Bang Bang Cauliflower

I wanted to try something fun and adventurous in the kitchen...that also didn't take a ton of time or effort. During the week, I have my limits! ;)

The kiddos love fried rice and when trying to find something yummy to pair with it, I came across this recipe for Bang Bang Cauliflower...it was a hit...Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 a head of cauliflower
2 cups of panko bread crumbs
2 large eggs (whisked)
2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons of Sriracha sauce
1/4 cup of mayo
1 tablespoon of honey

Directions

First, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees while you cut your cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Separate your egg, breadcrumbs, and cauliflower into three separate bowls to create your assembly line of fun!

Dip your cauliflower in the egg and then roll in the bread crumbs, coating each piece before you place it on a baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes or until each piece is lightly golden and crispy!

While they are baking, mix up your Bang Bang sauce! Dump the remaining ingredients (sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, mayo, and honey) into a bowl and mix until smooth.

To plate, simply drizzle your sauce over the cauliflower and enjoy!

This dish was delicious! The cauliflower was crunchy and the sauce was the perfect mix of spicy and sweet!

Did the kids enjoy it? Oh..no...wouldn't even try it. BUT, the adults loved it! ;)

Spaghetti Nests and Zucchini Balls

My kids love spaghetti. Like, Lily loses her mind when I tell her we are having spaghetti for dinner. Anytime I see an opportunity to get creative with a meal that I already know they will like, I jump on it! So, when I saw Zucchini Balls on a blog that I follow and Spaghetti Nests on Tasty...I immediately took notice and added it to the plan! These dishes aren't hard but they do require a bit more preparation than most weekly dinners, so we did this during holiday to ensure it was done properly! This will be a future fun weekend dish! Just keep that in mind if you want to add this to your rotation! Enjoy!

Zucchini Balls Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium zucchinis
1 cup Italian-Seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of dried basil
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 jar of quick marinara sauce
Salt and Pepper
Cooking Spray

Spaghetti Nests Ingredients

Cooked Spaghetti Noodles
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/4 quick marinara sauce

Directions

First, start on your zucchini balls by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and grating your zucchinis (skin on). Go ahead and spraying a baking sheet with your cooking spray.

Next, heat your olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and toss in your garlic. Saute until golden (about 30 seconds) and then toss in your zucchini with a dash of salt and pepper. You want to cook out as much of the water in the zucchini as possible for about 5-7 minutes. Then toss in a colander and attempt to squeeze out more.

Once you have squeezed and pressed, toss your zucchini into a large bowl with the breadcrumbs, cheese, egg, and basil. 

Mix well!

Now, it's time to get your hands dirty! Mold the mixture into little one inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Spray the top with the cooking spray once more and then toss in the oven to bake until firm and brown, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Heat your sauce in a deep skillet and place your cooked balls in the sauce to simmer until ready to serve!

Now, let's move over to your Spaghetti Nests! First, whipped your egg in a large bowl.

Next, toss in your cooked spaghetti, cheese, and some of the sauce from your zucchini balls. Mix well! I cooked an entire package of spaghetti noodles and only tossed in half. 

Spray a  large muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each section with your spaghetti mixture.

Take a rounded spoon (I used a tablespoon) and press the center of each to create a little indention.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Once cooled, they are easy to remove for plating!

Place one of your zucchini balls into each spaghetti nest and then sprinkle extra sauce and a little cheese over each.

So pretty on the plate! Am I right!?!?!?! Served with a little salad, it's a gorgeous plate!

And seriously tasty!

