Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

It's true, I've been holding out on you. You see, I first made this recipe back in September. Wow, that sounds so long ago, but really just a few short weeks, so I really haven’t been holding out on you for too long.

Since I first made this sauce, I've made it many, many times. I can't get enough of this Alfredo sauce! It's just that delicious!

This sauce is butter free and gluten free. Yet it still has that creamy texture and flavors so characteristic of your classic Alfredo sauce.

Funny thing is when I first made this sauce, I did not have any milk or cream on hand, so I decided to use canned coconut milk. I had no idea if it would work in this sauce or if it would end up tasting like coconuts.

Boy, was that a great substitute for the milk, because it turned out amazing! The coconut milk gives this sauce its creamy texture without tasting like a coconut. This sauce is so good I can eat this stuff straight out of a bowl with a spoon!

If you haven’t tried a cauliflower Alfredo sauce yet, this is one healthy recipe substitution you NEED to try.

If you want to make this a dairy-free and Paleo friendly sauce, just leave out the parmesan cheese and add a little more olive oil for flavoring.

Let me know how you like it by leaving me a comment below, as I always love hearing what you think.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A creamy cauliflower Alfredo sauce.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 to 35 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 36 ounces
Ingredients

• 5 to 6 large cauliflower florets
• 1 - 32 ounce container vegetable broth
• 2 to 4 cups water
• 8-12 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, full fat
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pan, add cauliflower florets. Pour vegetable broth over florets. If needed, add water to pan, enough to almost cover cauliflower. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until you can easily pierce the cauliflower with a fork. Once this happens, turn off heat.

2. In a small skillet, heat olive oil. Once olive oil is heated, add diced garlic. Sauté until garlic is softened. Remove from heat.
3. In a large blender, add coconut milk, salt & pepper, 1 cup vegetable broth from pan, cauliflower, sautéed garlic with olive oil, and parmesan cheese.
4. Pulse on High until sauce becomes smooth in texture and there are no more cauliflower clumps. Add more broth or milk until you reach desired sauce texture.
5. Serve over pasta and enjoy!
6. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week in your refrigerator.

*Helpful Hints*

  

- Add in a little more olive oil to help keep the sauce smooth and add more flavor.

- Use your blender as directed when it comes to blending hot liquids. You may need to let ingredients cool off to room temperature before placing into your blender. Also, Do Not fill blender all the way to the top when blending Hot ingredients.

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Engagement Chicken

Recently as I was skimming through some of my favorite blogs, I came across one for Engagement Chicken. Just the name piqued my curiosity, 'Engagement Chicken'.

Now I've heard of grilled chicken, Bar-B-Q chicken, chicken Marsala, chicken & gravy, lemon chicken, and roasted chicken. You get the hint, pretty much any type of chicken you can make, I've heard of it. Or so I thought.

But I have never heard of Engagement Chicken. What was this chicken? Does it cause engaging conversation? Is it a recipe that marries with another, hence the name 'Engagement Chicken'? I had no idea what this recipe was so I had to google it since the article didn't go into detail what the story was behind the name, ' Engagement Chicken'.

It seems a few years back, an editor at Glamour magazine brought in a recipe to be published for Roasted Chicken. A few days later, one of the girls in the office made this recipe for her boyfriend and a few months later they got engaged. A couple other girls in the office did the same for their boyfriends and a few months later, they too, became engaged.

After this, the recipe got its nickname, Engagement Chicken. In the years that followed, some 70 couples have become engaged after eating this recipe. I don't know what makes this particular recipe of chicken, one that causes men to propose marriage to their girlfriends.

It's a simple recipe that seasons the chicken with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It does call for three lemons to be placed into the cavity of the chicken for an extra lemony flavor.

All dressed up & ready to go!

All I have to say, is if anyone can shove three lemons into the cavity of a chicken, then you best marry her because she has some organizing and packing skills! Which means when you plan your beach vacation together, she will be able to fit everything from the ice chest, the kids boogie boards, the beach umbrella, the kids, the dog, and you all into your minivan with room to spare.

