This cauliflower… I’m getting weak in the knees. Who thought I would ever be exclaiming such things about some cauliflower?

There are several things that this dish has going for it. One is that the cauliflower is roasted in the oven. Almost every vegetable on the planet automatically tastes amazing when you oven roast it. See proof here, here and here. Then there is the inclusion of lemon, which always brightens up a dish.

Finally, there is the Parmesan. This recipe doesn’t call for a lot of cheese, but the nutty and melty Parmesan topping adds just the right balance to the roasted cauliflower.

Did I mention that you get to put this right in the oven then forget about it? Always a bonus in my book. So make this cauliflower tonight, but make sure you invite me for dinner.

Lemon, Garlic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower, cut into small & medium sized florets
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan
• Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Spread the cauliflower florets in the prepared roasting pan then drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice. Top with the garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, making sure to stir 1-2 times during cooking.
4. Remove from the oven and place in a serving dish. Immediately top with the Parmesan and chives.

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Recipe from The Food Network.

Lauren Uncategorized 1 Comment

My stepmom’s orzo pasta salad is a delicious regular at all our family barbecues. It has a great combination of ingredients with the saltiness from the feta cheese and the sweetness from the bell peppers and grape tomatoes. Also whole olives which olive lovers enjoy and non-olive lovers rejoice that they can easily pick them out and plop them on their fellow olive lovers’ plates.

The best part is the orzo tossed in the simple vinaigrette. What is orzo? Although it may be shaped like rice pilaf, orzo is a pasta. It is typically made with semolina flour, which is denser than white flour and helps the orzo keep its shape and bite after being cooked. This makes it the perfect choice for a make ahead pasta salad since most traditional pasta can get mushy from sitting in a vinaigrette overnight. Not this dish!

My stepmom has been making this exact winning combination of ingredients for the Greek orzo pasta salad for years so it would be ill-advised to mess with the best.

However, as with any pasta salad one of the beauties is that with a good base and vinaigrette you can mix and match according to your own tastes and preferences.

Not a feta fan? Swap in some goat cheese. Not big on bell peppers? Toss in some sliced snow peas. The possibilities are endless! But make sure you try this possibility first

Diane's Orzo Pasta Salad

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound box orzo, cooked as directed being sure not to overcook
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into ¼” by 1” pieces
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1 can large black olives, drained
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the cooked orzo with the olive oil until completely coated. Add the bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
2. Mix in the feta cheese. Adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Refrigerate until serving, making sure to mix well before serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Normally when I see a recipe I am just drooling over it takes me months, even years, to finally get around to making it. Then when I finally make it months later I eventually get around to posting it on Lemon & Mocha. Not this time, my friends!

I saw this glorious Thai stuffed sweet potato one week, made it the next week then made it again to photograph the week after. Now here it is on Lemon & Mocha. Unbelievable!

The reasons I made it so fast are the same two reasons you should make it this week:  1. The minute I saw it my peanut sauce loving self was instantly obsessed with the idea and I knew I had to have it and, 2. Reading the recipe I couldn’t believe how easy it was.

A third reason was also that I’m always looking for healthy vegetarian meals since Matt and I try to go meatless a couple nights a week. The flavor of the creamy sweet potato with the tender broccoli, crisp scallions and sweet edamame smothered in this peanut sauce is divine. It was so divine in fact that I ate it three nights in a row!

So get adventurous with your dinner this week and make this Thai stuffed sweet potato.

Thai Stuffed Sweet Potato

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

for the sweet potatoes

• 4-6 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
• 1 cup cooked edamame beans
• 3 scallions, chopped
• ½ cup chopped peanuts
• Salt and pepper

for the peanut sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½” piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

for the sweet potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the potatoes 4-6 times with a fork and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the potato.
2. Let the potatoes cool slightly before handling then cut a slit in the top of each one. Stuff with the broccoli and edamame then drizzle generously with the peanut sauce. Garnish with the chopped scallions and peanuts. Serve hot.

for the peanut sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or small food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. If you would prefer a thicker consistency add more peanut butter then remix. If you would prefer a thinner consistency add more coconut milk then remix.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Can you believe summer is already almost over? Not to remind you or anything, but it’s August! Where does the time go? I don’t have nearly enough time to cook all the dishes I would like to, so it’s very rare when there’s a dish I go back to again and again. This watermelon salad is one of those dishes.

Simple as it seems, this watermelon salad with feta and a citrus mint vinaigrette was my favorite recipe I discovered all last summer. Everyone I made it for requested the recipe. It is refreshing, healthy and has a surprisingly delightful flavor profile.

I remember looking at the list of ingredients on the Food Network website and thinking, “this is going to be interesting…” But it all works and comes together in a seriously tasty way.

The vinaigrette consists of lemon and orange juices, minced shallots, honey for some sweetness and to brighten the salad some fresh mint. Of course some olive oil, salt and pepper are added to the mix. The little cubes of watermelon soak up just the right amount of the dressing and the feta adds some saltiness to balance the dish.

Eat this as a snack, appetizer or side dish along with your summer meals.

Watermelon & Feta Salad

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 large fresh mint leaves, julienned

Directions

1. In a large measuring cup or small bowl whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt and pepper. While continuing to whisk carefully pour in the olive oil. Continue whisking until combined well.
2. Place the watermelon in a large serving bowl, top with the feta and mint, then top with enough of the vinaigrette to coat the watermelon. Gently toss. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed then serve immediately.

Notes

Do not combine the vinaigrette with the watermelon until right before serving.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I don’t have some great tale associated with this recipe. It doesn’t come from some heartfelt childhood memory. Nor did I stumble upon it in a cookbook with excitement and rush to make it. And it’s definitely not a copycat recipe from my favorite meal at my favorite restaurant.

The story is quite simple. One day I was deciding what to have for lunch. I had leftover noodles and tuna fish so I mixed them together with some raw veggies. It was yummy so I kept making it. The end. Sometimes the best recipes are the most simple ones.

Many years ago this was my most requested dish from my friends for all our summer barbecues. This was before I ditched the boxed cake mixes and started baking these Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes of course.

I don’t make it as often now since Matt is a tunafish-hater. Do you have anyone like that in your house? I rinse the can, toss it in the enclosed trash, run the disposal and eat the evidence, yet as soon as Matt walks in the kitchen the first words out of his mouth are, “Did you make tunafish?” Insert scrunched up grossed out face here. Is he a secret detective or do all tunafish-haters have such a ridiculous tunafish radar?

Anyways, back to this delicious pasta tuna salad. The creaminess of the mayonnaise mixed with the pasta and delightful tunafish make this a perfect barbecue side dish, but the best part comes from the crunchy sweetness of the peas, bell peppers and grape tomatoes. I keep mine pretty basic, but feel free to jazz yours up with different veggies, different seasonings or even sun-dried tomato mayo.

Pasta Tuna Salad

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound tri-color short pasta, cooked al dente
• 12 ounces tunafish, drained and flaked
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise, more if desired
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces frozen green peas, cooked and cooled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine the pasta, tunafish, bell pepper and mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl.
2. Carefully stir in the tomatoes and peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

If serving after being refrigerated stir then add more mayonnaise if desired to renew it’s creamy texture.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments