Chicken and Shitake Cups

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs, roughly chopped
10cm ginger
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp sesame oil
100ml light soy sauce
100ml Chinese cooking wine
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
mushrooms, quartered
spring onions, sliced

Method:
In a baking dish add chicken thighs, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, light soy, Chinese cooking wine, honey, sesame seeds and mushrooms. 
Put in the oven at 200 degrees and cook for 45 minutes, stir half-way through.
Serve with lettuce and rice

Broccoli Tots

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked broccoli

1 large egg

¼ cup diced brown onion

⅓ cup tasty cheese

⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs

⅓ cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons parsley

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute then remove and shock with cold tap water to stop the cooking process. Drain well. [this will help retain the green colour of the broccoli]

Chop broccoli finely and mix thoroughly with the egg, onions, tasty cheese, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Use an ice scoop and spoon mix onto the baking tray. You can also roll into balls / logs / patties whatever shape you want [it helps to wash your hands after every few tots to keep them from sticking onto your hands]. Next, place prepared tots onto your prepared baking tray.

Bake in oven until golden brown and crispy, 18-24 minutes, turning half way. Remove from the oven and enjoy hot with your favorite sauce!

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, often overshadowed by its green cousin broccoli. This is one vegetable that deserves a regular rotation in your diet, however, as it contains an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.

Adding to cauliflower's appeal is its extreme versatility. You can eat it raw, add it to salads, or use it in your cooking. Cauliflower can even be seasoned and mashed for a healthier version of "mashed potatoes".

If it's been a while since you've given it a try, make it a point to give it another chance soon. When picking out a head of cauliflower, look for a firm feel with no brown or soft yellow spots. If it's surrounded by green leaves it's likely to be especially fresh.

Nutrition
100 grams of raw white cauliflower provides 25 calories, is low in fat, carbohydrates, dietary fibre and protein. It has a high content (20% or more of the Daily Value "DV") of vitamin C and moderate levels
(10-19% DV) of several B vitamins and vitamin K.


Here's some recipes that I've tried and my family loves...

Cauliflower Mash with Ricotta and Roasted Garlic
Ingredients

2 large garlic cloves

1.3kg head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 Tbsp. butter

¼ C ricotta cheese (full fat)

Chopped chives, for garnish

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Cut off the tip of each garlic clove (just enough to expose it). Place in a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the foil tightly and place on a baking sheet.

Roast the garlic for 10-12 minutes or until soft when pressed. Remove and let cool before peeling. The garlic should easily pop out of their skins when pressed.

Cook the cauliflower florets in salted water for
8-12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and then lay flat on a large baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towel. Tap the baking sheet couple times on the countertop/table to get as much water as possible out of the cauliflower.

Then working quickly, place the cauliflower in a food processor with roasted garlic, butter and ricotta. You can do this in batches like I did or all together if your food processor is big enough. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Purée until smooth and creamy. Taste for salt and pepper.

Garnish with chopped chives and serve warm.

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
15 gram of fresh garlic cloves
150g peeled brown onion, halved
25g olive oil
25g unsalted butter
3g white pepper
12g sea salt
800g cauliflower florets
900ml chicken stock
50g cream
15g Dijon mustard
50g grated parmesan

Method

Place garlic cloves and brown onion into bowl, 5 seconds / speed 6 / 0 °C.            

Add olive oil, unsalted butter, sea salt, white pepper to taste, 3 minutes / speed 1 / 100 °C.

Add cauliflower florets, roughly chopped and cook until florets are soft and golden (the browning of the cauliflower is essential for the flavour of this soup), 6 minutes / speed 1 / 100 °C.

Add chicken stock (I used vegetable or chicken stock paste but 900g of water with 2 Tab TMX stock is fine too) 10 minutes / speed 1 / 100 °C.            

Carefully blend with MC on. You can dial up to speed 9 slowly for 10 seconds to avoid splashes. 10 seconds / speed 9 / 0 °C.

Stir through cream, Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese 1 minute / speed 1 / 80 °C.

If desired, add more mustard and cheese if the flavour is not strong enough. If soup is too thick, add more stock to give the desired consistency. 1 minute / speed 1 / 80 °C.

Enjoy!