice of both limes, grated ginger, garlic, fish sauce if using, honey or agave and tamari. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk everything together until smooth. Taste for seasoning, if you like some heat, add a dash of sriracha or cayenne. Add water or lime juice to thin if needed. Keep it mind it will firm up in the fridge.

Add the cooled cauliflower to the bowl of vegetables and toss everything together. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the salad with the peanut sauce, avocado and toasted cashews on top.

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COCONUT + ALMOND FLOUR PANCAKES

I was skimming a goop article last week (I have a love hate with all things goop - I appreciate the health angle, but I don't like that the average advertised clothing article is $480. You had me at hormone balancing but I disconnected with the suggestion of using $50 bath salts). Anyway. I liked the interview in the article and I jotted down this line to remember:

"The goal is to gain greater awareness of yourself on every level: what makes you tick and what makes you sick, what your passion and purpose are, what you want to express in your lifetime, and what makes you most fulfilled" ... "When you wake up to the awareness of who and what you are, you can discover the confidence to live your way, the courage to make choices that serve you best, and the compassion to be kind to yourself along the way—a compassion that inevitably ripples outward to others." - Dr. Frank Lipman

Both Hugh and I are trying to be proactive about growing/changing our businesses this year, and it has begged the question to explore what I actually like doing. I need to make a living, but if I am going to steer my ship towards something, where are we going? I make money in a number of different ways, where can I focus and do better, or perhaps expand? Or do we reroute completely? I think lulls in workflow are good for recalibrating, though honestly, I am mostly just super anxious :)

I listened to a recent One Part Plant podcast with Candice Kumai, and Jessica Murnane, the host, remarked on how confident Candice was, and asked if she came by that naturally. She responded that she believes we all have that in us, that the disclaimers and insecurity are there as masks to cover it up. What are you really good at, and you know it, but you're not making the most of it? How can you pursue those strengths and be a better boss lady, mom, giver, artist, worker, whatever? These questions are tough! But I am asking them. I thought I may find one of you in a similar place, in the midst of a recalibration. 

On food. Maybe you already make your pancakes in a blender, but I swear it makes the thought of making them feel like much less of a project. No clumps, not even a dirty spoon, and I can pour into the pan straight from the blender. These flapjacks (they really are quite thin) below have a decent amount of protein and good fats from the almond meal so they keep me full longer. 

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ALMOND + COCONUT FLOUR PANCAKES

Makes 12 small pancakes

As it goes with gluten free things that don't have any gums in them, these are super tender and delicate. I love them for that, I don't like a heavy baked good first thing in the morning. The trick to getting them to not break on the flip, is letting them cook through more on one side than you would a traditional wheat pancake that goes about 50/50 each side. I cook these about 70% through on the first side, so when I flip, they are pretty strudy and mostly cooked through.  I do not have an egg replacement I can pass on confidently, though I have had decent luck with one medium overripe banana mashed with 2 Tbsp. flaxmeal in their place. However, VERY delicate.

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond milk or whatever milk you use
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. avocado or melted coconut oil or ghee, plus more for cooking
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• pinch of salt

Into a blender, combine all of the ingredients. Run it until combined, about 30 seconds. This can also be done by hand, mix all the wet ingredients first, then mix in the dry to combine. Let the mixture hydrate for a minute.  Warm a skillet over medium heat. Use ghee or coconut oil to grease the pan. Make small, 3" pancakes. Cook them most of the way on one side, about 2 minutes, flip, and cook for another minute. Transfer to your plate. I like mine with plain coconut yogurt, berries and maple. Garnish as you wish!

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CURRY CAULIFLOWER

This is likely not the first time, nor will it be the last, you'll hear praises for Melissa's cookbook, The Minimalist Kitchen, in the food blogsphere. Over the last few years, Melissa has pared down her kitchen and cooking to focus her work on a "less is more" approach to food. It is concise and reasonable. Delicious by way of straight forward techniques. This recipe for example. I usually roast our cauliflower straight from florets, but the pre-steam made such a difference in their texture, more tender and gentle. I like them both ways. It's little things like that. I believe there are a few kinds of cookbook consumers; this book is for the person looking for quick, weeknight, crowd-pleasers made from ingredients you likely have in your pantry, or will have no trouble finding - Chilaquiles, Thai Spiced Rice Bowls, Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls - timeless sorts of things. She has tips for staying organized and decluttering your equipment and make ahead tips or pairings for nearly every recipe. It's a meal planners dream tool, really, a book to solve weeknight dinner issues. I plan on gifting to a handful of mom friends who just want real food, without the fuss. Not to mention HER HOUSE, which I have envied for years now, but that is a personal problem.
Cheers, Melissa, you nailed it. Now, where's my label maker?

CURRY CAULIFLOWER // Serves 4
From The Minimalist Kitchen by Melissa Coleman
Harissa is sold usually as more of a spice paste, but you can also purchase it dried. It is sold online, Trader Joes, and most health food stores.

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. harissa
1/8 tsp. cumin

plain yogurt, cilantro, toasted cashews (our personal additions for serving)

Preheat the oven to 450'. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, add water to just below the bottom of the basket. Bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to medium, cover and steam for 5 minutes. This will begin the cooking process.
Transfer the cauliflower to the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Drizzle over the cauliflower and toss to evenly coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir, and bake for another 15 minutes until the cauliflower begins to char on the edges. 
Taste and sprinkle with salt to finish. We served ours with plain yogurt, and garnished with toasted cashew pieces and cilantro.