Category: Low Fat

Pressure Cooker Braised Red Cabbage

Those of us who were raised in the 1970’s remember the infamous Brady Bunch episode where, trying to imitate Humphrey Bogart, Peter Brady repeatedly said (misspellings intended), “Pork Chops and Apple Shauce, that’s schwell.”   I’m playing with a new pork chop recipe tonight and despite the expectation of mashed potatoes and, yes, apple sauce, there is no way I’ll be serving that boring combination!

I tossed around ideas for different types of cold coleslaw, carrot slaw and even considered going the sauerkraut route, but none of those seemed hearty enough to accompany the Smoky Ancho Cherry Pork Chops I have in mind.  I grabbed some red cabbage, Granny  Smith apples, aged balsamic vinegar and started tossing things into the pressure cooker.

Pressure Cooker Braised Red Cabbage

  • 1 Medium Head Red Cabbage (chopped)
  • 2 Large Granny Smith Apples (chopped)
  • 2 TBLS Coconut Oil
  • 2 TBLS Balsamic Vinegar
  • 4 TBLS Honey
  • 2/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2/3 Cup Water
  • 3 tsp Allspice
  • Salt & Pepper to Taste
  • 1/4 Cup Golden Raisins (Optional)
  1. With lid open, pre-heat the pressure cooker on the “Brown” setting
  2. Add the coconut oil and chopped apple and stir about 1 minute
  3. Add half the cabbage and stir to coat with the oil
  4. Sprinkle the Allspice over the contents of the pan
  5. Stir in the remaining cabbage
  6. Stir in the 2 TBLS balsamic vinegar
  7. Add the water and apple cider vinegar to combine
  8. If you are adding the raisins, do so now
  9. Close and lock the lid
  10. Set pressure cooker to 194° (Medium-High)
  11. When it comes up to temperature, cook the cabbage for 10 minutes
  12. At the end of the cycle, unplug and allow to sit for 10 minutes
  13. Release rest of pressure and remove cabbage to a serving bowl
  14. Adjust sweetness with more honey or allspice as needed

Can be eaten hot or cold.

cabbageAre you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Lightened Without Losing Taste!

finishedcasseroleI woke up this morning to raindrops and remembered that my Mom used to make us Tuna Noodle Casserole on rainy days.  That started a mad craving but I wasn’t sure I had everything to make it.  UG!

After surveying the cupboards and refrigerator, and preparing the emergency replacement for one of my main sauce ingredients from yesterday’s blog post, I was good to go and well on my way to satisfying my craving with the unintended bonus of lightening the recipe and making the soup gluten free, so I didn’t feel quite so guilty having seconds.  Yes!

Mom’s Lightened T.N.C.

  • 1 – 12 to 16 oz package Extra Wide Egg Noodles (Gluten Free if desired)
  • Scratch Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (follow link)
  • 3/4 Cup Milk
  • 4 – 2.6 oz Single Serve Pouches Starkist Low-Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in Water
  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise
  1. Prepare the noodles per package instructions
  2. Drain most of the water off in a colander
  3. Return noodles to the pan
  4. Warm the soup (if not already warm) over low heat
  5. Add the milk, contents of the tuna pouches, and mayonnaise and stir until combined
  6. Bring to a boil then remove from heat
  7. Using a heat proof rubber spatula, pour contents of soup pan over the noodles and gently fold it into the noodles.

Can be eaten hot or, as I prefer it, cold from the refrigerator!

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Carrot Pineapple Slaw

ribdinnerI needed to add some color to what was going to be an otherwise bland (but really delicious) looking plate tonight, but my husband asked that it not be the things I had ready to whip out: Asparagus and Green Salad.  Ug!

Having just put all of my creative brain power into making Zucana loaves and the spicy sweet sauce for BBQ ribs, I was just not feeling it.

I looked into the refrigerator and saw a lot of produce, dairy products, some leftovers and then inspiration struck when I found:

  • 2 Pound Bag of Carrots
  • Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt Cups
  • A Small Can of Crushed Pineapple

Aha!  In 10 minutes there would be color on my dinner plate!

