Healthy Meal / dinner

Now that Fall is officially here I've been getting into some new recipes for one of the seasons most versatile vegetables: cauliflower and her cousin, romanesco.  Part of the Cruciferous family, one cup of cauliflower has more than 73% of your daily vitamin c!  Cauliflower can also help you to detox, it's got anti-inflammatory properties and is an excellent source of dietary fiber.  As you'll see from the wide variety of recipes I've gathered here, cauliflower is super versatile and full of as much flavor as nutrition.  Happy Autumn eating! [caption id="attachment_737" align="aligncenter" width="538"] From LowCarbSlowCarb.com[/caption] My first recipe suggestion is to make rice out of cauliflower, a low carbohydrate, high fiber, nutrient packed alternative to a grain side dish.  I've eaten this rice as a side with baked chicken, in lettuce wraps with shredded pork, basically it can be substituted anywhere you'd usually use rice.  How cool is that?  Check out this super simple recipe on www.lowcarbslowcarb.com under, you guessed it, Cauliflower Rice! [caption id="attachment_738" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Cauliflower Steak au Poivre by Jacky Hackett[/caption] Next up, Cauliflower Steaks.  This recipe was sent to me by a friend who I have shared many a steak tartare and pork chop with so I knew it had to be delicious.  I was a bit skeptical but he assured me this was no wimpy vegan alternative, it's filling, awesome plant food thank you very much!  The recipe I like best comes from www.jaxhouse.com, aka Jacky Hackett, a food enthusiast mom blogger.  You can find her simple and easy recipe under 'Cauliflower Steak au Poivre.  The trick is using your cast iron skillet in a very hot oven and the results are wickedly good. [caption id="attachment_739" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Photo from TheIronYou.com[/caption] This last recipe is sure to convert you to the power of what you used to think of as a bland white vegetable: The Cauliflower Grilled Cheese.  Yes, it's gluten free, it's a full serving of veggies and it's got a gooey cheese center.  This recipe can be found on www.TheIronYou.com a blog run by a guy named Mike who thinks we could all eat better and exercise more for a more awesome us, I think he's onto something!  Search for 'Cauliflower Grilled Cheese' and you'll find a recipe for what will become one of your fall favorites, no matter what your relationship is to gluten.  Pair this with a hot bowl of tomato soup and call it lunch. Be sure to check out the other recipes and ideas these bloggers have to offer!

Here's the next spicy, healthy recipe from Chef Joe Dewey.  It is pretty similar to Nina's recipe, which she sent us after meeting team Fire Cider at the Big E this year.   Nina marinated and grilled the shrimp and then made fire cider shrimp tacos! According to Nina "they were SO good!" Here is the Chef Dewey's version of a chili shrimp marinade plus Nina's taco serving suggestion:

I love Joe's new recipe, it's made using many of my favorite foods and flavors.  Avocados are full of vitamins, fiber and healthy fats, the kind that protect your heart, have anti-inflammatory properties and also taste really, really good.  Black beans, and beans in general, have a bit of a bad reputation for being difficult to digest.  Don't avoid this super food because of improper cooking!  It's easy to cook delicious, digestible beans, using a crock pot and adding kombu seaweed during the cooking process.  You can find easy to follow instructions on the website Nourishing Days.com under the post titled, 'Why Beans Are Hard to Digest & 8 Tips For Making The easier on the Belly' Alternatively, canned beans are super convenient and when combined with plenty of good for you fats, like the olive oil and avocado in this recipe, they are an easy to digest source of vegan protein and fiber.  This quick and easy salad is full of flavor that gets better with time. Take this to your next picnic or pack it for lunch! The following recipe was created by local Berkshire County Chef Joe Dewey.  Joe has been helping us in the Fire Cider kitchen and he's come up with a whole bunch of exciting new recipes for us.  So if you love this, stay tuned for next week's Fire Cider blog post by our new guest chef!