BBQ Cauliflower

If you follow various food blogs and magazines on Facebook, I'm sure you've come across pictures of whole 'brain' dishes .. a whole head of cauliflower that's been roasted until tender on the inside and crispy on the top. It makes for a great presentation at a dinner table and tastes great as it is amenable to absorbing flavors from your favorite spices. After years of vacillating, I finally gave it a try today and it turned out lovely. 

Prep Time: 5 min, plus 40-45 min for baking

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. One whole head of Cauliflower (any color).
2. 6 tbsp BBQ Sauce (I used Stubb's)
3. 2 tbsp Hot Sauce (I used Cholula)
4. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim all the leaves from the bottom of a full head of Cauliflower and trim the stem so that the head sits flat. 

Lightly grease the bottom of a cast iron pan with oil (wipe off any excess). Place the cauliflower in the middle and using a kitchen brush (or your hands) cover the surface of the cauliflower with the sauce. 

If you have time, you can also marinade the cauliflower by transferring the head into a gallon ziploc bag, covering with marinade and refrigerating for about half an hour. Instead, I was lazy and just used the brush technique. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and freshly cracked black pepper on top. Place pan in the oven and set the timer to 40 min. At 15 min intervals, remove the pan from the oven and reapply a fresh coat of BBQ/Hot sauce on top. Return to the oven immediately. After all the marinade has been applied, and dried on the surface (~40 min), turn off the oven and turn on the broiler on HI for 2-4 minutes until the top of the cauliflower is crispy and brown. 

Serve over a bed of rice, or greens and slice at the dinner table for maximum presentation! This went over really well in our household!! We served it with Steamed Brown rice, more hot sauce and guacamole to cut some of the heat ... everyone loved it!! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 75 (Fat Calories 0)

Total Fat 0 g; Carbohydrates 15.0 g; Fiber 4.5 g; Sugars 7.5 g; Protein 4.5 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

BBQ Portabello Mushrooms (& Tofu)

You've heard it all before. I started a new job 6 months ago. It's 45 miles away in the city and requires me to commute between an hour to an hour and 15 minutes one-way to get to work. Also, I'm responsible for getting an entire new department up and running in the next 12 months. Suffice to say, it leaves very little time for my favorite pastime - food blogging! As I've mentioned over the last few months, I've resorted to the tried and true recipes I've devised over the last few years. Rice pilafs, beans, breads, pastas ... baked potatoes with toppings! That's the usual fare. But its summer and everyone is grilling. I love the smokey smell of foods off the grill. However, there are only so many Black Bean and Boca burgers one can eat before they start to get really old ... really soon. 

This post goes put to one of my husband's business acquaintances. Ms. Kelly Lazar is an avid follower of my blog and she recently mentioned to my husband that she missed my regular postings. So although I can't promise to be as consistent as I used to be .. I'll try to do more than just post pictures on Facebook. Here's a super-easy recipe - perfect for quick summer meals. 

Prep Time: 10-15 min (or more if you marinate)

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1. 2 Large (3-4") Portabello Mushrooms (~4 oz each)
2. Half of a 14 oz Block of Extra-Firm Tofu*
3. 4-6 tbsp of your favorite BBQ Sauce
4. 1 tbsp Minced garlic
5. Kosher Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Pre-heat grill to between Hot to Medium-Hot. The purpose here is to sear both the tofu and the mushrooms which will prevent sticking. Remove stems from mushrooms and brush with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt. Place each mushroom on its belly and sprinkle Kosher salt, freshly crushed pepper and some minced garlic on the gills. Press tofu between 2 paper towels to remove excess water (use heavy cans to weigh down the top to squeeze out the excess). Slice into 2 thick steaks. When the grill is ready, place both items on the hottest part of the grate (place mushrooms gills-side-up). Sear tofu on one side, turn and place on a different hotter part of the grate to sear that side as well. Grill 8-10 min total until the edges of the tofu begin to get crispy and the mushroom shrinks in thickness and girth (its hard to overcook either of these items). Turn mushroom only once towards the end so that all the salt and garlic juices have a chance to seep into the mushroom as it cooks from the underside. Just before they're ready, brush your favorite BBQ sauce on both sides (I use Stubb's or Rudy's which are both available in grocery stores nationwide). Allow excess sauce to burn off (this adds to the smoky flavor). Serve immediately and watch 'em disappear! 

* If you're trying to maintain a no-soy or a low-fat diet, skip the tofu altogether. Almost all the fat in this dish is from tofu. But so also is most of the protein (see nutrition information below). I love both foods so I have no problem consuming the fat in tofu :) 

Note: Marinating both pressed tofu and mushrooms for 4-6 hours in a gallon ziploc bag will help bring out the flavors. I'd recommend splashing both with a good balsamic vinegar. Place in the fridge and turn occasionally. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving - Mushrooms Only): Calories 61 (Fat Calories 2)

Total Fat 0.2 g; Carbohydrates 13.1 g; Fiber 1.8 g; Sugars 7.1 g; Protein 3.1 g

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving - Mushrooms & Tofu): Calories 176 (Fat Calories 54)

Total Fat 6.0 g; Carbohydrates 21.1 g; Fiber 2.2 g; Sugars 12.6 g; Protein 12.9 g

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Southwestern, Pan-Seared Smothered Tofu

Some days I stand in my pantry for a few minutes searching for something to make for dinner. This, despite the fact that the pantry and freezer are pretty well stocked, except at the end of the week ;) !!! I definitely wasn't expecting this on a Tuesday evening. Anyhow ... it turned out Tony had not eaten his lunch and was going to eat his leftovers for dinner. He's not a big fan of tofu so I decided that this would be my main ingredient. The rest of the recipe just kind of evolved around it, as I gathered up various items from the pantry and refrigerator. 

Southwestern, Pan-Seared Smothered Tofu

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1. 1 x 14oz Pack of Firm or Extra-Firm Tofu (cut into 4-6 strips)
2. 1 x 12 oz Pack of fresh White Mushrooms, stems removed and halved.
3. 1/2 cup frozen yellow corn
4. 1/2 cup cooked Black beans, drained.
5. 2 tsp Taco Seasoning
6. 2-4 tbsp BBQ Sauce (your favorite)
7. 2-4 tbsp Salsa (your favorite)
8. Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:

Heat a medium cast iron skillet to high heat (a drop of water should sizzle as soon as it is added to the skillet). Toss the mushrooms with a sprinkle of table salt and add to the heated skillet and dry roast for a few minutes until the mushrooms begin to darken. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Allow all the water released by the mushrooms to evaporate and the skillet to attain a nice uniform dry heat again. Move the mushrooms to the side and add each of the tofu slices directly onto the dry heated skillet. The tofu will sizzle immediately upon placing on the skillet. Do not move each piece for a couple of minutes. This allows a seared skin to form on the tofu which allows you to turn it without crumbling it. Sear the other side in a similar manner. 

Once each piece of tofu is well seared, add the mushrooms equally across the surface of the skillet, sprinkle taco seasoning over mushrooms and tofu, and then drizzle the salsa and BBQ sauce over the entire surface.  Next cover the tofu with black beans and corn, cover, reduce heat to medium low and allow everything to simmer for 5-7 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Garnish with hot sauce and serve with fresh bread, or toast as I did. Enjoy!! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 458 (Fat Calories 85)
Total Fat 9.5 g; Carbohydrates 58.6 g; Fiber 11.5 g; Sugars 10.2 g; Protein 34.7 g