Fresh Green Beans, Potatoes with Pesto is one of best summer side dishes you can make. This is a classic Italian combination (often made in the Lombardy region with pasta). The combination just works, and it’s the pesto that brings it together. It tastes like summer but delivers comfort.

This is a dish served room temperature and can be your go to for a barbecue or summer potluck.

You can use your favorite pesto of which I have several recipes here, which I will list.

If you’re in a hurry a store bought pesto works, but if you’re like me and have a ton of basil this summer due to the daily rain we have been experiencing in Tennessee, you’ll want to use it.

What Kind of Potatoes for this Recipe? How to Cook!

You want to use Waxy Potatoes, but that will hold their shape and not fall apart.

I like to use yukon golds. But other choices include red potatoes and new potatoes.

• Put the potatoes into cold salted water.
• Bring to a boil, and then turn down to simmer.
• Test with a fork, which should easily penetrate the potatoes.
• Drain immediately.
• Make sure potatoes are same size. I will try to buy similar sized potatoes and just cut in half. As they cool, the skins will slip off. Then I will cut into large bite sized pieces.

How to Boil Greens Beans?

Rinse, trim and place in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how “done” you want your green beans. I like them somewhere in the middle. When

TIP: I threw the green beans in with the potatoes during the last six minutes of cooking, saving a pot.

Pesto (Many Variations)

I have made many different variations over the years, mainly changing out the nuts. Pine nuts are expensive, but I think they are an optimal choice. However, blanched (no skins) almonds, pistachios and macadamia nuts work well too. Another great option in this recipe would be a mint pesto (mix mint with basil) for a fresh take.

• Bucatini, Scallops with Almond Pesto
• Mint Pistachio Pesto
• Authentic Italian Pesto with Pine Nuts
• Shrimp with Macadamia Nut Pesto

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Green Beans Potatoes with Pesto

Boiled Potatoes with a Pesto, served at room temperature makes the most delicious Italian Potato Salad.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound golden yukon potatoes
• 1 cup Basil Pesto

Pesto

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh picked basil leaves
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-4 tablespoons starchy water from boiled potatoes
• 3 tablespoon pine nuts, blanched almonds or pistachios
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped before processing
• 1 teaspoon salt

Complete by Hand

• 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 3 tablespoon butter optional

Instructions

• Scrub the potatoes clean. Remove any parts of skin that you would not want to eat. Leave skins on,
• Cut in half or if small no need to cut. Keep them even sized.
• Trim green beans.
• Put in large pot with cold water 2 inches above potatoes.
• Bring to boil. Turn down to a simmer, until the potatoes are fork tender.

  At this point add trimmed green beans.
• Drain but reserve 1/4 cup of starchy water for the pesto.
• The skins of the potatoes should slip off. Cut as needed into large bite sized .

Pesto

• Wash basil and pat with paper towels. Process garlic, pine nuts (or other choice of nuts) basil, olive oil for processor until you have a creamy consistency. At this point add in some hot starchy water, a tablespoon at a time to thin down just a bit.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients by hand, first adding in all cheese until it is really smooth. Then add butter in at the end. You can choose to skip the butter if you want to.
• Toss potatoes and green beans with pesto while they are still warm. Serve at room temperature.

The post Summer Side: Green Beans, Golden Potatoes with Pesto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

How to Fry Eggplant without Breadcrumbs

I discovered this method when making chicken francaise and wondered if this could deliver the same results. All you need are a few ingredients:

• Eggplant
• Eggs
• Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese
• Italian Seasoning
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

I used two kinds of eggplant, the regular size and the long skinny size, which I cut into coins.

• Use a peeler to remove the skin from larger sized eggplant, leaving it on the smaller size. This is a personal preference. You can leave the peel on.
• Slice about a half inch thick.
• Salt a baking sheet. Place eggplant on the salted sheet. Salt the eggplant on top side.
• Allow the eggplant to sit and lose moisture for at least 30 minutes. Then use paper towel to dry eggplant, and remove most or all of the salt.
• Dip in beaten egg. Dip in grated cheese.
• Add oil to frying pan. Make sure it’s hot before adding eggplant.
• Fry a few minutes each side until golden.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning.
• Make sure the pan isn’t crowded. Fry in batches, removing eggplant to paper towel.
• Add more oil if necessary for next batch.

Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese?

I prefer pecorino romano over parmesan, but this recipe uses with either. Make sure you grate it fresh and very fine if you can. Pecorino is a sheep’s cheese with a distinctive tang and is saltier.

What to Do with Fried Eggplant

• Eat them just as is with salt. We used to devour the eggplant in minutes.

• Eggplant Bruschetta: Serve as an appetizer with an Italian Chopped Tomatoes, Basil, Olive Oil

• Eggplant Parmesan – this is truly comfort food. Use the eggplant to layer tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

• Eggplant Coins can also be served with a Yogurt Dip, ranch dressing or Tzatziki.

Eggplant Caprese

Make this even better as a starter course by adding tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese for a twist on caprese. You can chop the mozzarella or use mozzarella round. Make sure to add salt and pepper as a finishing touch.

More Eggplant Recipes

• Eggplant Soup
• Eggplant Rollatini
• Eggplant Parm with Pepperoni
• Italian Sausage Stuffed Eggplant
• Eggplant Lasagna
• Eggplant Benedict

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Keto Fried Eggplant Recipe

Course Vegetable

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto eggplant

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 19 minutes minutes

Counter time for Sweating Eggplant 1 hour hour

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil use as needed
• 2 eggplants
• salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups pecorino romano or parmesan

Instructions

• Remove skin before slicing, using a potato peeler. You can choose to leave skin on.
• Slice eggplant. I like it medium thick, about 1/2 inch if I'm baking it without stacking it.
• Sweat the eggplant. Lay out on cloth or paper towels and salt heavily on both sides. Use more cloth or paper towels to absorb the liquid.
• Make sure to wipe off salt with paper towels before dipping into egg.
• Beat 2 eggs. You may not need all, so beat more as you need them.
• Add salt and pepper into eggs.
• Heat about an inch of oil in frying pan.
• Dip into egg, then pecorino cheese and fry eggplant over medium heat.
• Season with sea salt.
• Eat as is or use for eggplant bruschetta, eggplant lasagna, etc.

Notes

I like grated pecorino romano, but you can use parmesan. Pecorino is a sheep’s cheese. Parmesan is a cow cheese.

The post Parmesan Cheese Fried Eggplant Bruschetta (no breadcrumbs) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The cauliflower rice is flavored with a touch of saffron (optional), turmeric, mushroom powder, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper. Additions are peas and tomatoes, which add more texture and color.

The one ingredient though that I think brings this home is the sliced toasted almonds. It brings a crunch and a flavor that makes each bite just right. I also think golden raisins would be a great addition, but I didn’t have them on hand.

First of all use frozen cauliflower rice. Costco sell a version with 4 individual bags, that you can either microwave or dry fry. I’ll explain what dry fry is because that’s how I made this recipe.

How to Cook Frozen Cauliflower

My favorite method is to plop the frozen cauliflower in hot cast iron frying pan with just a touch of fat (either oil or butter). This method gives you a chance to season the cauliflower, and make it less mushy. Any water due to the freezing evaporates, which results in a great texture.

Ingredients for Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice

• Frozen Cauliflower Rice
• Olive oil
• Tumeric
• Salt, Pepper
• Peas
• Tomatoes (fresh or sun-dried)
• Sliced toasted almonds

Variations

• Replace peas with golden raisins. You could even use both.
• Replace almonds with toasted pine nuts.
• Replace grape tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes.
• Add a pinch, just a pinch, of saffron if you have it.

Mediterranean Rice Pairs with These Recipes

• Roast Chicken
• Za’atar Spiced Lamb Chops
• Grilled Lamb Loin Chops
• Lamb Meatballs
• Garlic Roasted Chicken Thighs

More Recipes with Cauliflower Rice

• Keto Shrimp Creole Cauliflower Rice
• Chicken with Cauliflower Rice
• Shrimp and Cheesy Cauliflower Grits
• Cauliflower Rice Risotto
• Keto Cajun Shrimp

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Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice

Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice with Shallots, Peas, Turmeric perfect for low carb dinners.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword cauliflower rice

Ingredients

• 16 ounces frozen rice
• 2 tablespoon olive oil more if needed
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 cup frozen peas see notes
• 1 cup grape tomatoes or 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme or fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper more if needed

Instructions

• Heat a large frying pan. Add frozen cauliflower directly to pan without any fat, at first. Heat the cauliflower through and stir frequently.
• Once the cauliflower is heated through, add the oil, stir through, add turmeric, salt, pepper.
• Slice grape tomatoes. If using sun-dried, add a little of the oil in the jar for more flavor and chop the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces.
• Add frozen peas and continue cooking until peas are cooked through. You may add more olive oil.
• Toast almonds in toaster oven for one minute or toast in a frying pan. Keep in mind, almond slices burn easily. Add to rice.
• Add fresh herbs and more salt and pepper if needed.

