Fiery Roasted Jerk Rutabagas

First off, when it says fiery, it means it! But it's not an instant heat, it creeps up on you as you eat them. I thought the flavor was really good. I would definitely do them again. I made them will some grilled pork chops with Penzeys Spices' Tsardust Memories seasoning on them, which complemented the rutabagas nicely.


[Try to ignore the lame Photoshop job. I forgot...again...to take a picture before I ate so I took one before I ate them for lunch and didn't care about getting a perfect picture at that point - but it turned out the bowl was SUPER bright and painful to look at...so there you go.]

The rutabagas were adapted from Girl Cooks World (and by adapted, I mean I used rutabagas where they used potatoes).


Fiery Roasted Jerk Rutabagas

• 6-7 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into a 3/4" dice
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1  sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped (remove seeds if you’d like to lower the heat)
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to coat.  Spread evenly on a lightly greased half sheet pan (I used a 9x13 dish).  Roast for 40-50 minutes, turning the potatoes once 20 minutes in, until the potatoes are browned and crisp (My rutabagas didn't end up crispy, but that may have something to do with the fact that they sat in the cooling oven with foil over them for about 2 hours until I ate).  For extra crispy potatoes, broil for a couple minutes at the end of the baking time, keeping a watchful eye on the oven to prevent burning. 

White Veggie Soup and Curry Chicken w/ Salad

I thought this meal was good. The soup was fairly neutral but I thought the chicken broth took over the flavor a bit too much, but it's plain and satisfying enough to me. The chicken was good (I love curry, so of course I would think that). I wasn't a huge fan of the vinaigrette, though. My dad said it had too much thyme in it and it didn't really blend well with the chicken. I also prefer my salads to be fairly drenched with dressing, and there wasn't enough liquid in the vinaigrette to do that. I'm going to have to do some more work to figure out how to make it better and work with the curry.


FYI, I have not altered the recipe to fix the vinaigrette, yet.

These recipes are adapted from I'll Have What She's Having and Serious Eats.

Roasted White Vegetable Soup

• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
• 1 turnip, peeled and diced
• 1 celery root, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 L low sodium vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the vegetables, onion and garlic on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 40 minutes.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a large soup pot. Cover with stock. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender puree soup, or allow to cool and pour into a regular blender to puree (may have to be done in batches).

Chicken with Tomato-Saffron Vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp white rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1/8 tsp crumbled saffron
• 1 1/2 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or equivalent chopped tomato pieces)
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken thighs, sliced
• Lettuce of your choice

(I did these steps while the veggies were simmering.)

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Whisk to combine, then slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to create a dressing. Sprinkle in half the thyme and add the tomatoes, mixing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, curry powder, and remaining paprika and thyme. Heat a skillet with the remaining olive oil over medium heat and sauté the thighs until cooked through. Remove the chicken and turn off the heat. Add the vinaigrette to the pan to deglaze and warm through. (Oh, I just realized I forgot to heat the vinaigrette up...that could also have had something to do with why it wasn't as good as I'd hoped.)

Place your lettuce on plates and place the chicken on the salads, then spoon the vinaigrette over and serve immediately.

Sausage and Sauerkraut Soup

I enjoyed this soup more than I thought I was going to. It actually is the kind of soup that gets better the more you eat it. I added a turnip and a rutabaga to the recipe because I was worried that the sauerkraut would be a bit too potent for my tastes and figured they would be a good, neutral veggie to add to help.


This was definitely different, which is nice to have every once in a while (or for Oktoberfest). Also, my nose was pretty conflicted while cooking. The browning of the sausage smelled wonderful but rinsing off the sauerkraut smelled kinda nasty. My dad added some cheese on top but couldn't tell me if it made much difference as he didn't use a particularly sharp cheese.

Not the most beautiful of dishes, but there it is. This is an adaptation from Perry's Plate.


Sausage & Sauerkraut Soup

• 8-10 ounces of sausage (I used a package of breakfast sausage crumbles)
• 1 cup white onion, chopped (about 1/2 large onion)
• 1 turnip, diced
• 1 rutabaga, diced
• 2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard

Cook the sausage over medium heat until browned. Remove sausage from the pot and set aside.


Add your turnip and rutabagas to the pot and cook 5 minutes. Add the onion to the pot and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add sauerkraut and 1 cup of chicken stock and boil for about 5 minutes. Turn down heat slightly and add remaining stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.


Remove from heat and stir in cream (if using) and mustard. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and add the sausage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Serve with cheese or croutons, if desired. Serves 5-6.

Tomato Chicken Cauliflower Pizza

Today, I mixed 2 recipes together and hoped for the best. Luckily it tasted quite good (if not a bit too spicy - don't worry, I adjusted the recipe to make it less spicy). 

I think I'm making small improvements in photographing this stuff (that or it just looked way better to begin with). The white section of pizza has Parmesan cheese on it for my dad, who can actually eat cheese.

This picture shows what the cauliflower crust looked like when it was done cooking. The crust ended up a little softer than I'd hoped and I'm not sure if that is because of the lack of cheese. It was firm yet slightly spongy to touch.

The recipe for the chicken/sauce is out of Weber's Time to Grill and the cauliflower crust recipe is adapted from Perry's Plate.

Chicken

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp shallots
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized chunks (thighs make for moister chicken)

Whisk ingredients in a large bowl and add chicken, making sure all the chicken is covered. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Don't worry if there's not a lot of sauce as the same sauce is used on the pizza later.) Use this time to prepare the sauce and crust.

