How To: Cauliflower Rice

I'd heard a lot of great things about Cauliflower Rice,

but hadn't given it a try until this summer.

It intrigued me, but something was holding me back.

In an attempt to eat even healthier than I already do,

I decided to whip up a batch one night.

A quick Google search led me to these instructions.

Turns out, Cauliflower Rice is really easy to make!

After making it a few times for myself, 

I decided to show you all how to make some for yourself.

The Goods:

Cauliflower

Food Processor

Remove the leaves and stem from your cauliflower

and then cut into quarters with a sharp knife.

Remove as much of the core as possible, reserving all the florets.

Put the cauliflower florets into the food processor

and simply pulse until you have a rice-like texture.

My food processor isn't huge, so I have to do it in two batches.

Once you have your cauliflower rice made,

simply saute and season it like you would regular rice.

Five Favorite Vegetables

This was supposed to be posted yesterday,
but somehow my day just got away from me.
WHOOPS

Anyway...

I'm back today for another Friday Link Up (but a day late)!

This week, I'm linking up with THREE different groups.
Make sure to check them all out at the bottom of this post!

I'm a really big fan of eating vegetables.

I'm not picky and like pretty much all vegetables,

and since this is mostly a food blog I thought today I'd share my 

FIVE FAVORITE VEGETABLE TO EAT!!!

These are in no particular order because I honestly love eating them all,

but my favorite changes depending on the time of year

Lucky for me though because living in California,

means I can get them all pretty much year round!

Enough yapping outta me, let's get to the vegetables!

Asparagus

My favorite way to eat asparagus is to roast it.

I drizzle a little olive oil and then sprinkle salt and pepper on top

before roasting at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Broccoli

I can't decide if I like roasted or steamed broccoli more.

I prepare my roasted broccoli the same way I do the asparagus,

but I sometimes add a little fresh Parmesan at the very end. 

Brussels Sprouts

I didn't know how much I loved brussels sprouts until I was an adult.

And since I discovered how much I love eating them,

I haven't found a single way of preparing them that I don't like!

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is the most recent vegetable I've realized I love to eat.

Again, I think the method of preparing it I like the most is to roast it.

Adding a lemon juice and zest gives it a little extra flavor too!

Corn on the Cob

Fresh, sweet corn on the cob roasted or grilled in the husk is AMAZING!

I've been known to make extra to have as leftover too.

Can't wait for Summer to get here because that means fresh corn!

Now for more Friday Link Up Fun, check out the blogs below!

Andrea and Erika's blogs from Friday Favorites.

April and Christina's blogs from 5 on Friday.

Karli and Amy's blogs from oh hey friday!

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bites

After making Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites,

and then following those up with Quinoa Pizza Bites,

I decided that I really liked the ease of eating these,

so I set out to make a brand new version of my own!

I'm a big fan of the flavor of roasted cauliflower,

so I knew right away I'd be using that.

And after tossing a few ideas around with a co-worker,

I knew I wanted to include lemon and parmesan as well.

Let me show you how easy it is to make these tasty

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bites!!!

The Goods:

Quinoa

Roasted Cauliflower

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Eggs

Lemons

Parmesan Cheese

Salt

Pepper

Parsley Flakes

Cook quinoa according to your package directions.

In a large bowl, combine your cooked quinoa, roasted cauliflower, 

diced onion, minced garlic, both eggs, most of your parmesan cheese, salt, 

pepper and parsley to your liking, lemon juice and zest and mix to combine.

Stuff filling into greased mini muffin pans

and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes,

until tops are nice and crisp.

Cool in muffin pans for about 5 minutes,

then remove and finish cooling on wire rack.

Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Bites

3/4 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

1 1/2 Cups Water

2 Cup Roasted Cauliflower

1/2 Cup Diced Yellow Onion

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

2 Eggs

Salt, Pepper and Parsley To Taste

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Juice and Zest from 1/2 a Lemon

1. Cook your quinoa according to package directions.
2. Roast your cauliflower (I did mine with juice and zest from 1 lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil.)
3. In large bowl combine everything (reserve 1/4 of the cheese for topping) and mix well.
4. Stuff filling into greased mini muffin pans and top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until tops are nice and crisp.
6. Cool in muffin pans for about 5 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on wire rack.

Thanksgiving with Girlfriends 2013

I usually spend Turkey Day at a family member or close friend's home, but last year I hosted my very first Thanksgiving! I did almost all of the cooking myself and was exhausted by the end of the day, but I wouldn't have changed a thing! I had so much fun hosting that I looked forward to doing it again before the day was even over! 

I'll be honest - when people started talking about their Thanksgiving plans this year, I was a little sad that I wasn't going to be hosting again!  That is, until I decided I was going to host a very small Pre-Thanksgiving get together with a few of my close girlfriends.

After very little thought, I decided I'd make a few things, but have everyone else pitch in so it wasn't as much pressure on me. This year, I was in charge of the turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. My girlfriends were responsible for everything else. Take a look below at my fun Thanksgiving with Girlfriends!

A little decor.

The table all set for dinner.

Carving the turkey. 

The FOOOOOOOOOD!

The whole spread and a plate of deliciousness!

Everything came together so well and all the food tasted AMAZING! While I do like sweet potatoes, I've never been a huge fan of  the mashed sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows on top. After this weekend though, I think I've officially been converted to liking them and couldn't get enough!