Notes

Instead of peas, replace with golden raisins 

The post Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

A few of my favorite easy spring asparagus recipes include a soup, a side, and an entree.

Asparagus isn’t just for good looks and taste. Asparagus is highly anti-inflammatory. If you’re not familiar with what inflammation can do in your body, it’s not a pretty picture. It’s the root cause of many cancers and chronic diseases. In fact, many chronic diseases can be reversed into remission if we go on the attack with big fat healthy food that fights inflammation, like asparagus.

The benefits of asparagus go well beyond anti-inflammation, with cancer fighting properties and will act as a natural diuretic.

Asparagus Recipes

These are not the only asparagus recipes on this blog, but a few that are great for this time of year.

• Asparagus Soup
• Chicken Asparagus Stirfry

Asparagus with Eggs

• Asparagus Quiche (almond flour crust)
• Asparagus with Poached Eggs (I first had this in Rome)
• Asparagus Ricotta Fritatta

Thomas Keller Asparagus as a Side

I had this asparagus with gremolata as one of the sides at a Thomas Keller restaurant. To be honest, this dish was my favorite part of the delicious fried

Asparagus can play a major role in your entrees.

• Lamb Chops with Asparagus
• Chicken Asparagus Stir fry
• Spaghetti with Chicken and Asparagus

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The post Easy Spring Asparagus Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Thanks to bloggers and restaurants, the last 20 years has brussels sprouts into a star side. If you’re still not making them at home, hopefully, this post helps you change that.

Let’s Start with Some Favorite Brussel Sprouts Recipes

• Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Brussels with Figs and Bacon
• Brussels Sprouts with Almonds, Dried Cherries

Brussels Sprouts Recipes (Salads)

Brussels sprouts, raw and shredded, nbv 67t65

• Shaved Brussels Salad withe Pecorino
• Kale Winter Salad with Brussels
• Apple, Brussels Sprout Salad

Brussels Sprouts Recipe for Frittata, Pizza and Flash Fried

• Brussels Frittata – Keep some brussels sprouts uncooked to make this over the weekend.
• Pizza with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
• Flash Fried Brussels Sprouts (like a restaurant)
• Brussels Sprouts with Red Quinoa – This is a meal, takes a bit of preparation but is divine.

The Brussels Sprouts Recipe to Consider

Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash

This is not the best picture because it’s a very old recipe, but trust me, it’s fantastic and has a secret ingredient. It’s made with sage leaves and a small amount of toasted bread cubes, but delivers umami satisfaction.

Now that you have a few brussels sprouts recipes to choose from, let me know what you make.

More Ideas for Brussels Sprouts

• Penne Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Lemon, Breadcrumbs.
• Green Bean Casserole with Brussels and Bacon
• Brussels Sprouts Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

Don’t be stressed out by Thanksgiving. I have a great turkey recipe that requires very little from you and always comes out. It’s covered with cheesecloth and needs no basting.

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Thanksgiving Turkey

If you feel the stress of holiday cooking, this turkey recipe I make year after year is a winner. You cover the entire turkey with a cheesecloth soaked in broth. You end up with a self-basted crispy skinned, tender turkey.

RECIPE HERE

The post Brussels Sprouts Recipes You Will Love appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is one of my most popular summer recipes for many years. I think it’s the black pepper that makes it so so tasty. Don’t forget to see all the things you can do with corn, as I have many recipes here.

While I’m not originally from the South, I can claim a few southern roots. My grandmother was from Virginia and she made the best fried chicken in the world. Here is her recipe.

After years of practice and patience it has been said that Spinach Tiger’s southern fluffy biscuits can’t be beat. Even the gluten free fluffy southern biscuit has gotten rave reviews from readers. (Both have videos to help you along).

Why is something as simple as a southern fried corn recipe to hard to get right or require a recipe?

