C2 TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013 POST-BULLETIN • www.PostBulletin.com Mealtime Try cauliflower crust on homemade pizza cart smarts • KAITLIN ANDERSON [email protected] The first time I heard about it was from a dietitian friend who said she was serving it to her dinner guests. I just thought she was being a “typical dietitian,” trying to include as many vegetables as possible. But then another dietitian friend shared a recipe for it. Wait — is this a popular thing? Turns out it’s all over the internet: cauliflower pizza. I had to try it. So I took a chance, and put it on our weekly menu last week. Instead of flour, the pizza crust is made from cauliflower. I have tried the mashed potato trick at home with a lot of success, so I was fairly confident that cauliflower could be hidden in pizza crust, too. But trust me, I was still pretty hesitant. Still, I pulled out the food processor and started cooking. First, I finely shredded the cauliflower in the food processor. Then I microwaved it for eight minutes to cook it. Then, I missed a valuable step — I never absorbed the excess water from the cooked cauliflower. Instead, I went to mixing. I added eggs, whole-wheat bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to the cooked cauliflower. I spread the mixture out on two cookie sheets and baked the crust for a half-hour. Then we topped with marinara sauce, part-skim mozzarella cheese and our toppings of choice. I chose pineapple for me and Owen, and my husband chose turkey pepperoni, red peppers, onions and spinach. While the pizzas cooked, I sliced up a fresh mango because our son was getting impatient for dinner. We finally tasted the pizzas at 7:45 p.m. We agreed the flavor was great — we especially loved the Italian seasoning in the crust. The texture, however, was pretty different from regular pizza. The best part was the edge of the pizza, where it was nice and crispy, but the center was somewhat soggy because I made the mistake of not absorbing all the excess water. It was an eat-with-a-fork kind Cauliflower Pizza Crust • 1 head of cauliflower, washed and leaves removed • 1 cup parmesan cheese • 2 eggs • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely shred the cauliflower in a food processor. Place shredded cauliflower in a glass bowl and microwave (uncovered) for 8 minutes. In the meantime, blend cheese, eggs and Italian seasoning in the food processor. Place the cooked cauliflower in a clean, thin dish towel. Wrap it up in the middle and twist closed, squeezing out all the moisture. Return dry cauliflower to a bowl and add cheese/egg/ seasoning mixture. Stir until ingredients are evenly combined. Divide the mixture in half. Place the cauliflower “dough” onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or baking sheets coated with cooking spray) and spread the mixture with your hands until it is about 3/4-inch thick. (This recipe will make 2 pizza crusts.) Bake the crusts for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm enough to hold its shape. Remove crust from oven and top with your choice of toppings. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Patrick Farrell / Miami Herald / MCT Wine poached salmon served with vegetable medley makes for a quick meal. Wine-spiked bath yields moist, flavorful salmon By Linda Gassenheimer Associated Press • Cherry tomatoes can be used instead of grape tomatoes. Countdown: Try a new sauce for your mini meatloaf Poaching salmon in white wine produces a moist, flavorful result. Broccoli and carrots, poached with the salmon, add to the flavor and the resulting sauce. Sauteed grape tomatoes complete the dish. All that’s needed is a quickcooking rice to finish the fast and easy dinner. I use brown rice that can be microwaved in 1 to 1½;-minutes, depending on the brand. You will need 3/4; cup for each serving; save the rest for another use. This meal contains 633 calories per serving with 35 percent of calories from fat. By Susan M. Selasky Associated Press Helpful hints: Meatloaf is the king of comfort food. It’s also one of those dishes that yield sought-after leftovers. When I mention meatloaf to a friend, she relishes the thought of a leftover meatloaf sandwich. Today’s recipe came about, in part, because I found mini ceramic loaf pans at a local HomeGoods store. They are the perfect size for making individual, but generous meatloaves. They also are ideal if you’re trying to pay attention to portion control. And, I had ground sirloin and hot Italian sausage tucked away in the freezer and wanted to re-create a meatloaf I sampled some time ago at the Kona Grill in Troy, Mich. I remembered that the recipe had a mix of beef and Italian sausage — a good combination for producing a juicy, tender meatloaf. After searching the Internet, I came up with today’s recipe: Mini Meatloaves with Shoyu Cream Sauce. The meatloaf recipe is fairly basic; what sets it apart is the Shoyu Cream Sauce. It’s a simple mixture of heavy whipping cream and soy sauce, brought to a boil and thickened with slurry — a mixture of cornstarch and water. You can substitute regular or reduced-fat whipping cream or fat-free half-and-half. Shoyu is Japanese sweet soy sauce. At many grocery stores you will find several varieties of soy sauce. Not all soy sauces have the same flavor profile. Some are sweeter; some are darker, and some are slightly thicker. It is a salty condiment, and some brands can be saltier than others. For this recipe, I used Kikkoman reducedsodium soy sauce. One technique I learned some time ago when making meatloaf is to saute any vegetables first, so they get nicely caramelized and take on a sweet flavor. If you put the vegetables in raw, they will steam. Also, let the meatloaf rest before slicing. If you slice it right away, it may crumble and likely will be dry. If you use a hot Italian sausage, the cream sauce will help cool off your taste buds. Having the right equipment, such as these loaf pans, helps but isn’t necessary for this recipe. You can shape the meat into individual loaves and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet with sides. This recipe makes enough for four generous meatloaves and is hearty enough that you will probably have leftovers. Any leftover meatloaf also can be frozen. If you’re not into cream sauces with meatloaf, an optional glaze is 1/2; cup ketchup, 1/2; cup chili sauce and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Mix and spoon it on before baking. If you use a hot Italian