With the cold weather that Canberra is having at the moment, I think it will come as no surprise when I tell you that there has been a lot of soup consumed in the BBB household recently. My favourite being this tasty cauliflower and potato soup that we served at a family lunch a little while ago. 
And with only 4 ingredients – it was super easy to throw together. Just potatoes, leek, cauliflower (all from our weekly vegetable box) and vegetable stock. 
Simmer until tender, seasoned, then blended until smooth. 
Topped with chopped spring onions, and a drizzle of light cream. 
The result? A rich, silky smooth soup, that was healthy and packed with flavour. 
Definitely one for the ‘keeper’ list! What about you? Tried any nice soups lately?
Cauliflower pie
As I mentioned here, I have been having a lot of fun with our weekly vegetable boxes from Aussie Farmers Direct. 
I am, however, falling behind in blogging about the dishes we have created, as this was one of the dishes I made from our first box. The inspiration? 
A beautiful head of cauliflower. Boiled, processed… 
Then jazzed up with a few extra ingredients. 
To create a simple yet tasty cauliflower pie. 
I served this as a dinner ‘side’ for a couple nights, but it also made a rather tasty ‘heat and eat’ lunch too. 
Perfect for when you have a grizzly bub in one hand, and a tummy that is crying out for food. 
Showcasing one of my favourite vegetables too! Cauliflower pie
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 potatoes, cooked and mashed
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice
- Salt & pepper
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a pie dish.
- Boil cauliflower for 5 minutes, drain, then process until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, potato, sour cream and Chinese five spice, and season to taste.
- Spread into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with parmesan and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
What about you? Are you a fan of cauliflower?
Cauliflower rice
The other night, this head of cauliflower sat looking at me from the crisper section of our fridge. 
Wanting to use it up before it went bad, I turned to the ever-faithful internet for some cauliflower inspiration. And, when I came across various recipes for ‘cauliflower rice’, well I was intrigued. The preparation seemed easy enough. Just cauliflower… 
Processed until it resembled ‘rice”… 
Then sautéed with a bunch of other goodies… 
Garlic, celery, capsicum, rosemary and cumin… 
Combined with the cauliflower, and heated until cooked through (around 5 minutes). 
At the last minute, I decided to add some chopped dried apricots. 
And, I am pretty happy that I did, as they added just the right amount of sweetness to the cauliflower. While the texture and taste was really nothing like “rice”, it was nice to have a side dish that was a little different, and not as heavy as rice would be. I imagine that it could be a fairly versatile side dish too – substituting any other vegetables or herbs as you please. 
On this occasion, I served the cauliflower rice with a side of greens, and topped it with a salmon fillet that I had marinated in maple syrup and ground chilli, then baked in the oven for 10 minutes. 
A rather ‘gourmet’ looking mid-week meal, although to be honest, this only took around 20 minutes to put together. What about you? Ever made cauliflower rice?
Cauli potato mash
Aww thankyou for all your sweet comments about yesterday’s post. You really do know how to make a preggy gal feel good about herself (and her blindingly white baby bump!?). Want to know something else that was blindingly white? 
This simple side dish that I want to share with you. One that was rather random in its creation, but ended up being rather tasty. Just cauliflower and potato, steamed until tender. 
Mashed with a little butter, a dash of milk and a ‘throw in’ of grated cheese. 
Combined… and voila! 
Cauli potato mash – creamy and delicious. 
Served with scotch fillet and sliced zucchini (both seasoned with a sprinkle of bush spice blend and grilled on the BBQ). 
Finished with fresh parsley, and dinner was served. If you find mashed potato a little heavy going, particularly in the warmer weather, this might be the side dish for you. I found the cauliflower ‘lightened’ the mash a tad, while being a rather tasty accompaniment to the steak. Delish! What about you? Do you have a favourite vegetable mash combination?
You say potato…I say twice baked potato with pesto and broccoli!
Training: Swim / Run Today I felt as if I was in and out of training clothes all day. Ahhh the joys of trying to fit in allocated training sessions with a full time job ….. Before work I hit the pool for a 2km swim, and was rather happy to see that the pool was quiet AND the ‘best’ shower was free when I finished. It’s small things like those that can really start the day of on a positive note. At lunch, I changed into workout clothes for a 5km lake run, then back into work clothes for a few afternoon meetings. Then, after work, it was back into workout clothes again for another 5km run (I had to complete 10km today). Make sense? hehe Dinner Not only did I manage to fit in my scheduled training today, I even managed to get to the shops to by some much needed produce. But that doesn’t mean that I am abandoning our pantry mission already. In the potato drawer I had a couple of potatoes that needed to be eaten. So, using them as a base, I decided to try a twice baked potato dish. 
After scrubbing the potatoes, and brushing them with a little olive oil and salt, I placed them in the oven to bake at 200C for 1 hour. 
After half an hour had elapsed, I also put a tray of cauliflower in the oven, that I had sprinkled with a little olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning. 
Next, I blanched some broccoli that I had cut into small florets. 
Once the potatoes were cooked, I sliced them down the middle and scooped out the flesh. 
I combined the potato flesh with the broccoli, and the remainder of the pesto from last night. 
Spooned into the potato skins, topped with parmesan, and baked for a further 10 minutes until brown and bubby on top. 
Topped with a small spoonful of sour cream. 
And served alongside mound of roasted cauliflower. 
As far as potato toppings go, this one was actually not too bad! 
Perhaps a little garlic in the potato filling may have made it even better? Twice baked potatoes with pesto and broccoli
- 3 large potatoes
- 1tbs olive oil
- sea salt
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2tbs pesto
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C
- Scrub the potatoes and prick with a fork several times. Pat dry. Brush with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Place on a baking tray and bake for 60 – 90 minutes.
- Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, then refresh under cold water.
- When the potatoes are cooked, slice lengthways and scoop out the potato flesh – making sure to leave a 1/2 inch ‘skin’.
- Combine the potato flesh, broccoli and pesto and spoon into the potato skins. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Place on a lined baking tray, and return to the oven to bake for a further 5 – 10 minutes or until browned on top.
What about you? Do you have a favourite potato topping? Mr BBB requested a bacon/sour cream/chive combo, but seeing as he had it not that long ago, I couldn’t resist trying something new! Happy Baking 🙂