EASY KETO CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI RECIPE

Since getting back on the Keto diet (click here to read about my Keto diet experience) I have been experimenting with new recipes to help me stay on track. One recipe that I developed using a combination of recipes I found online and experimenting with a few times, was Keto cauliflower gnocchi recipe that you can make using an air fryer or some oil in a pan if you don’t have an air fryer. Turned out that my entire family approved and actually preferred it over the regular Gnocchi I whipped up for the taste test. PLUS, it’s super easy to make! A double win! If you are looking for a healthy pasta alternative - you got to try this cauliflower gnocchi recipe!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 4 people

1 Head of Cauliflower
1 CUP of Almond Flour
1/2 CUP of Arrowroot Flour
1 TSP of Garlic
1 TSP of Salt
1 CUP of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 TBSP of Olive Oil if you are pan frying it

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DIRECTIONS:

Cut the cauliflower florets off the stem in small chunks and steam until tender.

Once tender, remove the cauliflower from pot and place in a food processor. Pulse until the consistency of the cauliflower is like mash potatoes before piling it in the middle of a clean dishcloth and wringing out as much excess water as possible. Even when you think you’re done, you’re probably not so give it another wring!

Place the cauliflower in a bowl and add in the garlic, almond flour, arrowroot flour, salt, and parmesan cheese. Mix until thoroughly incorporated till it forms a soft dough. Cut dough into quarters.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each quarter of the dough out using your hands to form a long rope about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces and picking up each one, smooth the edges into small oblong balls resembling gnocchi. Once done, place on a lightly floured baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Now it is time to cook the cauliflower gnocchi. I recently used an air fryer and loved the results. If you have one you can cook them at 400 for 6 -7 minutes or fry in a tbsp of olive oil on the stove in a pan until golden brown.

When ready, serve with sauce of choice.

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If you like this air fryer cauliflower gnocchi recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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FOREVER DREAMING OF ITALY: CACIO E PEPE, A SIMPLE ITALIAN CLASSIC

We may not be able to travel during this global pandemic but that doesn’t stop me from dreaming about Italy!

A couple of years ago Adam and I ate our way through Tuscany and spent some time in Rome (click here to read my food guide to Rome) and during our time there we took a fantastic authentic Italian cooking/pasta making course. It was during that course that I first had Cacio E Pepe and feel in love with the bite of the pepper against the salty cheese. Not only did we love our time in Italy but this classic, simple dish always reminds me of our great adventures there.

Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 2 people

120 Grams of Pasta of Your Choice
Salt
3 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
1/2 TSP of Freshly Ground Pepper
3/4 Cups of Finely Grated Parmesan
1/2 Cup of Finely Grated Pecorino

DIRECTIONS:

Boil water, add salt followed by your pasta of choice. Cook slightly before al dente.

Before draining the pasta, set aside about 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of pasta water.

Warm up butter in a skillet and add in the freshly ground pepper. Toast the pepper for 1-minute stirring continuously.

Add in 1/2 a cup of pasta water followed by the pasta - coat the pasta so it cooks a little further. The sauce should be wet so once you fold in the parmesan and allow it to cover the pasta fully if the pasta water is absorbed fully, add more before lowering the heat and adding pecorino.

Stir, serve and enjoy!

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YES WAY ROSE! WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING THIS SPRING!

Finally, it started to feel like spring had arrived this past weekend in Ontario, and with it came old familiar memories of enjoying refreshing rosé in the sun.

Last weekend and in preparation for National Rosé Day, which is less than a month away, I decided to use my background in market research to conduct a rosé tasting at home with my family to see if we can find our ideal rosé for spring!

I had six participants, none of which were given the price, region, or any notable characteristics of the wine (other than being able to see the shape of the bottle/packaging) and were required to each taste the 6 bottles chosen for the study in a different order as a way of removing further bias.

As for the tasting, I planned it outside in the midst of the late afternoon sun, first just us three girls, then the boys joined in. Things got silly fast but we were celebrating the long weekend so nobody was holding back. Adam and I were in charge of cooking dinner that night so the scent of Piri piri chicken sizzling on the bbq floated in the background. Everyone was in good spirits. Not only was it nice to host a wine tasting at home for my family but it also made for quite the perfect evening! Salut!!