sausage, the cream sauce will help cool off your taste buds. of pizza. After reviewing several cauliflower crust recipes, I have learned the trick to the perfect crust is absorbing that excess water. Next time, I won’t miss this valuable step. Overall, it was a fun experience to try something new for dinner. Next time you walk past cauliflower in the produce section, consider turning it into pizza crust. Kaitlin Anderson is a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee North in Rochester. This information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice. • Use the same pan to cook the salmon, vegetable medley and tomatoes. • Start salmon dish. • While salmon cooks, prepare rice. Shopping List: To buy: 1 bottle dry white wine, 1 container ground allspice, 1 container ground thyme, 1 bunch broccoli florets, 1 package sliced carrots, 3/4; pound salmon fillet, 1 package grape tomatoes, 1 package microwave brown rice. Staples: Canola oil, salt, black peppercorns. Linda Gassenheimer is the author, most recently, of “Fast and FlavorfulGreat Diabetes Meals from Market to Table.” Her website is dinnerinminutes.com. Follow her on Twitter @ lgassenheimer. White wine poached salmon with vegetable medley • 1/2 cup dry white wine • 1 teaspoon ground allspice • 1 teaspoon ground thyme • 1 cup broccoli florets • 1 cup sliced carrots • 3/4 pound salmon fillet • 3 teaspoons canola oil, divided use • Salt and freshly ground pepper • 1 cup grape tomatoes Combine 2 cups water, white wine, allspice, thyme, broccoli and carrots in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup water and salmon. Simmer gently, 5 minutes. Remove vegetables and salmon with a slotted spoon. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon canola oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over salmon and vegetables. Add 2 remaining teaspoons canola oil to the same pan along with grape tomatoes. Sauté 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange around salmon and vegetables. Makes 2 servings. Per serving: 413 calories (38 percent from fat), 17.5 g fat (2.7 g saturated, 8.0 g monounsaturated), 78 mg cholesterol, 39.5 g protein, 14.5 g carbohydrates, 4.3 g fiber, 140 mg sodium. Mini meatloaf with shoyu cream sauce. Jessica J. Trevino / Detroit Free Press / MCT Mini meatloaves with shoyu cream sauce Makes: 4 / Preparation time: 15 minutes Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes For this recipe we used 4-by-2-by-1 1/4;-inch deep mini meatloaf pans. But you can make this meatloaf in any size loaf pan. Increase the baking time for larger meatloaves. A standard-size meatloaf will take about 1 hour to cook thoroughly. • 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1/2 cup chopped onions • 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (any color) • 1/2 pound ground sirloin • 1/2 pound sweet, mild or hot Italian sausage • 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs • 1 large egg • 2 tablespoons no-salt -added tomato paste • 1 teaspoon favorite all-purpose seasoning • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Shoyu cream • 1 cup heavy whipping cream or low-fat or fat-free half-and-half • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 4 mini meatloaf pans or individual ramekins with a little olive oil. In a skillet, heat the oil with the butter. Add the garlic and saute 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the onions and peppers and saute 5 minutes or until onions are just beginning to brown. Remove from heat. In a mixing bowl place the sirloin, sausage, bread crumbs, egg, tomato paste, all-purpose seasoning, black pepper and onion-and-pepper mixture and mix well. Pack mixture into mini meatloaf pans or ramekins, making sure it’s pressed evenly in the pan. Bake about 30 minutes or until the top is browned and crusty and the internal temperature in the center of the meatloaf is 155 degrees. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. While resting, the internal temperature will rise to at least 160 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan combine the cream with the soy sauce and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. 514 calories (55 percent from fat), 31 grams fat (14 grams saturated fat), 27 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams protein, 1,351 milligrams sodium, 167 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber. Author surveys Kentucky barbecue By Sharon Thompson Associated Press LEXINGTON, Ky. — Wes Berry’s goal was to eat at every barbecue place in Kentucky and write a travel guide. After hitting the road, he realized that describing smoked meats and sauces dozens of times began to sound like a broken record. So he changed the focus of the book and wrote the stories of the people who smoke the meats and concoct the sauces. Berry, an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, wrote “The Kentucky Barbecue Book” (The University Press of Kentucky, $27.95) “to rectify a wrong.” It’s being released Friday. Berry sampled barbecue at 167 joints and festivals (111 are in the book), and his taste buds were never happier. Who’s the best? “People ask me time and again, ‘Who’s the best?’ I could probably give you a Top 20 list, but then I’d agonize over number 21, which nearly made the cut,” he said. When Berry started to write the book, he considered a rating system similar to the one used by the authors of Real Barbecue, a scale of “good,” “real good” and “as good as I’ve ever had.” When people ask Berry to name the best, he usually says something like, “It depends on what kind of meat you want,” because few places do everything at an excellent level. Natural preference Berry had eaten plenty of barbecue before he began this quest and thought he knew what he liked. He was a fan of thin-sliced pork shoulder grilled on an open pit over hickory coals and basted with a vinegar-pepper dip. “Even though I cut my barbecue teeth on thin-sliced, vinegary pork shoulder grilled over hickory coals, my palate has always been open to trying new foods, and therefore I’ve been delighted by barbecue styles from far southwest Texas to Kansas City to middle Georgia,” he said. Mutton better And he’s a fan of mutton. “Smoky, tender mutton marries well with the tangy black dip sauces you’ll find at the four Owensboro barbecue places and at Western Kentucky Catholic church picnics,” he said. Videos of Berry’s travels are at Wbko.com/golocal.
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