Yummy Rice Alternative

Steamed Cauliflower

This is such a great alternative to rice or even pasta.  Here's what you need:

1 head of cauliflower

1 teaspoon of olive oil

1/2 cup of water

1 large sauce pan with lid (for this dish, I used a a Le Creuset Round French Oven)

salt and pepper

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces, wash and drain thoroughly.  Turn the stove on to medium-high.  Once the pan in hot, add the olive oil and cauliflower.  Toss the cauliflower and cook for about 8 minutes.  Once some of the edges start to brown, add the water and cover the pan.  Cook, covered, for 15 minutes (caution, each stove is different and different pans hold heat differently).  This dish is done once all of the water has evaporated and the cauliflower crumbles when you toss it.  If all the water has evaporated and the cauliflower is not tender, add another 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook for 10 more minutes.  Add salt and pepper and serve.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Mr. Clementine loves pancakes so I came up with a recipe for something with fiber and antioxidants.

3/4 cups skim milk*

2 tablespoons white vinegar

(In a large bowl combine these two ingredients and allow to sit for 5 minutes, this gives the pancakes a bit of a buttermilk flavor without all the fat of regular buttermilk)

1 ripe mashed banana

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (for some sweetness and antioxidants)

1 tablespoon chia seeds (this is optional, but so nutritious)

Add all of the of the ingredients to the large bowl containing the milk and vinegar solution.  Mix the batter with a fork only until the batter is uniform in consistency.  Do not over mix this.  

Bring a large skillet or pan to medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking oil.  Pour some batter (you can decide how small or large you want to make your pancakes- I used 1/4 cup of batter to make one pancake) onto the pan and flip once bubbles form on the surface.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes (depending on your stove) and serve.

Because this batter already has a banana and dark chocolate chips in the batter, you do not need to use any syrup.

Enjoy!

*to make this recipe vegan friendly, use almond milk instead of skim milk