Game day goodies vol. 2; buffalo cauliflower with avocado dill-dip, and baked tofu avocado sliders

Here we are again! The second installment of game day goodies. Hope you like these as much as the first two! These are EASY and taste AMAZEBALLS.

I like that word. It’s borderline offensive to all the right people. you know who you are. *smirk*

SO! I’ve got some avocados that are almost-ripe, because as you know avocados are all like:

mothafu- I hate you avocadooooosssssss

So the avocados are just a hair above the EATMENOW stage and I have a recipe I want to try. Courtesy of the lovely Yvonne at “My eclectic kitchen”! Have to give props where props are due! I changed this up only a wee bit because I didn’t have a few ingredients.

Here is the original link- which calls for a home made buff-sauce, and garbanzo flour which would make it GF.

http://myeclectickitchen.com/?s=buffalo+cauliflower&submit=Search

Buffalo cauliflower and Avocado Dill-dip

*the main stuffs*

one large head of cauliflower

Buffalo sauce of your choice! (Yvonne’s recipe calls for homemade Buff sauce, but I’m not crunchy enough for that today.)

*batter*

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 tsp garlic powder

8 dashes of cayenne pepper

2 drops of Stevia

1 cup filtered water

*dip*

1 ripe avocado

1 garlic clove

2 tsp dill (mine wasn’t fresh, wish it was!)

2 drops stevia

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp filtered water

process:

preheat oven to 450 degrees. You’ll need a cookie sheet that is lined, or non-stick. Prep the batter, whisk it well, and toss in the cauliflower. I cut mine up into med sized pieces, perfect for fingers! After they are thoroughly coated, place into the oven, on the middle rack and bake for 18 mins. They should be crispy and brown when you take them out. Toss in buffalo sauce and return to the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up. During the baking process, blend the dip ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to dipping bowl, and try it out! It was boss with celery and the ‘plain’ garlic cauliflower I roasted too. We love our cruciferous veggies here.  Serve immediately and have a glass of water or beer to drown them with because they’re spicaaayyyy! 🙂

And now, for a Sarah original… the vegan tofu-avocado sliders!

Since we’re in the spicy mood, and we’ve got maybenotsomuchalmost ready avocados… lets make SLIDERS.

Baked tofu and avocado sliders

bread, bun, or in my case, a whole wheat english muffin *toasted*

organic sprouted tofu, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices (1/2 of the TJ’s package slices up to 4-5 slices)

cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder

avocado slices

spinach

Process:

Hopefully you’re doing this with the above recipe, so it’s easier and more convenient…. if not, I suggest using a toaster over for the tofu, since it’s a small amount and you don’t want to waste all the energy! (Or you could saute the tofu, and season before adding to the slider, but it won’t have that crispy feel.) On a greased cookie sheet (I use the one with the cauliflower on it, it had all the crispy bits! MMM!) placed your tofu slices, and season well with S&P, garlic powder, and cayenne. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the are crispy and brown. Lighter if you want them soft. I like a little crunch! Place on a toasted bread, drizzle with buffalo sauce, add avocado slices and spinach. That’s it! So easy, and SO TASTY! You’re welcome. Add a cheese if you’d like. Maybe even some of the avocado dip! Don’t be bashful! However, this is totally boss as-is! I would have had three but I had eaten so much cauliflower I could barely move.

job well done, mommy! 🙂

Enjoy the game! It’s almost over and the Broncos have more than embarrassed themselves. WELL!? There’s always next year.

Game day goodies, vol. 1; Arugula tarts, and Spinach & Artichoke dip

Wings, wing dip, cheese dip, cheese with bacon and diabetes dip with salt and dip and pizza and chips and sliders.

You know that’s what you want to eat on game day! Why not switch it up with veggies and flavor!? Minus the guilt, the bloat, the food hangover, not to mention the obvious health risks with consuming that much garbage in one day! Don’t you want to feel good tomorrow!?

