Millet and Cauliflower Casserole

The ingredient introduced in this recipe is millet. Millet is a cereal grain with origins in Asia and Africa. Millet has been cultivated for 10,000 years. In India, it is often mixed with other grains to make flat bread. It is an important part of the diet in many parts of Africa.

Millet is gluten-free and rich in B vitamins.

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This Millet and Cauliflower Casserole is vegan, wheat and dairy free. However, this recipe is very adaptable. You may add Parmesan cheese to it to entice kids to eat. You may substitute the millet with other grain like quinoa. This casserole makes a great potluck dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups raw millet
  • 3 3/4 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 large cauliflower, chopped into 1″ pieces
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup tightly packed chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 x 15 oz can Navy beans, rinsed and drained
  • vegetable broth
  • paprika

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Source: this recipe is adapted from The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook

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Caulifllower Popcorn

This will be Michelle’s last kitchen at the South Arm Seniors’ Kitchen as a facilitator as she will be going on her maternity leave. She will return in September.

Seeing here is Michelle briefing the group on the theme of this kitchen. The theme is cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous include veggies such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, bok choy, cress and some other green leaf vegetables like kale.

Here is what Michelle shared with the group:

Cruciferous vegetables are widely considered to be “health foods” because they are loaded with Vitamin C, fiber and multiple nutrients. A review of research in October 1996 showed that 70% of studies found a link between cruciferous vegetables and “protection against cancer” (except from Web MD).

From Web MD:

To maximise taste and nutrition, here are some tips for buying and cooking cruciferous vegetables:

  • Dont overcook cruciferous vegetables. Overcooking can produce a strong sulfur odor and become unappealing.
  • You can buy several types of cruciferous vegetables ready-to-go in the frozen or fresh packaged sections of your supermarket, including broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.
  • No raw veggie platter is complete without dark green broccoli or snowy white cauliflower florets.
  • Ad raw broccoli and cauliflower florets to your green salad to give the nutrients a big boost.
  • Add chopped cruciferous veggies to soups, stews and casseroles.
  • When buying fresh broccoli, look for firm florets with a purple, dark green or blush hue on the top. They’re likely to contain more beta-carotene and Vitamin C than florets with lighter green tops. If it has yellow in it or is limp and bendable, the broccoli is cold — dont buy it.

NOTE: because cruciferous vegetables has poweful phytochemicals, they may have potential drug interactions. For example; hypothyroid can block drug intake. Cooking longer may help and not eating constantly.

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Cauliflower popcorn is Michelle’s family regular snack. It is also great to serve as a side dish on your dinner table. It is delicious served with a tangy yogurt dip (just yogurt with some lemon juice and salt) or, sour cream, or a combo of both.

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, rinsed well
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Source: Mintgreenapron.com

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Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini

Minoo served the Hoisin Baked Cauliflower with Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini. Tahini or sesame paste is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking. Sesame paste is a popular ingredient in some Chinese, Korean and Japanese dishes. East Asian sesame paste is made from unhulled seeds, hence it is bitter than tahini. Tahini which is sesame paste from North Africa and West Asian is made with hulled, lightly roasted seeds is milder in flavour.

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The Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini has a nutty flavour and sourish flavour from the lemon juice.

Cauliflower got its name from Latin caulis (cabbage) and flower. Cauliflower is low in fat but high in dietary flber, folate, water and vitamin C. As part of the cabbage family, cauliflower contains several phytochemicals which protects against cancer, particularly prostate cancer. Boiling cauliflower reduces the levels of phytochemical significantly; for e.g. 20-30% after five minutes of boiling, 40-50% after ten 10 minutes and 75% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods like steaming. microwaving and stir frying had no significant effect on the compounds.

Ingredients

  • 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup of tahini
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley for garnishing

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Source: Minoo

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Indian Cauliflower (Phool Gobi)

Santoosh shared three Indian recipes in the Caring Place Community Kitchen. We were very eager to learn from Santoosh. We love to cook ethnic food. Such demonstrations broaden our knowledge on the multicultural cuisines we find in Vancouver.