After it has marinated, place in a grilling basket and grill until done - about 15 minutes or so (turning 2-3 times during cooking). If you put your chicken on to grill while the crust is baking, they should both be finished at about the same time.

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (I used 3, but I think it was too much oil, use more or less to your preference.)
• 2 Tbsp shallots
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more for a spicier pizza - just remember that the chicken has spices on it as well.)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk ingredients and set aside. (I didn't end up using the entire batch of sauce, but if you like a lot of sauce, feel free to use it all.)

Cauliflower crust

• 1 cauliflower
• 3 eggs (Whoops, I just noticed I only used 2 eggs. It worked, but I'm wondering if that's at least part of the reason the crust turned out softer than I imagined it would.)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• pinch or 2 of salt (I didn't remember this either and didn't even notice with everything on it.)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

While the chicken is marinating, chop up your cauliflower into 1-2 inch florets and steam/boil until tender - about 8-10 minutes. Drain cauliflower and place into a food processor and pulse until smooth. (I like to give it a stir or 2 in the middle to make sure there are no chunks.)

When it is smooth, remove to a bowl and add your eggs, seasonings and garlic (as well as the cheese if you are using it). Mix well and spread in a parchment-lined (or aluminum foil or greased) rimmed baking pan. Place in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the edges start to turn brown. Remove from oven.

Pizza toppings

• fresh spinach
• 1/2 medium bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

After you remove the crust from the oven, spread crust with sauce and veggies evenly across the pizza. Remove the chicken from the grill and place on top. Add cheese on top if using. Place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the toppings are hot and cheese (if using) has melted. Enjoy.

(They say that letting the pizza cool firms up the crust enough to eat with your hands, but I didn't let it sit, so I'm not sure if my version would do so.)

Serves 3-4.

Chicken & Rice

I bet you wouldn't guess that this is actually mostly cauliflower. It ended up looking like stuffing and it tasted great! I went back for seconds. Don't mind the messy plate in the picture...I almost forgot to take a picture of it at all!

I do admit I cheated a little for this recipe and I just bought a roasted chicken from Los Pollos (a local Mexican chicken restaurant). It went perfectly. If you feel up to actually making your chicken, just season it with spices that are similar to the spices in the rice.


This recipe was adapted from Perry's Plate.


Chicken & Rice

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 green onions, chopped (optional alternative - 1 medium onion, diced and sauteed for 10 minutes prior to the celery being cooked)
• 1 cup celery, finely diced
• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (I just shredded the whole chicken)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• chopped fresh cilantro (I don't care for cilantro much so I only put in a tiny amount- if you like cilantro, feel free to use as much as you desire)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• salsa, to top 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery to skillet and saute for 5 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, place cauliflower in a food processor with the "S" blade and process until it becomes the texture of rice. (If you don't have a large food processor, I recommend doing this in 2 batches rather than trying to fit it all in at once.) Add cauliflower to skillet, cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until tender. (At about the 5 minute mark I was planning on putting in the green onions, but forgot to do so.)

Mix chilies and chicken into skillet, then stir in salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cilantro, and lime juice.

Serve, topping with salsa if desired.

Makes about 4-5 servings.

Madras Beef Curry

First off, I have to say I have recently come across the wonders that are rutabagas (and turnips and celery root). They taste very similar to potatoes only a tad bit sweeter. I praise them and wonder why I didn't realize they were good a year ago! It's almost like having potatoes again! Love it! I definitely recommend them for any low carb dieters.


I found this recipe and adapted it to include the veggies from Las Vegas Food Adventures. The original recipe said that there was very little sauce by the end of cooking, but I found with the addition of the veggies, I had quite a bit of sauce.

Just remember, this tastes much better than it looks (especially with my terrible photography skills).


Madras Beef Curry

• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3-4 tsp curry powder (mild or hot) (I used 3 tsp of hot)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 tsp grated ginger
• 5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 2 lb beef thinly sliced
• 1 medium or 2 small rutabagas
• 1 turnip
• 1 medium bell pepper (I used green, you may use any color you like)
• 2 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

Slice the beef thinly and into small bite sized pieces (as for a stir fry) and place in a medium bowl. Add all of the other ingredients, except the tomatoes, rutabagas, turnips, and bell pepper and combine to coat the meat well. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to flavor the meat.

While the meat is marinating, peel the turnip with a peeler and dice into small cubes. With a knife, peel the outer layer to about 1/4 inch inside the edge (there will be a visible line for you to cut inside of). When you have removed the skin, dice into cubes a similar size as the turnips. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper and dice.

Heat a medium pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the meat and brown well, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook over medium heat until all of the meat juices have evaporated and only oil remains in the bottom of the pan with the meat. (I wasn't sure how to determine this was done and eventually just moved on to the next step.)  Add the rutabagas, turnips and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes, stir to combine and lower the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes.

You may serve this over rice if you wish. I served it over some tofu noodles I found and wanted to give a try. They were not bad in a low carb pinch, but I would have much preferred rice.

Serves 6-8.

I Love Food

My love of food plus dieting for the last year has lead me to a love of cooking. To eat tasty food that is low in carbs means being willing and able to alter recipes. But it goes to show you can eat awesome food while dieting. It's worth it to put in a little extra effort to make your food tasty if it helps to satisfy you and keep you on your diet. Hopefully anyone who reads this blog enjoys the recipes posted, even if my pictures don't do them justice. I will hopefully improve on the photography front eventually.