TWO THINGS

Childhood memories. This person’s grandmother made it this way with sugar and flour and who knows what? This other person had a grandmother who knew how to milk the corn to the last drop. Then there’s someone else who adds a cup of heavy cream. Everyone remembers their southern fried corn recipe differently.

Quality or Type of the Corn  It’s key to get very fresh, creamy sweet corn. Silver queen corn would be the corn of choice for this recipe. If you use other less creamy corn, then a little heavy cream will do. Having said that, I used peaches and cream corn for this and still loved it. (I find it hard to turn down any kind of fried corn).

What’s the Best Way to Cut the Corn off the Cob?

If you don’t have a sharp knife, or you want the EASIEST WAY to cut corn off the cob, you will want this tool from Oxo.

What’s the Best Pan to make Fried Corn in?

Cast Iron Frying Pan – I practice what I preach. I have 13 cast iron pans (most are frying pans, a few are dutch ovens). I use them every single day in one form or another. They take the heat. They last forever. They go right into the oven. They are super affordable. I use my 12 inch lodge cast iron frying pan in this recipe, because I like the corn to get a little caramelize


More is not always more in a Southern Fried Corn Recipe.

I’m Italian, and it’s our food philosophy to make the best food with as few ingredients or disturbances as possible. Some of the Southern cuisine recipes (not all, just some) have more ingredients than necessary and sometimes too much cooking time. More is not always more.

Two sticks of butter is not better than one stick of butter for making Southern fried corn. A cup of cream is not better than a splash of cream when only a splash does the job. Editing is the absolute key to bringing balance to a recipe. Even this recipe might need your own personal tweaks, so taste taste taste and stop stop stop when you like it!

Do this if you like your Fried Corn Super Creamy.

If you like your corn super creamy, don’t let it caramelize. Cook it on very low, adding cream as you see fit. If you like your corn a bit browned and creamy at the same time, like I do, turn the heat up a bit, and use cream sparingly. Keep in mind you will be at the mercy of the type of corn you use, but I think with the proper tweaking, you can make any corn off the cob taste good!

Black Pepper is Key to Southern Fried Corn

This southern fried corn recipe has few ingredients. Bacon grease, butter, salt, pepper and perhaps a splash or two of cream. You can opt out of the bacon grease and add more butter, but do not forget the black pepper, and use more than you think you should. If you have some white pepper, a dash of that would be nice too, but sparingly, as that can be harsh.

Some people add bacon to the corn. I prefer not, but feel free.

Left Over Southern Fried Corn can Blossom into other Recipes.

• Southern Fried Corn Cakes – light, fluffy, full of flavor, texture and comfort.
• Leek and Corn Quiche
• Sausage Corn Muffins
• Caramelized Onion Risotto and Sweet Corn
• Open Faced Frittata
• Scrambled Eggs with Corn
• Corn Buttermilk Quiche.

Make Fried Corn with Canned Corn if Necessary

If it’s past fresh corn season and you still want to make fried corn, it will take 6 cups of corn to make this recipes. Each ear of corn is roughly 3/4 cup of corn.

More Recipes for Corn

• Creamed Corn using JUST CORN.
• Pennsylvania Dutch Corn Pudding (one of my most popular recipes).
• Summer Chicken Soup Yellow Squash and Corn.
• Seven Ways to Grill Corn on the Cob
• Sweet Corn Blueberry Swirl Ice Cream

So tell me, if you grew up in the South, how did your family make their southern fried corn recipe? Please follow me on instagram to see behind the scenes cooking and food prep along with recipes not yet published.

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Southern Fried Corn Recipe

How to Make the Best Southern Fried Corn

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 8 ears of corn
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease
• 4 tablespoons butter more if you need it
• salt if you need it
• 1 to 2 tablespoons black pepper
• splash of heavy cream

Instructions

• Cut the corn off the cob with a sharp knife.
• Using the sharpest knife, cut down into the cob to get the milk of the corn.
• Heat up the bacon grease and add two tablespoons of softened butter.
• If you like the corn to be a bit caramelized, cook longer, stir less frequently.
• If you like corn to be creamier, cook for about ten minutes, and at the end add the remaining two tablespoons butter.
• At this point, you can add a splash of heavy cream if you want a creamier corn.
• Add a little bit of salt, and a lot of black pepper.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

Reserve cobs for making corn broth. Boil in water and reserve corn broth to add to soups, stews, casseroles.

