Tag Archives: cheese

Cheesy Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

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So, today at the local market here in Puerto Aventuras I found this…

11081468_10203588078813947_1735164320791916802_nYes, that’s right. A Cauliflower larger than my fiancés head.

Now if you haven’t figured it out yet… I LOVE Cauliflower. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before, but just to reiterate… I LOVE CAULIFLOWER!

This cauliflower is almost 3 times the size of a normal head of cauliflower, so I should be able to make about 3-4 different recipes with this head! YIPPEEEEEE!

I was asked what I was going to do with this amazing find, and one of my answers was to make a broccoli and cauliflower casserole. I decided I would share this delicious recipe with all of you.

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Are you hungry yet?

Well, here is goes… Welcome to Cheesy Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower!!!

Instructions:

1 fresh head Broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 fresh head Cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 Tbsp no salt Butter

1 ½ cups fat-free Milk

2 Tbsp Flour

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 clove Garlic

1/2 tsp (+ more for topping) Paprika

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used combination of Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, & Mozzarella)*

5 wedges Laughing Cow Light Cheese, or 4oz Light Cream Cheese**

1/4 cup Light Mayo 

1 cup Onion, chopped

1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs***

1/2 Tbsp Butter, melted

*I have used many different cheese blends, and the recipe still turns out great. (Manchego, Chihuahua, Gouda, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Mozzarella, etc). I usually have Manchego and Chihuahua on hand, as they are quite affordable here in Mexico.

**As I live in Mexico, Laughing Cow cheese can be a bit more pricy than local cheese choices. If I do not have Laughing Cow cheese, I substitute Light Cream Cheese, and it works great!

***I added a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese in with the Panko Breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1- In a stock pot, steam broccoli and cauliflower in water until cooked to tender. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

2- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9in round casserole dish, or similar, with non stick cooking spray.

3- While broccoli and cauliflower are cooking, in a sauce pan, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Once melted, add in the flour, and lightly brown. Add in milk and bring mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens.

4- Add in shredded cheese and Laughing Cow (or Cream Cheese) wedges. Stir to combine.

5- Once all cheeses are melted, cook cheese mixture for 2-3 minutes, then add in mayo, onion, garlic, and spices. Continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. Sauce will thicken, again.

6- When cheese sauce and vegetables are finished cooking, place vegetables in the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon cheese sauce evenly over the vegetables.

7- In a small bowl, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter, and mix with the Panko crumbs, and an additional 1/2 tsp Paprika. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over the top of the vegetables.

8- Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10- 15 minutes, or until bubbly, and crumbs are lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

This recipe is delicious, yet still healthy! I hope you will enjoy it as much as my family does. Here is a link to a printable version of the recipe: Cheesy Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

Try this recipe out, and let me know how you like it! I would love to hear how you enjoy making your Cauliflower! ENJOY!

 

Layered Taco Dip

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Craving Mexican tonight, but want something low calorie?? Give my Layered Taco Dip a try. We had this last night for dinner, and it was GREAT! This dish is great because you can use it as an appetizer, as a meal, or even a great dish to bring to a party! My favorite part is it can be low carb, and vegetarian… OR you can add in some hamburger or chicken meat and serve it with tortilla chips!

layered taco dip_Fotor_Fotor

So for the Vegetarian Version:

Omit the meat. Instead of cooking the meat with the Taco Seasoning, mix the Taco seasoning in with the Light or Low Fat Sour Cream.

For Low Carb:

Serve the Taco Dip on a Lettuce Leaf or just eat it as is!

Other options:

Instead of using Hamburger meat, try using either Ground Turkey meat, or diced Chicken. If you do not like particularly spicy food, either cut the amount of jalapeños in half, or omit completely. Use your favorite salsa on the side to add even more yummy flavor to this simple Mexican dish!

Here is the full recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Hamburger or Turkey Meat

1 envelope Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso)

8oz Light Sour Cream

1 16oz can Refried beans

1/2- 1 cup sliced pickled Jalapeños 

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 cup Lettuce, shredded

1 Large Tomato, diced

1/2 cup Onion, diced

Instructions:

1- Cook hamburger meat in a skillet until cooked through. Add taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water, and cook on low for another 10 minutes. 

2- On a large plate, spread refried beans, topped with a layer of sour cream. Add cooked hamburger meat followed by a layer of jalapeños.

3-Add a layer of mixed cheese (1 1/2 cup total), followed by a layer of each lettuce, tomato, and onions. Top off with final 1/2 cup of cheese, and any leftover jalapeños. 

4- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool, depending on preference!

*Amount of jalapeños will vary depending on your spice preference. **If not using meat, mix taco seasoning into sour cream!

Check out a printable recipe card of the full Layered Taco Dip Recipe here: Layered Taco Dip

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Feel free to submit your comments here on the blog or on my Facebook page, Fitness With Kayla. Enjoy 🙂

Spice Up Your Cauliflower- Round 3- Side Dishes

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Today, I am moving on from main dishes, and going to give you 2 side dish recipes for Cauliflower. The first one is very simple and the second is a new twist on the Broccoli Bites that I posted last week!

Side Dish 1:

Cauliflower Melt

1/2- Head Cauliflower, boiled, drained, and cut into florets

1/4- cup Cheese of your choice. I use cheddar and parmesan

1- tsp Garlic Salt (or to taste)

1- tsp Ground Pepper (or to taste)

Place the Cauliflower florets in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the cauliflower with 1/2 of the cheese, salt and pepper, and mix through. Place in microwave for 30 seconds, and slightly melt the cheese. Remove cauliflower from microwave and stir, so cheese is blended well through the cauliflower. Top the cauliflower with the remaining cheese, and return to microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute (until cheese is fully melted.) Serve immediately, as a quick, easy, and healthy side dish to any meal! Goes great with Chicken and Fish!

 

Side Dish 2:

Cauliflower Balls

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

1- head of Cauliflower, steamed and finely chopped

1 cup- Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese

3 egg whites

Garlic Salt and Pepper (about 1 tsp each)

1/4-1/2 diced Jalapeño – omit for less spicy option

1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. With the mixed ingredients, form 1 inch sized balls, making sure all ingredients are well combined. Place cauliflower balls on cookie sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

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Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip. Return to the oven for a remaining 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately!

 

Well I hope you enjoy these two very simple recipes to use Cauliflower as a side dish. Share with me your comments and feedback, as well as any questions or concerns. Hope you enjoyed this series on Cauliflower. Coming soon, I will have a series on Spinach, as well as Broccoli! Enjoy 🙂

Spice Up Your Cauliflower- Round 1- PIZZA

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I know, I know… Cauliflower… Blah, boring… Well guess what?!? I’ve got 3 recipes to change your perspective on Cauliflower. Over the next 3 days, I am going to share with you a series of blogs using Cauliflower! My family has always been a huge fan of Cauliflower as an easy side dish to cook along with a meal, but I’ve come up with 2 recipes that turn Cauliflower INTO THE MEAL and 1 side dish Recipe using Cauliflower.

Are you ready???

The first way to change up Cauliflower … PIZZA.

Cauliflower Pizza Collage

Yup, that’s right… Cauliflower Pizza. No, the cauliflower is not the topping. The dough of the pizza is made from Cauliflower!

Ingredients:

1 large head Cauliflower, separated into florets

3 egg whites

1/2 cup + 3/4 cup (for topping) Mozzarella/Tex Mex cheese, shredded

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

Marinara sauce for dipping

Any additional toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, pepper, etc.

Instructions:

1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place cauliflower florets in a food processor (I used a cheese grater, as I do not have a food processor down here in Mexico) and process until “rice” texture.

2- Bake for 20 mins in an oven proof baking dish. (Spray the dish lightly with non stick cooking spray to avoid burning and sticking)

3- Remove cooked cauliflower from the oven and transfer to a bowl lined with a dish towel (you can use paper towels also, but they do not absorb as well). Cool cauliflower for about 15 minutes. Fold the towel holding by the ends and squeeze the liquid out of the cauliflower “ball” as hard as you can. 

4- Increase oven 400 degrees F. Transfer cauliflower to a mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup cheese, and remaining ingredients.

5- Transfer cauliflower mixture onto the baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Flatten with your hands into a 1/4” thick rectangle. 

6- Bake for 18 minutes, and then top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (and desired optional toppings). Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Cut into breadstick sized slices and serve hot with warm marinara sauce.

Here is the link to your printable recipe card: Cauliflower Pizza

Cauliflower Pizza

Note: The photo above is a Cauliflower Pizza where half is only veggie toppings, and the other half is meat and veggies! 

So, what do you think? Want to give this a try next time you are wanting pizza? I’ve made this for my family and friends, and everyone has loved it. I made this dish for a little get together for some friends, and had I not told them it was cauliflower, they would never have known. All of the kids loved it as well! Give this a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy! 🙂

Cheesy Broccoli Bites

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As promised, I will be blogging my favorite recipes (well, my family’s favorites, too) to share the yummy goodness with you! Today, I want to share these easy to make, healthy to eat,  satisfying treat.

Cheesy Broccoli Bites have been a huge hit at our house lately. We have tried them with just broccoli, with cauliflower, and with a bit of both. We really enjoy a tad bit of spice to our food, so to spice them up, I add one finely diced jalapeño to the bites.This is a very simple, and inexpensive side dish that kids and adults a like will love. Its a great way to spice up that plain head of broccoli, while keeping it healthy and simple.

bites5_Fotor

Ingredients:

1 head- Fresh Broccoli

1 1/2 cup- Cheddar Cheese (or any type of cheese you prefer)

3- eggs

1 cup- Italian Breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper (I use Sea Salt or Garlic Salt, as I prefer the flavor over plain Salt)

Optional: 1- jalapeño 

Instructions:

1- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Boil the fresh broccoli in water on the stove with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Once cooked until it is tender, drain and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

2-Finely chop broccoli, and mix in a bowl with remaining ingredients. 

3-Once mixed completely, form small patties with your hands and place on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray (Pam).

4- Place bites into the preheated oven, and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, flip and return to oven for  15 minutes more, or until cheese has slightly browned on both side

5-Once cooked, remove from oven and serve immediately.

Here is a link to a pdf Recipe card of this recipe for you to print out, and add to your recipe box! Cheesy Broccoli Bitespdf

Give these a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy! 🙂