Appetizers & Sides Archives | Page 2 of 14

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

August 14, 2016 by Nicole 4 Comments

This roasted parmesan cauliflower recipe is simple and delicious. It makes for a great side dish but let’s be real, I end up eating the entire batch with my fingers right out of the oven and then I’m not even hungry for the actual meal.

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1-3 cloves garlic*
5 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare the ingredients: Cut florets off the head of cauliflower and cut large pieces in half. Mince the garlic. Remove the thyme leaves; discard the stems.
Toss the cauliflower, garlic, thyme salt, pepper and oil together on a baking sheet (I just use my hands).
Bake for 30 minutes, tossing about halfway through.
Remove from oven, sprinkle on parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Notes

*I'm of the the belief there's no such thing as too much garlic so I use 3 cloves in this. That being said, I wouldn't necessarily want to make out with someone after eating it if you catch my drift. 😉

https://pumpsandiron.com/2016/08/14/parmesan-roasted-cauliflower/

Hope you all are having a great weekend! Joe’s family arrives in Boston tomorrow so I’m doing my best to clean the apartment. I despise cleaning though it’s looking like 5 minutes of folding clothes followed by an hour of wandering around the block catching Pokemon. Pretty solid productivity ratio if you ask me…

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Gluten-Free, Recipes

Roasted Beet & Watermelon Goat Cheese Crostini

July 17, 2016 by Nicole 5 Comments

I was spending some serious time flipping through Cooking Light magazines for a blog project I did last month and I stumbled across this beet and watermelon goat cheese crostini recipe that is too yummy not to share with you all. Just to clarify–this post isn’t sponsored, I just need you to have these in your life. 🙂

These are great for summer parties. Easy to make, delicious, and a convenient snack you can eat with your hands. I’m going to make a big batch the next time my book club meets. The watermelon is just so, so perfect with the goat cheese and beet flavors.

Original recipe from Cooking Light can be found HERE. My version below is just ever-so-slightly modified to include a natural sweetener instead of sugar and a different preparation of the beet.

Beet & Watermelon Goat Cheese Crostini

Yield: 12-16

Beet & Watermelon Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients

1 beet (I used golden), chopped
2/3 cup watermelon, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
Salt & pepper to taste
3 oz goat cheese
1 French bread baguette, sliced diagonally
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
2 tbsp chives, chopped

Instructions

Cook the beet. You can microwave, but this is how I do it if I'm not pressed for time: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Drizzle the beet with olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Place in the oven for 45 minutes (the time will be longer for large beets, but a small-medium sized one should be good in 45). Let cool for 10 minutes and while still warm, remove the skin. I run the beet under cold water as I rub the skin off with my hands so that the kitchen doesn't end up looking like a crime scene.
Toss together the beet, watermelon, onion, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
Toast the bread and spread goat cheese on each slice. Top with the beet-watermelon mixture. Top that with a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped chives.

https://pumpsandiron.com/2016/07/17/roasted-beet-watermelon-goat-cheese-crostini/

Hope you’re all having a great weekend! I’m going to see Paul McCartney at Fenway tonight–so excited!! Anyone local readers going to be at the show?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Recipes, Snacks

Golden Beet Salad with Avocado and Feta

June 20, 2016 by Nicole 2 Comments

Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PEOPLE®, Real Simple®, InStyle®, CookingLight® and Sunset®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Food pics and dog pics?? You guys are really striking internet gold with today’s blog post. 😉 I recently started walking my friend’s dog a few days a week, and it’s become an hour of “me time” I look forward to each afternoon. Headphones on, away from the computer, getting my daily dose of Vitamin D–I love it! And just look at this little cutie …

I switch up where we go each day, and with the warm weather in full swing, these dog walks are the perfect excuse to get out of the apartment and soak in this beautiful city that I all too often take for granted. If we’re going to be crossing streets and weaving around crowds, I’ll pick out a podcast to listen to, but if I take the little fluff ball to the Public Garden, he spends so much time sniffing around trees that I can actually do some reading while we “walk” (aka stop to sniff and pee on every single bush in Boston).

For today’s post, I stopped by Shaw’s (<– you can get $1 off PEOPLE, InStyle, Real Simple, Cooking Light or Sunset magazine with that link) and picked up a Cooking Light for my trip to the park. Flipping through magazines is so relaxing to me, and food magazines in particular are perfect for blog recipe inspiration.

One of the pages I dogeared on my walk was a beet salad. Inspired by the recipe, I threw together this variation of arugula, golden beets, feta and avocado when I got home. So delicious! For the full recipe, check out the June issues of Cooking Light.

I made this light and refreshing salad for dinner the other night along with some pan-cooked cod and quinoa and it was perfection.

You can visit your local participating Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randall’s, Shaw’s or Acme Market and get $1 off PEOPLE, InStyle, Real Simple, Cooking Light or Sunset magazine using the Just for U or MyMixx links.

What are your favorite magazines with which to unwind?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PEOPLE®, Real Simple®, InStyle®, CookingLight® and Sunset®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes, Salads