Cauliflower Bites

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I realize I was just lamenting about the cold, but it really feels like Spring out there lately!  It’s been so sunny and pretty warm for Northern Minnesota!  I keep seeing Easter things everywhere I go.  I ended up giving up shopping for Lent.  I’ve never been a big shopper; I’m very careful with money and am too tired by the end of the day to go to the store. :). So, what I was really trying to address was the random internet searching of things, grabbing extra stuff at Target or somewhere else that I really don’t need, and just thinking about “needing things” that, in reality, I don’t need at all.  I’ve used the time to unsubscribe from a lot of emails.  In the past, I’ve found myself seeing some sort of deal in my email, scrolling through whatever website for any length of time, and then not actually buying anything.  The purchasing has never been as much of a problem as the looking and thinking about purchasing things I don’t need.  I haven’t gone to the store for anything but groceries since the start of Lent and it’s been really nice.  If I think I might want or need something it’s a simple “nope, I don’t.”  I’ve tried to focusing on addressing the mental and emotional side of accumulating stuff.  Such as asking myself, “What are the times when I most want to buy something new?” And, “What am I actually feeling during those moments?” When my house feels chaotic and messy (as often happens with three kids under 5), I find myself thinking what else I could have to organize better, or what toys would occupy the kids better, or what plant or book would make me feel more peaceful.  It’s so easy to numb the heart of these times with superficial things.  What I actually need is to find peace in the crazy, purpose in boring, and fulfillment from what actually matters in life.  We have a few more weeks of Lent, so we’ll see what else I have to learn!

Cauliflower Bites

25 min, serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower, chopped and blended (leaves about 2 cups)

2 eggs

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t salt

2 T green onion, diced

1/2 c almond flour

Butter or olive oil for frying

Directions:

  1. Chop cauliflower and blend it to an even, somewhat smooth consistency.  I do this by blending the cauliflower chunks in water and straining out the water.
  2. Put the cauliflower in a cheesecloth and wring out the extra water.  You should have about 2 cups of cauliflower to use.
  3. Place cauliflower and the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Stir together until everything is fully combined.
  4. Heat butter or olive oil in a nonstick skillet.  Shape the cauliflower mixture into small balls and flatten slightly with your hands.  Fry for about 5 minutes on each side, so that both sides are nicely browned.
  5. Serve as an appetizer or side dish with any meal!

Grapefruit Cardamom Pancakes-Grain Free

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The past few months will go down as a memorable time of life for me.  I made the switch to working full-time after being a stay-at-home mom for the past five years.  It’s been a huge transition with a lot of ups and downs.  I’ve dealt with a lot of anxiety I never realized I had when it comes to parenting.  I think I’ve always been an anxious parent but never really had to face it because I had so much control over my kids’ lives.  This transition to them being in the care of someone else during the day really revealed some things about me and my unhealthy desire for control.  I am grateful for this season for many reasons, but, most of all, because I have, at least started, to address this anxiety and need for control.  I’m glad it didn’t take until my kids were teenagers for me to realize what was going on in my mind.  My faith has grown in incredible ways as I’ve learned to give up control, or what I thought were things I controlled.

That’s a really brief summary of a few months filled with a lot of ups and downs.  We’re getting into a good, new rhythm now but I’m definitely behind on posting recipes!  I have my scraps of paper all around the house, as usual, but I keep falling asleep before sitting down to actually write anything! :)

I’ve been playing around with grapefruit a lot lately.  It’s in season, so why not?  I’ve enjoyed adding it to different baked goods with some fun spices.  Cardamom is a great companion to citrus!  If you use kefir in the recipe, some of the probiotics will die in the heating, but the kefir still has a lot of good nutrients.  I’ve been using it rather than yogurt, but a yogurt that isn’t too thick is fine if that’s what you have on hand.  Make the pancakes on the small side, since grain free pancakes tend to be delicate when flipping.  Once they are flipped, though, they hold together perfectly.  Enjoy!

Grapefruit Cardamom Pancakes

Serves 4, 20 min

Ingredients:

juice of 1 grapefruit

1 c plain yogurt or kefir

1/4 c melted coconut oil

2 eggs

1 T honey

1 T chia seeds

1/4 t cardamom

1/8 t nutmeg

1/4 t cinnamon

pinch salt, optional

1/4 c coconut flour

1 3/4 c almond flour

Desired oil for greasing pan

 

Directions:

  1. Squeeze grapefruit juice into medium bowl.  Pull out any seeds that fall in.
  2. Add the yogurt (not greek) or kefir and coconut oil and whisk together.
  3. Add the eggs and whisk together.
  4. Add the honey, chia seeds, and spices and stir well to combine.
  5. Add coconut flour and almond flour and stir until fully combined.
  6. Heat desired oil in nonstick skillet.  Scoop small pancakes into skillet and cook for several minutes on one side before flipping.  Make the pancakes small so they are easier to flip.
  7. Serve with real maple syrup.