Summer!!

I just got some pics from my fabulous photographer- my nephew!  He took a pic at a family cookout of my antipasto platter and it inspired me to blog about it.  I made some major life changes leaving social work and going back into the family business and am hoping this will allow me to really begin to follow all of my passions.  Writing, cooking and sharing with friends.  I hope you enjoy the pics and the recipes!

Ingredients:

Good quality Mozzerella, I only use vegetarian cheese this particular brand is Bel Gioioso

Fresh Basil

Roasted Red peppers drained ( or char grill your own like my mom does! )

Sliced Ripe Heirloom Tomato

Artichoke hearts

Assorted olives ( marinate these with spices, herbs and oil with a splash of lemon juice)

Great Olive Oil (  I personally use Bertolli, a family favorite)

Even better Balsamic-mom has some that is aged 25 years and that is amazingly smooth and rich

Fresh Garlic

Any fresh herbs you may have such as oregano, parsley, chives ............get creative!

Agave nectar or sugar

I make a dressing with a mason jar,  2/3 oil to about 1/3 vinegar, chop herbs ( must have lots of basil in this) and add agave to sweeten.  I usually use fresh or dried garlic, chopped basil ,  sweetener and oil and vinegar as a standard and just add to this depending on what is fresh and on hand.  I like my marinade sweet so a splash of the agave does the trick.  I make sure to marinate mushrooms, peppers, artichokes for several hours prior to laying it all out.  I will need to actually measure to see if I can get a more exact recipe!  Bon Appetit!!!

It has been awhile!

I was asked for the recipe for these by my sister in law and wrote her.  It is not in a great cook book format but more conversational.  I went ahead and listed ingredients for this blog to make it easier.  Just read through the recipe before you start and it should be pretty easy to figure out. This can be made vegan by omitting cheese and egg and using ground flax instead.    Let me know what you think when you try them! Oh and I realized that it has been a LONG time so no more letting work keep me from my passion.  I plan on blogging weekly from now on. 

Cauliflower patties: 

Ingredients

1-2 whole cauliflower or 2 bags of frozen cauliflower

1 cup of breading ( more explanation below)

seasonings

2 eggs or ( 1 tbsp ground  flaxseed added to 5 tbsp hot water) instead of the egg.

parmesan cheese ( optional)

sour cream or veganaise

olive oil and a frying pan

These are really all about what you have on hand. I have used frozen cauliflower or fresh. You roast either in the oven with garlic until nice and soft and browned. Then you take it out and mash it. To this you add either matzo meal or italian bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs or crushed crackers it all depends on what you have in the house. I used italian breadcrumbs for the ones you tasted. Now if you have seasoned breadcrumbs you will add less garlic, mortons seasoning and turmeric but still add some of each. If you use unseasoned mixture be sure to add all sorts of spices to it, your choice but some good ones are parsley, garlic, oregano, chives, salt, pepper, mortons seasoning can sub for most of that too. use an egg to bind it together ( may need a couple depends on how much cauliflower you are making) I also like to add parmesan cheese to mine but if making pareve( non dairy) then you can omit. If dairy add the parmesan b/c you will then make a sour cream sauce for it. After mashing cauliflower and adding breading and egg and spices it should be firm and you can make patties and fry in hot olive oil. brown on both sides. For a yummy sauce I take sour cream and add chives and garlic and some salt and pepper and can thin with a drop of milk. For a great pareve sauce you can use veganaisse ( find in health or green grocery or whole foods) and add chives and garlic and salt and pepper and thin with drop of water or soy or almond miik. :D Let me know how these turn out for you!!!!