Cauliflower parsnip puree with cream cheese

It's all about the richness from the butter and cream cheese, this came out much better than expected. I used whipped cream cheese because it's easier to work with. Having made this several times now, I’ve stopped measuring and just go by taste.

Ingredients

1 small head of cauliflower , cut into florets
1-2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2” slices
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsps butter
3 oz cream cheese

Instructions

Steam cauliflower and parsnips until soft, about ten minutes. Save the water to add to purée. 

Transfer vegetables to a blender and add salt, pepper, butter and cream cheese. Pour in about a half cup of reserved water from steaming veggies. Blend until smooth. 

Taste and season with more butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper if needed. If the purée is too thick add more of the hot water.

From: https://cookinglsl.com/easy-roasted-pork-tenderloin/

Easy fruit cobbler

Adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12148/easy-fruit-cobbler/

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup sugar (I did half white half brown)
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 can apple pie filling OR 2 cups sliced fresh peaches OR 2 cups frozen fruit of your choice
Optional - shake or two of cinnamon and cardamom to go with the apple pie filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter by placing it in the oven in a in a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
Blend together flour, baking powder, sugar, and milk.
Pour batter in baking dish over the butter. Sprinkle fruit on top of the batter, do not stir.
Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Saag paneer in the crockpot

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bags frozen spinach (baby leaves = sweeter taste; adult leaves = earthier taste)
• 1 14 ounce block extra firm tofu
• 14 ounce can coconut milk
• 1.5 cups tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed

PREPARATION

1. 1. Chop the onion, garlic, and ginger.
   2. Cube the paneer (or halloumi/tofu).
   3. Optional: place all of the ingredients except the paneer (or halloumi/tofu) in a blender or food processor set to "chop", and blend until you achieve the desired texture. If not everything fits, divide the ingredients across multiple batches and then stir the batches together in the slow cooker. Blending is extra helpful if using fresh spinach. 
   4. I simply put all ingredients except the tofu into the slow cooker, and set it on high a few minutes to thaw the spinach. Next time I may microwave it to defrost faster. I added 4oz water because it was not quite the texture I wanted, then added the tofu and mixed well. 
   5. Set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours.
   6. (If cooking with paneer or halloumi, add it to the slow cooker after the other ingredients have cooked for 3 hours so that the cheese only cooks for 1 hour with the other ingredients.)
   7. Serve with naan, rice, or your preferred carbohydrate.
   8. Adapted from:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/slow-cooker-saag-paneer-56d3207915dc71625d4da1b1

Tuscan Pasta

Yummy vegetarian pasta dish thats easy to break into ateps for spread out prep. I had to buy the herbes de Provence but it was worth it.
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/tuscan-vegetarian-pasta-392763?ref=amp&ftab=reviews

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces mushrooms
1 lb broccoli cut into florets
2 red bell peppers, julienned
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup tomato sauce or marinara sauce
2⁄3 lb pasta (fettuccine or penne works well)
1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons herbes de provence (approximately)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Mix mushrooms, broccoli, pepper, and onion.
Spread on two baking sheets.
Drizzle 1 T. olive oil and sprinkle liberally with seasonings. Mix around until well coated.
Bake vegetables at 450 for ten minutes.
Boil pasta until "al dente".
Mix with mozzarella, vegetables, and sauce and transfer to casserole.
Drizzle remaining olive oil on top and coat top with Parmesan.
Bake at 450 for approximately 20 minutes

Kale salad with white beans

https://minimalistbaker.com/white-bean-kale-salad-with-tahini-dressing/

I didn’t make the croutons or the dressing from scratch, and adjusted some amounts. What I did is below but you can click for the original recipe. 

Ingredients:

BEANS

• 1 15-ounce can white or butter beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (1/2 lemon yields ~1 Tbsp or 15 ml)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 generous sprinkle salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

SALAD

• 6 ounces kale (chopped // large stems removed)
• 1 lemon, juiced (1 lemon yields ~2 Tbsp or 30 ml)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 drizzle syrup
• 1 sprinkle each salt + black pepper
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Add drained beans to a bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and fresh parsley. Toss to combine. Set aside.
2. Add kale to a large mixing bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, syrup, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Use your hands to massage the kale and break down its texture a bit, and to season the salad. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let it settle together. Serve with goddess tahini dressing and the beans mixed in.