Carrot Pineapple Slaw

In a large mixing bowl combine

  • 6 Cups Shredded Carrots (About 10 Large Carrots Peeled/Grated)
  • 1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple (Drain first)
  • 1/2 Cup Golden Raisins
  • 2 – 5.3 ounce Cups Vanilla Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt

You can use any yogurt you want to.  I like the Oikos because it doesn’t add any fat, sugar or additional sweetness to the salad.  I use a rubber spatula to combine everything.

My husband didn’t even complain about it 😉  Bonus!

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

What Goes With Quinoa?

So my first foray into pressure cooking went off without me getting maimed or burned, so I guess I’ll be using my new toy again soon!  I made a huge batch of quinoa that turned out light, fluffy and quite tasty.  Just one problem: we aren’t big eaters of any grain at dinner time outside of rice, so I was left at a bit of a loss as to what to do with my big bowl of quinoa.

lemonchickenquinoaThe cupboards, refrigerator and freezer were rather bare due to the two week vacation we had just returned from, so I was left with very few options.  A lemon, Roma tomato, small avocado, a bag of frozen edamame, and 1/2 lb of frozen diced chicken breast were all I could salvage to throw together some kind of dinner hearty enough to satisfy my husband.

Lemon Chicken with Avocado & Tomato Quinoa

  • 1 1/2 Cups Cooked Quinoa (See yesterday’s post)
  • 1 Small Roma Tomato (diced)
  • 1 Small Ripe Avocado (diced)
  • 1 Cup Frozen Shelled Edamame (Soybeans) Cooked
  • Juice of 1 Large Lemon
  • 2 Tbls Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Lb Fresh Diced Chicken Breast
  • 1 tsp Minced Garlic
  • 1/8 tsp Dried Dill
  • 1/8 tsp +/- Arrowroot (to thicken the sauce)
  • Pinch Cayenne Pepper
  • Freshly Ground Salt & Pepper

Juice the lemon, stir in the arrowroot and set aside.  In a medium frying pan, heat 2 TBLS olive oil and the minced garlic over medium-high heat.  Add the diced chicken, season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper, and brown for about 2 minutes per side.  Add the edamame, dill, cayenne pepper and lemon juice mixture to the pan and continue cooking about 3 minutes until edamame and chicken are done and sauce is well incorporated.

Spoon about 1/2 Cup of the cooked quinoa and about 1/3 of the chicken mixture into a bowl. Top with the diced avocado and tomatoes and add more ground pepper to taste.

Light enough for my post-vacation diet yet hearty enough that 2 bowls satisfied my husband’s appetite.  Win-Win!

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

A New Kitchen Toy

pressurecookerIt seems I am always getting some kind of new kitchen gadget.  Something as small as a new pair of nesting measuring cups can make my day.  So imagine the glee I felt today when I opened the box from Amazon containing my new T-Fal 6 Quart Pressure Cooker!

To be honest, traditional pressure cookers have always scared me a bit.  I watched my grandma and mother-in-law fearlessly use them with ease and skill, but the unpredictable nature of the steam behind the pressure made me steer away from any recipes that even mentioned the need for pressure cooking.

After seeing more and more positive media about the joys of cooking in “no time” using the new electric pressure cookers with pre-programmed settings for as many as 25 different foods, the ability to steam, cook, simmer, an even slow cook in one compact unit, I took the plunge and ordered one for myself.

I also bought the two top rated pressure cooker cook books I could find on Amazon.com so I’d be ready to prepare a gourmet meal upon my return from vacation this week.  So what was my pressure cooker’s virginity breaking first meal?  I chickened out of doing anything that I might result in me wasting a lot of ingredients and made a big batch of  Quinoa!

Combine:

  • 1 3/4 Cups Quinoa
  • 2 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth (If I don’t have any canned broth on hand, I make my broth using 3 cups water boiled with 3 Wyler’s Herbed Chicken Bouillon Cubes)
  • Pinch of Freshly Ground Sea Salt
  • 1 TBLS Butter

Put pressure cooking pan/bowl back into the machine and secure the lid as per your instructions.  Turn your pressure cooker on and, if you have a setting for rice, select the rice setting and hit start.  If you do not have a rice setting, you can manually set your machine to cook for 9 minutes on medium then hit start and let the machine get warmed up to do its job.

When cooking has finished, follow your machine’s instructions for releasing steam/ returning to normal pressure before opening the lid.  My machine tells me to press the steam release button on the handle and wait until no more steam is escaping before turning the handle and opening the lid.

quinoaRemove the quinoa to a bowl and fluff to separate the grains.  If you aren’t eating all of the quinoa prepared, store in a sealed container and refrigerate to eat throughout the week.  Quinoa is fun because you can eat it as a side dish plain/with cheese/ or with vegetables, add some veggies to it as a salad, or add meat/chicken/fish/shellfish as a light main dish.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Poolside Valentine’s Day BBQ

elm-131167-Valentines-Day-1
Happy Valentine’s Day From Sunny Southern California

The threats and warnings of the “Fury” and strength of the approaching El Nino has, so far, failed to materialize in Southern California.  A week and a half ago we were seeing colder than normal temperatures in the mid-50’s followed by last weekend’s mid to high 70’s and then this week’s high 80’s to mid 90’s.  I had barely gotten the dust off of my boots & sweaters and had to dig my spring clothes back out to keep from sweating my ass off while visiting customers this week!

I am neither gloating or complaining, I would just really like the weather to make a decision.  I have a great fireplace in the living room (and another one out by the BBQ island), but it just hasn’t been cold enough to justify lighting them.  In fact, it’s been so warm and sunny that I turned the heater back on in the pool and invited a single girlfriend & her kids over to catch some rays and barbeque by the pool for Valentine’s Day.

Instead of making reservations for brunch we put together a menu that would need minimal prep, have no gluten and be able to be cooked & served in the backyard.

Backyard Bloody Marys:

  • Pour 1 1/2 to 2 ounces Tito’s or Smirnoff 21 Vodka (both are Gluten Free) into a glass (or in this case, red Solo cup) filled with ice
  • Fill the rest of the cup up with a homemade mix comprised of: Low Sodium V-8, a splash or two of juice from a jar of martini olives, a dash of your favorite hot sauce (we used Frank’s Red Hot), a dash or two of Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce, a bit of fresh-full strength horseradish, an a dash of A-1 Steak Sauce.
  • Garnished with a slice of crisp bacon, a stalk of celery, a peeled mini carrot, a thick ring of red bell pepper, and a skewer with sweet peppers, onions, and pepperocini

The BBQ was kept busy with:

Two simple side dishes allowed us to spend a couple of hours absorbing some natural Vitamin D, courtesy of our friend The Sun!

  • A salad of sliced English cucumber, halved plum tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, 2 TBLS light sour cream, a dash or two red wine vinegar, freshly ground pepper and some garlic salt
  • Chunks of cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and pineapple, thinly sliced Kiwi, fresh blueberries and a few whole strawberries

All in all a great day!

Weather forecasters promise that we will still be seeing the long promised “Godzilla” rain storms of El Nino, the storms are just taking their sweet time.  Weather experts are “expecting a conveyor belt of squalls to enter stage left in late February and continue through March, possibly into April. This is a month or so later than original predictions for heavy rains.”  In the meantime I will enjoy a few more days with the top down on my car and the ability to tan myself back from the brink of pale-dom before I have to hunker down in sweaters and rain boots.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Fit Fat Tuesday Feast

IMG_5098I love the comfort foods of winter but, because California gets a very short spell of cool weather, that means that I can’t just eat what I want and hide under sweatshirts and big sweaters…UG!  Case in point:  last week we had some of our lowest temperatures for late January/early February and this week it’s been in the high 80’s and low 90’s.  I am going to be back in spring clothes before too long, so I have to stick to my diet plan.

Just because I’m watching what I eat doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy Fat Tuesday, right?  By re-working one of my favorite Mardi Gras delights, I can (and did!) Laissez les bon temps roulez.

Let the Good Times Roll “California Style” Jambalaya

  • 1 – 12 oz Chub Jimmy Dean Reduced Fat Premium Pork Sausage
  • 2/3 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Diced
  • 12 oz – Raw (Peeled, Deveined & Tails Removed) Shrimp
  • 6 oz – Aidell’s Cajun Style Andouille Sausage
  • 1 – 14.5 oz Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 2 Pkgs – Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Natural Whole Grain Brown Rice (90 Second Microwave Packages)
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper – Chopped
  • 1 Green Bell Pepper – Chopped
  • 1 Bunch Green Onions
  • 2 TBLS Olive Oil
  • 2 Cloves Garlic (Peeled & Minced)
  • 2 TBLS Zatarain’s Cajun Spice Blend
  • Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper To Taste

In a heavy duty skillet, preheated over medium-high heat, add 1 TBLS olive oil, the garlic, chopped onions, and chopped bell peppers.  Cook while stirring about 5 minutes.

Preheat a large heavy duty stock pot or stew pan over medium high heat.  Add 1 TBLS olive oil and the pork sausage to the pan.  Break up with a wooden spoon and cook until nearly done,  Add the diced chicken, sprinkle with the Cajun Spice, and continue cooking until chicken is nearly cooked through (4-5 minutes).  Slice the sausage into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and add to the pan.  Cut each peeled, deveined, tailed shrimp in half and add to the other meats in the pan.  Cook about 2 minutes.

Tear the packages to vent and microwave the Uncle Ben’s rice packets for 90 seconds each on high.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the cooked meat.  Stir in the canned tomatoes and bring all to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add the two packages of rice to the pan.

Stir to combine.  Add 1 TBLS ground black pepper and about 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.

Serve with hot sauce of your choice, and, if you’re like me and love it California Style, add 1/4 of an avocado to the top of your bowl of steaming jambalaya.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

 

Rainy Day Delight

It’s such a rare occasion in Orange County, California to have a cold, rainy, stormy day that I was excited to see a wet patio outside my window when I got up this morning.  WOO HOO!  I am SO getting the slow cooker out and making some chili!

white-chili

Not my usual rip-off of Mom’s XLNT Brick of Chili Con Carne based chili with ground beef, cubes of left over steak, canned crushed tomatoes and red beans.  Nope!  Today’s a White Bean Chicken Chili day.

It’s a ridiculously easy recipe and practically cooks itself.

Rainy Day White Bean Chicken Chili

  • 1 Can Diced Ortega Chilis (Mild or Hot – your choice)
  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – about 1 1/2 lbs (Frozen or Thawed)
  • 16 oz Chicken Broth
  • 1 – 16 oz Bag of Dry Great White Northern Beans
  • 2 tsp Dried Cilantro Flakes
  • 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Devil’s Dust (or any Smoked Chili seasoning you use)
  • Sour Cream and Chopped Fresh Cilantro to serve (if desired)
  • 1 Ripe Avocado Chopped (if you have one)

In a large stock pot, 6 to 8 cups water on to boil.

Using a large colander, rinse and drain the white beans.  Pick out any icky ones and then add to the boiling water.  Boil the beans for about an hour then turn off the heat, cover and let stand for another hour.

While the beans are soaking get the other ingredients going in the slow cooker set on low heat.

  • Empty the can of diced green chilis (undrained) into the bottom of the slow cooker
  • Put the frozen chicken breasts on top of the chilis
  • Pour the chicken broth over the breasts
  • Dust the tops of the breasts with the spices (ending with the cilantro)

When the beans have finished soaking, empty them into a colander and then transfer them to the slow cooker.  Stir just enough to mix everything together and leave it the chili to cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.

About 4 hours into the cooking time, shred the chicken beasts with  forks and mix the chicken back into the chili.