*it’s ok, you can have some booze. just not too much.*

Yesterday was the BIGGEST game in all of NCAA history: SU vs DUKE. I’m a huge Syracuse fan (born and bred there! my home town!) and it was exhilarating to watch them beat Duke. What a fight it was! So I figured, why not drop a c-note at TJ’s, and whip up some goodies!?

OK- I blame this mess on my husband. HE cut the pizza. But who cares! TASTED AMAZEBALLS.

Balsamic glazed Arugula Tarts 

Gather:

2 pizza shells (or use hand rolled dough, whatever you have will do)

wild or organic arugula about 2-3 cups

balsamic vinegar (to reduce for glaze)

seasoning: garlic salt, pepper, italian seasoning

1 cup of balsamic vinegar, and a small pot to reduce it in

marinara sauce about 1-2 cups

prepare: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Ready your pizza pans, stones, or sheets. Roll out your dough, or if you’re like me- you’ve purchased the NEW frozen organic pizza shells at TJ’s! $2.79 for two shells. And they’re VEGAN. NOT BAD! They defrost easily, and are light and easy to use! I just plopped these frozen bad boys onto the pizza pans and while I prepped the other ingredients, they defrosted. 10 mins tops. Start with your marinara, go heavy or light. Your choice! I made one heavy and and one light. My hubby is a sauce freak and sometimes complains I don’t put enough, so I’ve added some extra for him. So high maintanence these men! 😛

ready to meet their maker!

Top with arugula, and a healthy dusting of garlic salt, pepper, and italian spices (I used a bit of basil and oregano).  I also gave them a sprinkling of garlic oil. I love that stuff! Ok. Now… pop them into the oven! While they’re in the oven reduce your balsamic. Here it comes….disclaimer! I’m no pro- but I bring the balsamic to a boil, and then reduce to medium, watching, stirring, and waiting for it to reduce and thicken. By the time the pizza’s were crisp and slightly brown, the vinegar was nice and thick. I had it on the warmer while I took the pizzas out. Take a spoon, scoop, and drizzle! Slice and serve immediately. This my friends, is SO good! And it’s really easy! If you buy the premade crusts, it takes almost no time to prep. The balsamic glaze really is what takes the longest. Watch em closely’! These puppies will go quick!

No. No puppies. We don’t eat meat here.

pre-oven; we were too busy eating it for me to remember to take a pic

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

gather:

One package of artichokes (frozen), or one can of artichokes drained and rinsed

2-3 cups of chopped spinach

one can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 container of vegan cream cheese (you will need 1/2)

1 can of coconut milk

Daiya jack style shreds

panko crumbs, or any crumbly topping you’d like

5 garlic cloves + garlic powder

juice of one lemon

nutritional yeast 1 tbsp

Blender, a big bowl, a baking pan, and 375 degrees of heat *cook with pizzas!*

The goods! From TJ’s of course

the spinach and chokes

new item! not bad. I don’t LOVE dairy replacements per se… but if you need it, go for it. Moderation is key!

creamy goodness! Color comes from the yeast and the beans.

my flavor buddies!

prepare: I hope you already have your oven preheated and your pizza’s cooking! If not, just turn it on 🙂 This is quick! Chop your spinach, and artichokes, set aside in a big bowl for mixing. In a blender, combine the chickpeas, half the cream cheese (use the whole thing if you want a thicker “sauce”), about 3/4 of the can of coconut milk (I used light coconut milk), 5 cloves of garlic + a few shakes of the garlic powder, the nutritional yeast, and the juice of one lemon. Blend until smooth. Season well with salt & pepper. Taste a few times to make sure it’s right! You’ll know. It’s delicious! Mix with spinach and chokes, pour into baking pan, and top with Daiya jack, more garlic powder, and some panko crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and brown around the edges. Dip with chips, veggies, pitas, or your spoon. 🙂 Enjoy!

Serve these to your carnivorous friends and they won’t know what they’re missing! Just the bloat, the guilt, the cruelty….

:p GO SYRACUSE!!!!