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IN RANKING ORDER

Whispering Angel

From Provence, France
$28.95

Whispering Angel rose to the top as the house favorite with over half of the group picking it as their number 1 choice. It’s a delicious wine often described as refreshing and light, dry with a crisp, smooth finish that offers notes of both citrus and fruits. The fact that this rosé was a popular choice came as no surprise to me as the producer, Château d'Esclans is known for excellent rosé wines. Located in Provence, France, the château primarily grows Grenache and has vines as old as 90 years. Typically old Grenache vines produce grapes that offer a greater concentration of flavour than younger vines, so again it is no surprise that the majority picked Whispering Angel’s superior quality over the rest. Further, as it was the most expensive wine we included in the tasting, I would highly recommend purchasing this wine for a special occasion or as a host gift, as it is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.

Studio By Miraval

From France
$18.95

Studio By Miraval followed Whispering Angel with half putting it in their top first or second spot. The wine was described as semi-dry, super easy to drink, and silky on the tongue with a very clean finish. The little sister to the Perrin families more popular Miraval (Pitt/Jolie joint venture) Rosé Côtes de Provence, Studio Miraval comes in $5 cheaper than its older sister but still holds many of the same qualities associated with the brand. One person described the smell of the wine reminding them of running through a wildflower field in the heat of summer - quiet a picture it can paint if you ask me. Made with a combination of varietals including Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle, and Tibouren, the wine features delicate citrus and floral aromas accompanied by fresh berry fruit flavors. Price point wise, Studio by Miraval sits at the second most expensive wine in our tasting which would personally make it a contender for any dinners or get togethers that I will be hosting during the summer where I may want to get a little bougie.

Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses Rosé

From Midi, France
$16.95 (typically $18.95 but currently it is $2.00 off at LCBO)

Cote des Roses 2019 definitely yielded the most interesting results of our taste test because it seemed to be very polarizing. Those who loved it, really loved it (3 people put it as their 2nd place choice), while those who didn’t, gave it a very low ranking. A classic blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, Cote Des Roses also seemed to yield a mix of flavour profiles and was described as dry by some and semi-sweet by others. A few mentioned that it had notes of citrus while others described it as light and freshing. One thing for sure is that the bottle is eye-catching with a glass cork and many commented on its beautiful packaging. Personally, I have bought this wine and enjoyed it in the past but when compared next to the other wines in this taste test, even I was surprised to see how it dropped in the rankings to its peers.

La Vieille Ferme Rose

From Rhône, France
$12.45

La Vieille Ferme, one of my go-to purchases for both price point and taste, performed well and the best out of the three wines under $15. It received a solid 3rd place score from half with an additional person actually ranking it as their number one choice. Also part of the Perrin family’s portfolio of wines, La Vieille Ferme is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah varietals, grown on the slopes of France's Mont Ventoux in Rhone, France. This strategic positioning of the vineyards provides cooler temperatures for their grapes to grow to allow them to ripen slowly which in turn produces stronger fruit flavours and wines with crisp notes of acidity. Pale pink in colour, this wine was described as dry, but sweeter than the more expensive wines we tried, with aromas of raspberry and strawberry. I would 100% purchase this wine again for the price point, and would be happy to serve it at a party if I had to supply a few bottles for guests.

Astica Malbec Rosé

From Mendoza, Argentina
$8.95

A new wine on my radar, Astica performed quiet well amongst the group, however it did not rank as well when compared to the other wines in the tasting. It’s not too often that I am drawn to a Malbec rosé but considering this one comes out of Mendoza, Argentina, where Malbec is king, I was quite taken aback by how much I liked it. Astica was described by many as semi-sweet with buttery fruit-forward flavours followed by a slight bite at the end. Produced by Grupo Peñaflor/Trapiche, one of the leading wine producers in Argentina, I would say Astica is quite delightful and worth a shot especially if you are price conscious.

Sandbanks Rosé VQA

From Ontario, Canada
$13.95

Sandbanks Rosé from Ontario unfortunately fell to the bottom of the ranking and was not favored by anybody. This was so sad for me being from Ontario, I would love to support more local wineries but this one just seemed to miss the mark. Although it did not rank well when compared to the others, a few people did have some nice things to say about it like that it was fruit-forward in flavour and had notes of granny smith apples. I likely would not purchase this wine again nor would I recommend it to anyone else but it did, however, inspire me to go on a mission to find some good VQA Rosés I can recommend, so stay tuned for those!

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CLASSIC FRENCH MUSSELS MARINIERE (WHITE WINE SAUCE)

One of the best parts about being self isolate with my family is that we all like to eat!