When the cooking time has completed taste the chili, adjust the spices and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro on top.  If you’re lucky enough to have a ripe avocado on hand, do yourself a “flavor” and chop it up to put on top of your bowl of chili!

You can speed this recipe up, making it one you can throw together in 10 minutes or less when you are leaving for work so it can cook all day, by substituting 3 cans of white beans from the grocery store.

I can’t wait for dinner time!

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

It’s A Comfort Food Kind Of Day

dietfoodjuliachild

I try to balance being somewhat diet conscious with being creative in the kitchen like I did with the dinner I made last night: Bacon & Roasted Cauliflower Chowder.  It was hearty, satisfying, and had a lot of flavor, but, with the exception of the fat & sodium from the bacon, was super healthy!  I even kept my husband from his requested bread/bagel chips/ crackers alongside by baking up some thin crispy sweet potato chips while the soup was cooking.  I satisfied his need for something starchy but didn’t add unnecessary carbs or calories!  Win-Win!

That said, I have been known (alright, it happens a lot) to totally justify throwing all thoughts of the diet out the window when I eat at restaurants and indulge in luscious dishes I am not quite skilled enough (or brave enough) to try to re-create at home.

It’s hardest of all to be diet conscious when I’m feeling tired, stressed or sick and just want comforting, basic, no frills food like my Mom, Grandma and Alabama Aunts used to make.

Today is one of those comfort days.  I have been battling bronchitis for more than 3 weeks and all I wanted was a no hassle simple bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.  I dug through the cupboards and found a variety of options:

  • Gluten Free Oats (on hand for my gluten intolerant girlfriend);
  • Whole Rolled Oats (unopened and I don’t even remember buying them);
  • Quaker Quick 1 Minute Oats in the Cardboard Cylinder (for making cookies);
  • Quaker Old Fashioned Oats; and
  • A single microwave packet of Nutrisystem Oats  ( my husband’s) YUCK and NO THANKS!

I have no interest in the over-processed, artificially sweetened and flavored, chopped into dust oats from a skinny envelope!  I wasn’t in the mood for the time involved in cooking the whole rolled oats, skipped the cookie & gluten free ingredients and that left me only one viable option:

oatmealThe stomach filling, hunger suppressing, creamy goodness and comfort of the white haired man on the round cardboard package of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats!

I had always assumed that the pre-packaged diet foods that come in those expensive, very restrictive diets was healthy.  Boy was I in for a surprise!  Have you ever looked at the back of one of those boxes of instant oatmeal in the envelope?

For 150 Calories, in a package of Maple Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal, you also get:

  • 35.4 g Carbs (3 g Fiber)
  • 7 g Sugar
  • 1.5 g Fat
  • 4 g Protein
  • 140 mg Sodium

In order to make their oatmeal, you have to prepare it with 1/2 cup of fat free milk which adds an additional:

  • 40 Calories (190 Calories total)
  • 65 mg Sodium (205 mg Sodium total)
  • 6 g Carbs (41.4 g Carbs total)
  • 6 g Sugar (13 g Sugar total)
  • 4 g Protein (A bonus for 8 g Protein total)

Compare that to what you get from a bigger (what they call “Heart Healthy” on the label) portion (still only 150 Calories) of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats that you spice up yourself with about 1/8 tsp Real Vanilla Extract and 1/4 tsp Cinnamon:

  • 27.6 g Carbs (4 g Fiber)
  • 1 g Sugar
  • 3 g Fat
  • 5 g Protein
  • 0 mg Sodium

By taking 1 more minute in the microwave or a whole 3 more minutes to prepare in a pan on the stove you do lose the 3 extra g of Protein that using milk in the prep of the packaged oats adds, but you add 1 g of additional filling Fiber and save yourself from ingesting:

  • 40 additional calories (that can be spent towards a glass of wine later)
  • 205 mg Sodium
  • 12 g Sugar

The preparation is really simple. 