Much unlike me, who is only able to fit one lemon and half of a quartered onion into the chicken cavity. I will probably be the one in the packed minivan, umbrella hanging out the side window, who leaves you standing on the curb, with your 12 pack of beer, waving as me and the kids take off for the beach together because I couldn't fit everything into the minivan!

Obviously I don't have organizing and packing skills because I cannot fit three lemons into a chicken cavity! However, I can cook and bake and I can make a darn good Engagement Chicken. Even though it is missing two lemons.

Really, how am I supposed to fit 3 whole lemons in there?

By the way, the bright yellow sauce surrounding your chicken is referred to as "marry me juice". It's the sauce that's supposed to "seal the deal". And even though my sauce was lacking two lemons, I'm pretty darn sure it would still seal the deal. Even though my organizing and packing skills need a little more work.

Hmm, could this be why I'm single?

I've got to work on stuffing that chicken with three lemons!

Engagement Chicken

A simple, yet elegant, chicken that will have your man proposing to you.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 to 2 hours, depending on size of chicken
Total time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 whole lemons, washed & rinsed well
• 1/2 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Position rack on oven to accommodate a whole chicken in a roasting pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
3. Remove giblets from the chicken cavity and rinse chicken cavity and outside of chicken with cool water. Place chicken in a colander and let cavity drain for 1 minute.
4. Place chicken breast side down in a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the whole chicken.
5. Brush entire outside of chicken with olive oil.
6. Place chicken back into roasting pan, breast side down.
7. Make small cuts in the whole lemons. Best way to do this is insert a sharp knife into the lemon, making about 4 to 5 small cuts around the lemon. Cut off stem of lemon.
8. Shove 3 whole lemons into the cavity of the chicken (there's no better way to describe this step as you will be shoving those lemons in there).
9. Place quartered onion and 1 sprig of rosemary into the chicken cavity with the lemons.
10. If you prefer, you can tie the legs of the chicken together. Just be sure to use oven-proof ties or they will burn, melt onto your chicken, or catch fire. Just sayin'
11. Pour chicken broth and 1 cup lemon juice over chicken.
12. Season with salt and pepper.
13. Place a few rosemary leaves over the top of your chicken.
14. Place into oven for 15 minutes, uncovered.
15. After 15 minutes, remove chicken from oven and using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn chicken over, breast side up. I covered my chicken at this time because I wanted juicy meat. So you can either cover now for remaining cooking time, or cook as the original recipe states, uncovered.
16. Depending how large a chicken you are roasting, cooking time can take anywhere from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours or more. The basic rule is to cook approximately 18 to 20 minutes for every pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
17. If you're using a meat thermometer, cook until temperature reaches 180F degrees and juices run clear.
18. Remove chicken from oven and let sit for 15 minutes so the juices can marry.
19. Carve and serve with the "marry me juice" poured over the chicken.

Inspired by ~ Joy the Baker's 'Slight Fear of Commitment' Roasted Chicken 

 

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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Shared with ~ Savoring Saturdays

Sausage, Cheese, and Apple Scones

I've always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I know, new studies came out last week stating that it might not be as important as we all once thought. Pppfffff, I don't believe them!

For one, everybody has a study about something from how slow ketchup drips to how many hiccups a toddler can have. Yes, they really do have studies for these things.

And two, these so called "studies" have reported coffee is bad for you. Then five years later, state coffee is good for you, only to turn around the following year and state coffee is bad for you...again. I think right now we're in the coffee is good for you stage.

So you see why I don't believe what these "studies" say. I KNOW breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 'Nuff said.

With that, I'm sharing a breakfast recipe that is sure to get you out of bed. My sausage, apple, and cheese scones. Yes, they are as good as they sound!

I was asked by my friends over at The Daily Meal to come up with a recipe for Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage (they must know my stand on breakfast!).

Creating a recipe with sausage presented somewhat of a challenge for me since I don't eat pork. Luckily, I'm surrounded by people who do! I know guys at work who stuff a pork loin with sausage, wrap it with bacon, and call it a meal! So finding someone to taste test my recipe was no problem and they were more than happy to oblige.