Every Friday we get together a little bit earlier and celebrate the end of the week with some nice seafood. Each week my mom has been busting out a new recipes, each better than the last. One recipe that topped the list was her classic french mussels in a white wine sauce, an easy crowd pleaser! If you have ever wondered how to cook mussels at home or are just looking for some new recipes for mussels to try, this one is easy and so delicious!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2 People

-Seafood-
2.5 lbs of fresh mussels – rinse, scrub and de-beard. (I usually buy extra because I know that some are going to be bad)

How to buy, store, and prep fresh mussels:

When buying fresh mussels, make sure to smell them - they SHOULD NOT have a strong odor! You also want the shells to be shut. Since mussels are alive if you bang the shells or apply pressure and close them yourself, if they are indeed alive, they should shut or remain shut. If they open once again right away it means that they are weak/not fresh, so don’t buy those. Make sure to store your mussels in the fridge, they need air to breathe so don’t use a sealed container, instead place a damp cloth over them like a napkin or paper towel to provide further moisture. Before you are ready to use them make sure to rinse the shells, remove the beards or hairy bits, and scrub away any debris off the shells.

-White Wine Sauce-
2 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
1 Shallots - chopped finely
1 TBSP of Fresh Flat Parsley, chopped finely
1 cloves of garlic - minced
1 Stock of Celery, chopped finely
1 Bay Leaf
A few twigs of Fresh Thyme
1 Cup of Dry White Wine
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 TBSP Double Creme

-Toppings-
Fresh Flat Parsley

-Extras-
French Baguette

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HOW TO COOK MUSSELS:

Place a large pot on the stove and add in your butter. Allow butter to melt on medium heat. Once ready, add shallots and cook until translucent.

Add chopped parsley, celery, garlic, bay laves and thyme to the pot and mix. Allow the heat to bring out the aroma of the herbs (maybe 2-3 minutes).

Add the fresh mussels to the mixture and stir to coat the mussels with the herbs. Add the wine and raise temperature to high. When the wine starts to bubble, stir the mussels once again so that they become coated with wine.

After you have covered the mussels in white wine, lower the heat to medium/high and cover for 5-6 minutes but no more.

After 5-6 minutes, uncover and remove mussels from the pot but keep the juice in the pot. Taste sauce and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Add the double cream to the sauce (it should make the sauce whiter) before stirring it in until well incorporated. Add the steamed mussels back into pot, stir and serving right away while hot.

Bon Appétit!!!

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FALL-OFF-THE-BONE SLOW COOKED ASIAN SHORT RIBS

Ever since I have been in self-isolation due to COVID-19 I have been cooking up a storm. Yesterday, Adam and I decided to try to make some Asian style beef short ribs in the Le Creuset his parents got us for Christmas and they turned out even better than imagined! Adam said I can definitely make this again! The best part, everything goes into one pot and you just have to let it sit on low. It’s so easy!

INGREDIENTS:

 Serves 2 People

-Short Ribs-
3 LBS of Beef Short Ribs - bone-in, cut crosswise into 2” pieces
1/2 a CUP of reduced-sodium soya sauce
1/2 a CUP beef broth
1/4 CUP of brown sugar
3 Garlic cloves (minced)
1 TBSP Ginger (freshly grated)
1 TSP of Sesame Oil
1 TSP of Crushed Red Chili Pepper flakes (optional)
2 TBSP of Corn Starch
1/4 CUP of Water
Sesame Seeds for garnish
Fresh parsley (chopped finely) for garnish

-Sides-
Sticky Rice

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine soya sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, sesame oil, and chili flakes (optional) in a large bowl. Wisk until well incorporated.

Place short ribs (bone down) in Le Creuset and add in the soya sauce mixture. With Le Creuset’s you will need to give each piece of meat a little space, in other words, don’t pack them in too tight. Make sure meat is well coated with sauce - there should be a pool but not necessarily completely submerged.

Cover and bring to a boil on medium before lower temperature to low and allowing to cook on low heat for 5-6 hours.

30 minutes before the meat reaches the end of its cooking time, in a separate small bowl mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the cornstarch mixture to the Le Creuset and stir well. Allow meat to cook for the remaining 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

After, start to preparing/cook your sticky rice!

Once meat is finished cooking, garnish with sesame seeds and freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately over sticky rice.

Enjoy!

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