The post Secret of the Best Southern Fried Corn Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Stove Top Grilled Zucchini

Pecorino cheese is tangy and salty and perks up zucchini, especially grilled on top of the stove.

RECIPE HERE

Zucchini Fritters

A party favorite, zucchini fritters will become a summer tradition.

RECIPE HERE

Roasted Zucchini with Pecorino and Toasted Almonds

I was actually served this dish in a restaurant years ago on a food blogging tour.

RECIPE HERE

Zucchini Turned into Zoodles with Shrimp

This will make Wednesday night feel fancy and it’s low carb, healthy, and delicious.

RECIPE HERE

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

Panko is ground pork skins and if you’re craving fries, this will do it.

RECIPE HERE

Ciambotta, an Italian Summer Stew

Make double. You will get addicted to this summer comfort food. This recipe is from childhood.

RECIPE HERE

Linguini with Zucchini

An Italian classic that not only uses zucchini in a sophisticated way, it stretches the budget and satisfies the pasta cravings.

RECIPE HERE

Yellow Squash Bacon Frittata

This frittata is one of my favorite summer dishes, which can sit in as lunch or dinner. The sweetness of yellow squash mergers perfectly with smoky bacon.

RECIPE HERE

Corn Zucchini Stir Fry

This combo is a great side taking advantage of summer veggies that won’t be around in a few months.

RECIPE HERE

Bonus Zucchini Recipes

• Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies with Honey (no nuts)
• Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Orange Basil Frosting
• Magda Zucchini Bake
• Italian Summer Vegetable Soup

Make the Best of Summer Veggies

Summer doesn’t last forever, so I hope you get out to the farmer’s market this weekend and buy your local produce from neighboring farms. FYI, I am selling my keto bakes at the Nolensville Farmer’s Markets on Saturday.

The post Zucchini Recipes for Summer appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

SUMMER SALADS WITH FRESH CORN

• Blackberry Corn Salad – the one berry that stays fresh the longest.
• Caprese for a Party – How did I never think of this years ago.
• Corn, Avocado Salad, Tomato, Black Eyed Peas – the salad that almost feels like a meal.
• Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad – if you insist on grilling the corn, this is a fun one.

By the way my most popular post of summer for the last three years is THIS FRIED CORN RECIPE.

SUMMER SALADS WITH RAW VEGGIES– Salads that take you right through the fall.

• Broccoli Salad with NO sugar dressing.
• Purple Cauliflower Salad with walnut vinaigrette
• Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
• Red Cabbage Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette
• Triple Crunch Cabbage Salad with Marcona Almonds

SUMMER SALADS FOR A CROWD WITH ADDED FRUIT

• Cole Slaw with Blue Cheese and Apple
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• Spinach Salad with Grilled Nectarines
• Blackberry with Baked Goat Cheese Salad
• Strawberry Arugula Salad
• Swiss Chard, Nectarines, Toasted Pecans

ITALIAN SALADS (make ahead)

• Italian Potato Salad with Green Beans
• Tuscan Kale

Last by not least, enjoy these Summer Cocktails

Bonus Idea

• Bruschetta

As simple as this is, there are ways to get it right and get it wrong. When done right, it disappears fast and you’ll want to make more right away.

The post Summer Salads for a Crowd appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I know this is not a low-carb dish, but every now and again potatoes call my name, especially Yukon golds.

Yukon golds are small potatoes, yellow in color, buttery and creamy and often sold in bags. Versatile for baking, mashing, and roasting, these make a beautiful crispy potato dish.

• Simply place in cold water and boil for about 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
• Remove from the water, smash with a glass and place in a cast iron pan or a baking dish.
• Pour melted butter all over, season with salt, pepper and rosemary, bake at 400 degrees until potatoes are crispy and wow, have you got a side dish.

Variations for Crispy Smashed Potatoes

• Serve with sour cream or tzatziki.
• Melt cheddar cheese.
• Crumble blue cheese or feta on the potatoes.
• Add fried eggs.
• Make an amazing scramble with the leftovers.
• Add 10 eggs and make a potato frittata.