Chris and I tore these up! And the kids...well, the kids LOVED it! They were a big hit! And, they tasted great the next day for lunch! Look at Lily's sweet little spaghetti filled grin! Harrison was too busy eating to smile! ;)

Vegetarian Taco Stuffed Peppers

I recently started following "Tasty" on Facebook. For some reason, the videos both intrigue and relax me. Weird, I know...but I love them. I saw a recipe the other day that I knew would be a hit in my home. The Henrys love tacos...in fact, we have a weekly taco night. So, I was fairly confident that Taco Stuffed Peppers would kill. So I took notes and made some vegetarian tweaks. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 bell peppers *you'll definitely have enough filling for more if necessary

1 package of tofu (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of rice (cooked)

1 cup of Mexican shredded cheese (plus more for garnish)

Taco Seasoning

Olive Oil

Guacamole (for garnish)

Sour Cream (for garnish)

Directions

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you remove the tops and insides of your bell peppers. Rinse the peppers, place in a baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes.

While those bake, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium heat for your tofu. I like to squish mine a little while is cooks so it isn't so perfectly cubed.

Toss in your taco seasoning and let cook for a few more minutes. My kiddos don't like things too spicy, so I didn't use a ton of taco seasoning. Be your own judge!

Move your tofu to the perimeter of your pan and toss in your onion and garlic. 

Once your onions begin to look translucent and nicely sauted, toss in your black beans.

Let your beans get thoroughly heated and then toss in your rice.

After a few more minutes, toss in your diced tomatoes.

Lastly, toss in one cup of your shredded cheese.

Once your cheese has fully melted, remove from heat and remove your bell peppers from the oven. Stuff your peppers with the deliciously smelling mixture and top with more cheese!

Bake for another 15 minutes. Remove and let cool before plating it up!

I topped with a spoonful each of guacamole and sour cream...then sprinkled on even more cheese!

This dish was delicious and will be added to our list of regulars! Chris and I both tore it up....while Harrison and Lily picked at it. Lily said she liked it "a little" and basically ate the black beans and cheese! I tried to get a picture of her trying it but they were all blurry and she had her eyes closed in all of them! ;)

*The original recipe called for a pound of ground beef and a can of corn. I bet the corn was delicious...we just didn't have any in our pantry!

Vegetarian Taco Soup

To continue our new fun Fall tradition, we served up another tasty soup this evening. The weather was just amazing today so I felt that we could actually get away with eating a hearty soup for dinner. ;) We also had a meat-lover {Pops} join us for dinner, so I knew it needed to be something hefty so he didn't miss the meat. Plus, it didn't need to be anything crazy experimental to scare him off. He swears he'll try anything once...but even the most reasonable have limits. Basically, all signs were pointing to the always yummy and super easy Taco Soup! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion {chopped}

2 cloves of garlic {minced}

1 bell pepper {chopped}

2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies {10 ounce}

1 box of vegetable broth {32 ounce}

1 can of tomato sauce {8 ounce}

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of oregano 

2 tablespoons of ranch dressing mix

1 can of corn {14.5 ounce, drained}

1 can of black beans {14.5 ounce, drained and rinsed}

1 can of pinto beans {14.5 ounce, drained and rinsed}

Shredded Mexican cheese

Sour Cream

Green Onions {chopped}

Directions

First, heat a little olive oil in your pot and then toss in your onion to cook just a touch. Then, add in your garlic and bell pepper. Let this party simmer until the onions are translucent. 

Pour in your tomatoes with green chilies, vegetable broth, and tomato sauce and let simmer a few minutes.

Throw in your seasonings {chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, ranch dressing, with a touch of salt and pepper}. Please pay attention to which side of the seasoning you have open so you don't actually pour in a few tablespoons of oregano...like I did. ;) Cover the pot and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring  occasionally.

Oh, after 30 minutes...your house will smell amazing. I just LOVE the way this soup smells! Add your corn, black beans, and pinto beans. Stir and cook until heated through.

Serve warm with your desired toppings. I paired the soup with Mexican cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, and green onions. But you could go crazy with it...avocados, red onions...go wild!

Now...the true test awaited. Would Lily and Harrison eat it???? Eh.

It had a little kick to it that I don't think they appreciated. But...they picked out the beans, cheese, and chips! Better than nothing! ;)