#NetflixandCheese

breadsticks
Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks

I’ve been waiting for November 25th for months now.  It is the culmination of three big events for me in 2016: my mother’s birthday, Black Friday, and most importantly…. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Netflix release. What always amazed me about Lorelai and Rory Gilmore is that they eat so much, but stay so slim! Their mass consumption of pad Thai, Chinese  and cheeseburgers coupled with a ‘Supersize Me’ trough of coffee always makes me jealous of their on-screen genetics.  So since I plan on binging all four episodes on Friday, I will need plenty of snacking material.  Enter the cheesy cauliflower breadsticks.  These things are so yummy; I always make enough to fulfill my intentions of leftovers and then always find that there aren’t any left!

Cauliflower breadsticks are a great snack because they taste really good but don’t leave you with the residual guilt of actual cheesy bread.  I’ve found that this recipe, made in larger quantities, is also great for gluten free pizza crust.

dough
Make dough 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick for crispiness

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of riced cauliflower (about 1 large head of cauliflower)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups of mozzarella cheese (I sometime use a mix, or an orange and white cheddar blend for the contrast)
  • 3 tsp oregano
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese (for topping)
  • 1 piece of cheesecloth
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Prepare a pizza dish or a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Make sure your cauliflower is roughly chopped in florets. Add the florets to a food processor and pulse until the consistency resembles rice.
  3. Place the cauliflower in a microwavable container and cover with lid. Microwave for 10 minutes.  Then place cauliflower in the cheesecloth; close up the cloth and squeeze until you’ve gotten as much water out as possible.  I’ve found that the more water you drain, the more ‘crust like’ the cauliflower becomes.
  4. After draining, place the  cauliflower in a large bowl.  Add the eggs, mozzarella,oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and mix until blended.
  5. Spoon the mixture onto  prepared baking sheet and shape into either a pizza crust, or a rectangular shape for the breadsticks.
  6. Bake the crust (no topping yet) for about 25 minutes or until nice and golden. Once golden, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
  7. Slice and serve.

What do you plan to snack on this holiday season?

 

 

 

Choco-Peanutbutter Vegan Smoothie

Tuesday’s tend to be my least favorite day of the week. I’m still trying to rid myself of vacation mode and all of the things that come with that mindset: poor eating, lack of a regimented fitness routine, not enough sleep, french fries. I would give myself a break except vacation ended three weeks ago and so what was once a “healthy break from routine” is now just laziness.

What I really need this morning is a smoothie and a swift kick in the asana!

I’m making a vegan version of my go-to order from a local Juice shop (The Juicery in Portsmouth, NH) to support my move towards a “Vegan-ish” lifestyle.

Chocolate Peanutbutter Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten Free)

  • 1 cup almond milk (I wish I was ‘hardcore’ enough to make my own, but we can’t all be superstars)
  • 4 tablespoons organic vanilla protein powder (your favorite vegan brand, I’m using Kashi)
  • 2 tablespoons organic raw cacao powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons organic peanut butter

Blend all ingredients and garnish with a decorative straw. Makes one serving.

choco peanutbutter smoothie

Balance in Everything

Today was a long day at work.  Heck, this week has been longer than I’d ideally like my week to feel. I’m sitting here paying  bills and trying to organize some things is my life and while doing so, I’m contemplating this idea: that life is all about balance.  

There is always good and bad things happening but the only way to achieve equilibrium is to focus on the right ones at the right times.  Sometimes we have to focus on bad things because, well because that’s how we grow.  But we also have to focus on the good.  Sometimes this is easy: when they are blatant and right in front of you.  And other times they are harder to see, they require conscious, active thought.  But nevertheless, those good things are no less important.  The beauty is in finding an appreciation for all of it.  My initial reaction tonight was I need a glass of wine or a social distraction from friends so I don’t think about all of the things that made me uncomfortable about today.  An opportunity to “veg out” and immerse myself in someone else’s problems. But that only represses us.  I found myself stuck with two hours of open time before meeting a friend for dinner, a daunting amount of thoughts, and no open bottles of wine and you know what? I’m glad I’m sitting here forcing myself to feel uncomfortable because I’m slowly becoming more and more comfortable in the void, reducing it’s presence.  Little by little, we center, ground, and move forward because ultimately….eventually….forward is the only way to go.

I hope you too have a beautiful evening in whatever energy you choose to create for yourself, in your world, amongst the beauty in all of us.