The fastest way is to prepare it in the microwave.  In a microwave safe cereal bowl, I measure 3/4 Cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and stir in 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.  I then add 1/2 cups water and 1/8 tsp Vanilla stirring all until it’s well combined.  I cook the oatmeal on high power for two minutes then give the mixture a stir to test the consistency.  My microwave is 10 years old, so I play it safe to avoid the dreaded boil over.  I add 2 more cycles of 30 seconds on high, stirring in between, and end up with a creamy, but not dense and pasty bowl of hearty oatmeal.

I wish I could convince my husband that it really is easy to do, and can even be pre-packaged in a zip bag to take to work, so that he would stop buying and eating the Nutrisystem meals that bring so much unnecessary sodium and so many preservatives into his system, but that’s a fight for another day.

Today I am just going to sit here and enjoy my healthy, hearty, and oh so comforting, bowl of steaming hot oatmeal.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood

Bacon Roasted Cauliflower Chowder

dinnerreservationsI haven’t been to the grocery store this week and was at a loss as to what to make for dinner tonight.

The meat & cheese drawer gave me a pound of uncooked bacon fresh from the butcher, a wedge of parmesan cheese and another small chunk from a wedge of aged gouda-parmesan.

In the crisper was a bag of fresh sweet mini peppers, a head of cauliflower that was nearing extinction, half a red onion, some carrots, celery, a Rubbermaid container with some still viable sliced Portobello mushrooms and a few other items that found their way right into the compost bucket.

Not a lot to work with, but I’m a gamer (and thankfully my husband will try anything I make) so I trudged forward hoping for some inspiration.

A wrinkly but still salvageable Poblano chili was on the counter and inspiration for a nice warm soup struck.

Bacon & Roasted Cauliflower Chowder

  • ½ Cup Sliced Portobello Mushrooms
  • 6 Slices Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
  • ¼ Poblano Chili finely diced
  • ½ Red Onion diced
  • ¼ Cup diced Orange Sweet Bell Pepper
  • 1 Carrot chopped
  • 2 Ribs Celery chopped
  • 2 Cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 Medium Head Cauliflower
  • 4 Cups Beef Broth (4 Bullion Cubes in 4 Cups Boiling Water)
  • 1 – 5 ounce can Evaporated Milk
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper to taste (1 added about 2 tsp)
  • Reserved Rind of Parmesan or Parmesan-Gouda Cheese
  • Shredded Parmesan or Parmesan-Gouda Cheese (if desired)

Cut the cauliflower in thirds, trim off the stem, spritz with olive or coconut oil spray and roast 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

sweatvegetablesCook the bacon over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add the diced Poblano chili and continue to cook until bacon is crisp but not too brown. Remove both from pan and drain on paper towel.

In the same pan add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and bell pepper.  Saute’ about 8 minutes over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and return the bacon and Poblano chili to the pan. Continue cooking another 10 minutes while bacon fat breaks down some more then switch heat to low.

addcauliflowerRoughly chop 1/3 of the roasted cauliflower into small pieces and add to the pan. Add the bay leaves and seasoned pepper, stir and cook on low about 5 minutes to allow the cauliflower to absorb the flavors of the bacon and other vegetables.

Put the remaining 2/3 of the cooled roasted cauliflower and 2 cups of the cooled broth into the Vitamix or Food Processor/Blender container and process on low until well combined. It will have plenty of texture, but if it’s not thin enough to easily pour, add a bit more of the reserved broth.

Increase heat to medium, then add the can of evaporated milk, a can of water and the contents of the Vitamix container to the pan. Stir well to incorporate. Stir in the remaining broth, the reserved cheese rinds (if you have any) and bring soup just to a boil. Return heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes.

soupRemove the bay leaves before serving.  Serve with toasted French bread chunks/croutons or crusty bread and butter.  Sprinkle chowder with shredded parmesan or parmesan-gouda cheese and chopped parsley if desired.

Are you on Facebook?  You might be interested in the things I may not devote an entire blog post to: recipes, food facts, nutritional information, photos and other things that make my mouth water. I may not write a blog post every day, but there are daily updates to my This Girl Loves To Eat community at: https://www.facebook.com/ThisGirlLovesHerFood