Goat cheese "risotto"

• 6 cups of cauliflower, riced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
• 1-2 cups of chicken stock
• 4 ounces goat cheese 

In a large saute pan, add the oil, garlic and onions and saute over medium heat until tender (about 5 minutes).  Add the cauliflower rice and let get a little brown (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the chicken stock (I used 1.5 cups, so start with 1 cup and add as needed) and increase the heat a bit until you get a low boil, then bring down to low.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the goat cheese in and stir.  Resume cooking another 10-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Salt and pepper to taste.

*Note-the goat cheese is a subtle flavor here, but it was perfect for me.  If you want more of the tangy flavor, add another ounce or two!

Savory cauliflower rice

Oh cauliflower.  You aren't the first thing that comes to mind when people think of rice, unless you are a primal eater, then, it's the first thing you think of as a substitution!  And it's so versatile, you can do it up so many different ways, and today I found another variation, savory cauliflower rice.  This dish is great as a side, or to serve alongside the pork carnitas that I made, or if you want to do a chicken/broccoli/"rice" casserole.  Really, it's endless.

• 1/2 head cauliflower, shredded into "rice"
• 2T butter
• 1T olive oil or coconut oil (or both like I did)
• 1/4 sliced red onion
• 1t minced garlic
• 4T coconut milk
• Parsley (fresh or dried, your preference)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sliced green onion

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter and saute the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes.  Add the cauliflower and stir for another minute or two.  Add the coconut oil and olive oil, coconut milk, parsley, salt, pepper and green onion.  Let simmer for a couple of minutes until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.  Adjust seasonings as necessary.

A Two-fer! Steak and cauliflower

I must give credit where credit is due, and because I'm too lazy to copy/paste/type out recipes, links you shall receive!

First, when I switched to the primal lifestyle, I was worried "what will happen to all of the food magazines I subscribe to and all of my cookbooks?!" but the more I transition it into my daily life, I realize that, for the most part, it's very simple!  Granted, the recipe for pretzels I pulled out just because they looked so good fall NOWHERE in my new way of eating, but rules were meant to be broken, right?  ;)  Besides, if I make (and subsequently) eat homemade pretzels even once a year, eh, it's not going to kill me.  And flipping through months of unread magazines the past few days has given me some new ideas, two of which I used to cook a fantastic, and primal-approved, meal.

First up, Rachael Ray's pinwheel steaks.  I followed the recipe except instead of using jarred peppers (because I'm not going to spend money on a jar of peppers when I only need 1 pepper and I don't like roasted peppers, so I made my own (super simple, btw, just slice a pepper in half and place the cut side down on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil and place under the broiler for about 15 minutes or until the outside is charred, then place the peppers in a bowl and wrap with plastic wrap and let it steam until the skins easily peel off), and I added goat cheese.  Why, you ask?  Umm, because it's goat cheese, duh!!  The steak was fantastic, and while I don't really like arugula, the pesto came out nice except it was super thick, despite adding more EVOO, but still good.  Will definitely make this again.

Next up is roasted cauliflower with dates and pine nuts.  Yes, I'm that strange girl who doesn't have ketchup in her fridge (eww, HFCS!) but has dates and pine nuts.  Originally I was going to use the cauliflower to make cauliflower pizza again, but saw this recipe and was intrigued.  I could have cut the cauliflower a bit smaller, and maybe brushed it with some EVOO before roasting for extra flavor, but it was good, and while the pine nuts got a little bit more toasty then I would have liked, thankfully they didn't burn (those things are expensive!!) and the dates?  Gave it a wonderful flavor. 

Very happy with both of these dishes and will definitely make again!