Cauliflower Tabouleh (serves 6-8)

My sister in law Donella introduced me to traditional tabouleh when we were both in collage. Fast forward to last weekend and she, my brother John and I were sharing a dinner at Cava in Olney, MD and cauliflower tabouleh was on the menu . We ordered it and scoffed it down! Here's my take on the recipe-maybe not exactly  the recipe we tried last week but delicious! A new addition to our store offerings.

Since tomatoes are still not super,I use fresh plum tomatoes in this recipe;

Cauliflower Tabouleh ( gluten free!) serves 6-8

1 1/2 Cup fresh cauliflower, stems removed and pulsed in the food processor until fine

10 plum tomatoes, diced in 1/2" dice

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley ( a generous cup full when cleaned and lightly packed)

1 bunch fresh mint ( a generous cup full when cleaned and lightly packed)

3 bunches of scallions ( 12 stems per bunch) chopped fine (white and light green parts )

3 lemons- juiced ( lemons at room temperature will yield more juice]

1/2 Cup olive oil

1 clove minced garlic

1/2-1 tsp  allspice

1 tsp salt

Combine tomatoes and minced cauliflower in a bowl.

In the food processor with the chopping blade in place, add mint, parsley, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Pulse until mint and parsley are fine but not pureed. Add to tomato mix.

Add lemon juice, remaining olive oil, garlic, all spice, salt and toss to combine. Taste to adjust spices as you like. Serve at room temperature or chill. 

Wynette's Super Banana Bread

One of the best parts of travels is the great friends you make. On my trip to Maui this past month Wynette at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kannapali shared a loaf of this delicious bread with all of us. It was too good to not ask her the recipe.This recipe makes 7 petite loaves- they freeze beautifully  and they stays moist for at least 5-7 days.

4 Cups flour

2 1/4 Cups suga

4 tsp. baking soda (I tsp +1Tbsp.)

1 tsp.salt

3 tsp.cinnamon

6 eggs,beaten

4 tsp. vanilla ( 1 tsp.+1Tbsp)

1 1/2 Cups canola oil

20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and crushed with bananas

4 bananas, mashed in food processor with pineapple

1/2 Cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 Cup raisins

1.Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 7 small loaf pans ( or 2 large pans)

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda,  salt and cinnamon.Whisk to blend.

3. In a stand up mixer with paddle attachment beat eggs for 2 minutes. Add canola oil and vanilla.

4. Slowly add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Add banana pineapple mixture,nuts and raisins and mix just until combined.

5. Scoop into 7 small (6"X3")  or 2 large lightly greased pans.

6. Bake 45-50 minutes until a testing pick comes out clean.( If using lage pans adjust cooking time) Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy.

Turkey Meatloaf Loree's Style!

I'm a big fan of Ina Garten ( Barefoot Contessa). Her recipes always work for me and since she owned a take out food and catering business I feel we think the same with regards to food- not crazy fussy but certainly tasty! I started with her basic turkey meatloaf but added my own twist adding  sriracha sauce( we make our own and I did use ours) instead of ketchup and panko breadcrumbs instead of traditional. I hope you like the results- we certainly do.

Now you have a choice of our traditional beef meatloaf or turkey.

Loree's Turkey Meatloaf

3 Cups chopped white onions

3 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

5 Lbs ground turkey breast

1 1/2 Cups Panko bread crumbs ( or you can use plain breadcrumbs)

3 large eggs, beaten

1 Cup sriracha ( I used our traditional in house Two Kitchen Sisters brand)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium fry pan over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil 4-5 minutes until translucent but not brown. Remove from heat and cool slightly

In a large bowl place ground turkey, Worcestershire, chicken stock,bread crumbs eggs and sriracha. Add onions and mix together gently.

Place in individual loaf bread pans or in two large bread pans and bake at 350  45-50 minutes or until internal temperature is 160.

Serve warm, or cold as a great meatloaf sandwich.

 As you can see in the photo, the meatloaf cuts like a steak!

Our Favorite New Lasagna Cups

Our favorite new hors d'oeuvre for the season is these Lasagna Cups. I created them for a bride this fall, and now it's a hit with all our catering customers. Enjoy!

Lasagna Cups

You'll need 3 mini muffin tins to make this treat.

1 package wonton skins

1 Cup ricotta

1/4 Cup Parmesan

1 Tbsp dried basil

1-2 Cups Marinara

1/2 Cup  Shredded Mozzarella

Pan Spray

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heavily pan spray 3 mini muffin tins and set aside.

Combine the ricotta, basil, and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

Place one wonton skin in each muffin cup. Press down to make a well. Place 1/2-3/4 tsp ricotta in each shell. Top with a teaspoon of marinara.

Place a second wonton wrapper on top of the mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and top with marinara.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until cupcakes hold their shape. Serve at once or cool, cover and freeze. When ready to serve reheat at 350 for 6-7 minutes until warmed through.

NOTE: These cups are originally vegetarian, but you can add ground chicken or crumbled cooked sausage to the ricotta for a delicious added kick.