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The three recipes were Indian Cauliflower, Dal Mong and Indian Roti. These are her staple food.

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Santoosh is seen here demonstrating how to make Indian Roti. I will not blog about how to make roti because I had blogged about how to make roti here.

Can you guess how old is Santoosh? We were surprised when she told us she will be 80 years soon. Her secret to have such good complexion is to apply milk on her face daily 30 minutes before she takes her bath. She also shared with us that she eats a clove of raw garlic daily and she incorporates lots of garlic and onions in her cooking. She never had a cold for the longest time.

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The above is an Indian Cauliflower dish that Santoosh shared called Phool Gobi. The bright yellow colour comes from turmeric.  Cauli in from Latin which means cabbage. Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and Vitamin C. Cauliflower contains sulforaphane which protect against cancer. It also contains Indole-3-Carbinol, a chemical that enhances DNA repair and acts as an estrogen antogonist which slow the growth of cancer cells.

Turmeric is used as an anti-inflammatory agent and remedy for gastrointestinal discomfort associated with irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders. Some may use turmeric in skin creams as an antiseptic agent for cuts, burns and bruises.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 medium size head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets
  • salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 cup water
  • cinnamon powder for sprinkling

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Source: Santoosh

Serves 4 to 5

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Cauliflower Tomato Soup

This will be the last kitchen for the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors for 2010. It was conducted during the Arctic freeze in late November 2010. South Arm Community Center was doing some renovation near the kitchen and the heater was not on. It was freezing cold in the kitchen despite we had switched on the oven and had some water boiling on the stove. It was so cold that my SLR camera froze up and I had to borrow Stella’s point and shoot camera to take some of the pictures.

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Marian prepared 4 recipes for this kitchen. The first recipe was Cauliflower Tomato Soup. Soup is great for cold weather.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sliced leek (white portion only)
  • 1/4 cup chopped clelery
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 x 10.75oz can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1 cup fresh cauliflowerets
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

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Source: this recipe is adapted from allrecipe.com

Prep time: 15 minutes;  Cook time: 15 minutes;  Serves 2

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Cauliflower Potato Soup

The Community Kitchens resumed activities in September.  The first kitchen to kick start is the Senior Cooking Club at South Arm Community Center.

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Minoo and Marian led the first kitchen. Marian will be in-charged of the Senior Cooking Club for the next 4 weeks as I was told. The recipes for this kitchen were sourced by Marian. The first recipe was Cauliflower Potato Soup.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 4 cups cubed potatoes, about 5 medium potatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cauliflower, cut into flowerets
  • 6 cups of water or chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup cream or soy milk, optional
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste

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P/S: the garlic is not supposed to be in the above photo

Source: unknown via Marian

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

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Crispy Baked Cauliflower

Minoo made a side dish to go the Arabic Lentil Soup.  It is an amazing Crispy Baked Cauliflower.  Accompanying the cauliflower were Kale Chips.

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The Crispy Baked Cauliflower has a hint of spiciness and they are really crispy. A great finger food and healthy snack.

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Here is an article about all the science backed health benefits of cauliflower, written by editor in chief of Well Being Secrets.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cauliflowerets
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened cornflakes, crushed (or bread crumbs)
  • 2 egg whites

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Mashed Cauliflower

>The South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors served Mashed Cauliflower as the side dish for the Turkey Meatloaf instead of the regular mashed potatoes.  Mashed Cauliflower is popular among dieters, who crave for mashed potatoes but with lesser carbohydrates.

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The Mashed Cauliflower is delicious, diet or no. It has the texture of mashed potatoes and the taste of cauliflower. Being Chinese, we seldom have mashed up food except food for baby.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 6 to 7 cups)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons water or broth
  • sea salt to taste

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This recipe is adapted from Whole Foods Market and it serves 4.  Helmut and Lorna made this very simple side dish.

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