Posts in Recipes
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Dijon Dressing

Every New Yorker knows that winter here lasts from November to nearly April – and that’s if we’re lucky! It’s now March and after a frigid winter, I’ve gained an obsession for roasting veggies. It’s one of my all-time favorite and easiest ways to cook. All you have to do is pop the vegetables in the oven and plus side is that it also warms up the apartment. For me, the waiting game is the hardest part!

I could eat roasted cauliflower alone, nearly half a head myself. But to make this simple dish into a meal, I decided to incorporate chickpeas to make the dish heartier. Chickpeas are a great source of vegetarian protein and fiber, so it really helps to create a more balanced meal.  When Peter and I first started dating, he had absolutely no clue what vegetarian food was. He hesitated taking me out to dinner and would always suggest salads. And let me tell you, if it’s one thing that vegetarians hate, it’s when people think we only eat salads! So, to show him what a hearty vegetarian meal could be (aka to prove to him that I do NOT only eat salads!)  I made roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, covered in a creamy dijon dressing.

Let me be clear. Peter does not eat cauliflower on the reg and the extent of him eating chickpeas is when I sneak hummus into his breakfast wrap. So, you wanna know the trick to getting your non-veggie loving partner to try your new dish? Wait until they're really hungry haha. Luckily, the smell of the warm oven was enough to lure him into the kitchen. 

When it came down to the taste test, I was right (as always) and Peter loved this dish! It was:

Creamy
Tender

Crunchy
Hearty
Flavorful

Serve it as a side dish or let it shine on it’s own. If you make this, I’d love to see! Take a picture and tag your photo with #dowhatiulove on Instagram.

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Dijon Dressing

INGREDIENTS
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 (15oz) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp pepper

Dressing
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place cauliflower florets onto baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.  

Place chickpeas and panko breadcrumbs on the second baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast cauliflower for 40 minutes and chickpeas for 25 minutes, flipping once midway.

While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together both mustards, olive oil, vinegar, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. When the vegetables are ready, remove them from the oven and transfer everything into one large bowl. Mix in dressing, season to taste, and garnish with additional parsley.   

Asian Pear & Rosemary Spritzer

Here's an easy and delicious non-alcoholic drink, perfect for any party, especially around the holiday season. If you're looking for something a stronger, you can easily top it off with your alcohol of choice! 

INGREDIENTS
Makes 4 servings

2 cups Asian pear juice, freshly pressed**
2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed (juice of 1 whole lemon)
3/4 cups honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 sprigs Rosemary plus more for garnish
Ice
4 cups Seltzer
 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the syrup: Heat pear juice, lemon, honey, sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary and remove from heat; let stand for 30 minutes, allowing syrup to completely cool and flavors to infuse. Discard rosemary sprigs and ginger slices. Syrup can be made ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

2. Assemble the cocktail: Fill a glass halfway with ice. Add 3 tablespoons syrup, and top with 1 cup seltzer water. To serve, garnish with rosemary sprigs, sliced pears or sliced lemon.

**To make the pear juice, it takes about 1 pear to make 1 cup of pear juice. Depending on the size of pear you find, you may find that you'll need to use more than 2 pears to get 2 cups of pear juice! If you have a juicer, this will be the easiest method. But if you don't, you can still extract the juice using a blender! Simply peel, core and blend the pear until you've got a puree, then strain the juice over a bowl. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Anyone who knows me knows about my love for peanut butter cups...but this is a new take on it: Homemade peanut butter balls made from all natural peanut butter (with no added salt or sugars!), simply frozen and coated with chocolate. Need I say more? I promise this recipe is so easy, the hardest part is refraining from nibbling on these before they're all ready! 

INGREDIENTS 
Makes x16 chocolate peanut butter balls

3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp almond flour
1 cup chocolate chips
Parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure out 1/2 tsp peanut butter and form into ball with palms, then roll ball in almond flour and set on parchment paper. 

2. Repeat step #1 until peanut butter is gone, then place in freezer for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, create double broiler to melt chocolate chips, this is the best way to ensure your chocolate will be smooth and melted! But if microwave is your only option, place chocolate chips into a small bowl and heat in small increments of 15-30 seconds, stirring each time so it doesn't clump or burn! 

4. When chocolate is melted, coat balls in chocolate, place back onto parchment paper and freeze for 10 minutes.

Enjoy! xx