Since I’ve been wanting to make scones (they've been on my bucket list. Yes, I have a bucket list for making certain foods!), I decided to incorporate the two together. Sausage and scones. But I didn’t stop there, I added gruyere cheese and apples to my scones.

These scones remind me of cool Fall mornings, where you can sit out on the porch, eating scones for breakfast and enjoying your morning coffee.

Scones are such a versatile breakfast choice for anyone and they can be savory or sweet. You can add just about anything to flavor them. Plus, they're easy to make.

Those times where you have to grab breakfast on the go is a great time to choose one of these scones. Especially with back to school breakfasts, when you and the kids are running late. Or they can be something you sit down to eat with your coffee or tea while going through your emails and social media.

Why I've never made them is beyond me, other than I've never had a scone before. Yes, it's true, ...er....29some years without a delicious food like a scone! Shame on you Mom for not introducing me to these when I was growing up!

With another food crossed off my bucket list, I'm going to enjoy my coffee because tomorrow another "study" might discover coffee is not good for you!

By the way, it was after I had already made this recipe that I found out Johnsonville now makes a chicken sausage and a turkey sausage. It looks like I will be making these again soon, so I can try some of their deliciousness with my coffee.

Sausage, Cheese, and Apple Scones

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A savory breakfast scone with sausage, gruyere cheese, and apple pieces.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12 scones
Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dalmatian sage
• 6 to 8 Tablespoons butter, frozen and cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• 1 package (12 ounces) Johnsonville Original Recipe Breakfast Sausage Patties, cooked and cut into small pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
2. Prepare cookie sheet by spraying with a non-stick cooking spray. Wipe off any excess with a dry paper towel. Set aside.
3. Cook sausage as directed on package. Let cool and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients. Blend together with a fork.
5. Using your mixer with correct attachment for dough making, pastry fork, or your fingers, work in butter with the dry ingredients until crumbly.
6. Add in cheese and apple pieces, mixing well.
7. Mix in yogurt and egg.
8. Combine sausage pieces, blending throughout dough mixture.
9. Knead dough for about 5 to 10 minutes using your KitchenAid mixer.
10. After kneading dough, remove from bowl, and place on a flour dusted surface. (Yes, you're about to get messy here! If you're anything like me, change into an old shirt, preferably NOT a black shirt).
11. Work the dough with your hands for about 1 to 2 minutes.
12. If dough is too sticky to work with your hands, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. Dough should be a little sticky, not smooth like an ordinary bread dough.
13. Shape dough into a round shape with your hands. Roll the dough mixture with a floured rolling pin, sprinkling on more flour if needed to prevent sticking. You want dough to be at the least 1/2 inch thick. The thicker the dough, the larger your scones. But remember, you want them to cook all the way through so not too thick here.
14. Tidy up the outside edges with your fingers, keeping in mind that you want the dough to look rough, since that is the beauty of a scone.
15. Cut your circle into pieces, similar to a round pizza.
16. Gently transfer each piece of dough (a spatula works great for this) onto your prepared cookie sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between each piece of dough.
17. Place into the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are a light golden brown.
18. Remove from the oven.
19. Scones can be served fresh out of the oven, warm, or room temperature.
20. Best served with butter, mascarpone cheese, or cream cheese and coffee or tea.

*Helpful Hints*

 

- When cutting your pieces of dough to create your scone, press into the dough quickly with a sharp knife, trying not to twist or shear the dough. This helps your scones rise higher.

 

- I put 6 to 8 Tablespoons of butter because you can add to your taste. The more butter, the more buttery flavor your scones will have. I added 6 Tablespoons and they were just right for me. If you want less butter taste, add 4 Tablespoons instead. I live in the South and out here they always say, "the more butter, the better."

 

- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Can also be stored in the freezer for later use.

 

Disclaimer - I received no monies for this post. I only received one coupon to purchase Johnsonville Breakfast sausages. Recipe and opinions are all my own.

 

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.