Equipment for this Recipe

• The ONLY Salt and Pepper Grinders I’ll ever use (after trying several, I’ve had these for years and they are worth the money.
• Cast Iron Frying Pan

What Entrees Love These Potatoes

• Our Best Steak Recipes
• Roasted Chicken
• Roasted Fish

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Yellow Yukons, boiled, and roasted crispy with butter for a great side.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword smashed potatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds yellow Yukon potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped herbs rosemary or parsley
• 1/2 cup butter melted

Instructions

• Place potatoes in their skin in cold water.
• Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender. About 20 minutes.
• Drain from water. Place in cast iron pan. Smash with bottom of a glass.
• Season with salt and pepper,
• Pour melted butter over potatoes.
• Roast at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are golden and crispy.
• Add chopped herbs when potatoes come out of the oven.
• See blog post for ideas on serving and for variations.

The post Crispy Smashed Potatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

At a recent cookout,  I needed a side for burgers. I didn’t want any starch, and a salad seemed too formal. No one around here likes mayonnaise based salads (except me). That delicious cauliflower salad came to mind when my friend texted me from Adele’s during brunch. I looked at the ingredients in their on-line menu and went from there.

Watch the Video for Raw Shaved Cauliflower Salad

Now normally I would not make anything with raw cauliflower, because it has no taste, and isn’t pleasant to eat. However once you add marinate shaved cauliflower in a strong vinegar based dressing, pistachios, golden raisins and scallions, it becomes a pretty addicting salad.

Here’s what I Learned about Raw Shaved Cauliflower Salad.

You almost can’t add enough vinegar and you need to let it marinate overnight. If not, it ends up being fairly tasteless. If you can wait or you plan ahead, it’s amazing, especially if you add nuts for crunch, and dried fruit for sweetness and texture.

You also needs lots of scallions, and a strong mustardy dressing.  I used a ratio of vinegar to oil 1 to 2. Normally I use much less vinegar, but this salad needs a lot of acid. It also needs salt, but add the chopped nuts first (which are salted) before you add too much.

I used a large whole cauliflower and sliced each floret as thinly as possible. I tried both slicing with a knife and a mandolin. The mandolin works better and I use this one also featured below.

As far as nuts, I used chopped, salted pistachios. Harder nuts seem to work better in this salad, and you could also use chopped peanuts or sliced almonds. If you use almonds, sautè them first to intensify their flavor. I added in some red chili flakes for heat.

Tips for the Best Shaved Cauliflower Salad

• Robust Vinaigrette made with Olive Oil and Mustard
• Slice Cauliflower thinly
• Scallions (lot of them)
• Toasted Nuts for more texture
• Add in heat with red chili flakes

Shaved Cauliflower Salad stays crunchy and is the perfect side dish to take to a party or pot luck.

I find that people really appreciate healthier choices at parties. This will be added to my list of salads that travel well, that include this Potluck Autumn Kale Salad and this Brussels Sprouts Salad with Raw Beet Pesto.

 More Spinach Tiger Cauliflower Recipes

• Popcorn Cauliflower
• Cauliflower Parmesan
• Greek Cauliflower
• Cauliflower Bacon Leek Soup
• Purple Cauliflower Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
• Skillet Cheesesteak with Cauliflower (no bread)

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Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette

Raw Cauliflower Salad with pistachios, golden raisins, scallions, and a zesty dijon mustard champagne vinaigrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 cup chopped salted pistachios
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 bunches of scallions
• 1/2 cup champagne vinaigrette see recipe below
• sea salt
• pepper
• red pepper flakes as needed

Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar more as needed
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Cut out the bottom core of cauliflower. Discard
• Slice cauliflower as thin as you can. Mandolin is best, but you can slice with good sharp knife.
• Toss with vinaigrette.You will want the vinegar to be pronounced. I found that the cauliflower doesn’t hold the vinegar taste.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add in chile flakes.
• Add golden raisins, chopped scallions, nuts, (reserve some nuts for garnish).

Vinaigrette Instructions

• Infuse olive oil with chopped garlic for 20 minutes.
• Put mustard in a jar and mix well with vinegar.
• Slowly add olive oil. Mix well.
• Add red pepper flakes.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Video

Notes

Depending on how large your cauliflower is, you may need more dressing. Once you taste, you may need to add vinegar, but I found I didn’t need to add in more olive oil.
You might also want to add in more nuts, raisins depending on your own taste.

It’s important to refrigerate this salad for several hours or overnight to marinate the cauliflower.

The post Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette & Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.