How to Make Winter Roasted Cauliflower Soup Recipe

Image via: Vine Health Care

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Ingredients:

Yields: 6 servings

2 heads cauliflower separated into florets

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 chopped shallots

1 tablespoon olive oil

750ml chicken stock

250ml water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme

500ml double cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Image via: Woman and Home

Directions:

20 minutes + Cook: 1 hour

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, shallots, and garlic in a large bowl. Spread out in a baking tray or roasting tin.
2. Roast in the preheated oven until toasted and tender, approximately 30 minutes.
3. When the cauliflower is done, transfer it to a soup pot and pour in the chicken stock and water. Season with bay leaf and thyme and bring to boil. Cook over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
4. Using a hand blender puree the soup in the pot, or transfer to a liquidizer and puree in batches, and then return to the pot. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Heat properly before serving but do not boil.

Use a whole roasted cauliflower when cooking your soup:

While many vegetables you have to use a higher quantity due to the waste of the core and stems, feel free to use the entire cauliflower when roasting. This will save you money and help your soup stretch further.

Do you know the health benefits of cauliflower?

Besides being a creamy substitute for starchy potatoes in your favorite soup recipe it also has many great health benefits. It can help fight cancer, boost your heart health, it’s rich and vitamins and more! For 8 health benefits of cauliflower check out these other advantages.

This is a great soup to start out with kids especially if they are picky with their veggies. It is so creamy and yummy that they will have no idea there is so much nutrition in it. Little pots of croutons, grated cheese, or plain yogurt for stirring will also help to make the meal time more interesting. Would you be trying this roasted cauliflower soup recipe tonight?

For more soup recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

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We’d love for you to try it and let us know how your teenage son’s and men in your life enjoy it. If the men in your life are like mine, they won’t ask to use your Clarisonic they will just try it when you’re not home! HA! So why not get them an Alpha Fit, especially made for their skin?

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Easy Summer Recipe: Corn & Tomato Pasta

Image Via: Iowa Girl Eats

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Ingredients

1 bowl of your favorite pasta

1/4 cup boiled sweet corn

4 to 5 cherry tomatoes

A little baby spinach (optional)

1/2  cup broccoli (optional)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Image Via: Recipe

Directions

1. In a sauce pan, boil the pasta for about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and a little cooking oil to the pan. Keep stirring with a spoon occasionally so that the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom and form a huge lump.
2. Once cooked, run cold water through the pasta. You could use a strainer for that. Run the water for a couple of minutes and run your fingers simultaneously to assure that the pasta does not stick r.
3. Chop the cherry tomatoes into wedges and have the sweet corn ready.
4. In a flat non-stick pan, add some cooking oil.
5. If you do choose to add broccoli now is the time to do so. Sauté it for a minute or two on medium heat. Add in chopped spinach next. Sauté for another minute.
6. Add the cherry tomatoes. Very gently mix the contents of the pan and add the boiled pasta. Gently mix again.
7. Add corn and season with salt and pepper.
8. One more gentle mix and your pasta is ready to serve.

This pasta recipe is pretty basic and makes up for an excellent easy summer recipe. You could throw in some sautéed broccoli, spinach and other veggies of your choice. For meat lovers this pasta recipe is just the base. They could add chicken, beef or any of their favorite meats. And for the kids do not forget to garnish it with a little shredded cheese. What you will love about this recipe is the fact that you can twist and turn it to suit your mood and taste, so every time you toss up the corn & tomato pasta there is a different flavor and spirit to it. Do share your views on the recipe.

Click here for more Easy Recipes on Stagetecture!

Summer Dessert: 3 Easy Sorbet Recipes

Image via: Healthy Happy Life

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1. Mango Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

Mango, cut into chunks (about 3 cups)

½ cup pineapple juice

¼ cup coconut milk

Directions

Put the mango chunks into the freezer until they are solid frozen. Pure the pineapple juice, the coconut milk and the mango into your blender and blend everything until smooth. If necessary, add a little more liquid to help with the blending process. Either serve it directly or put it into a container and put it into the freezer, but if you do that, keep in mind that you will have to let it sit outside of the freezer at least 10 minutes to soften up before you can serve it.

Image via: Chelsea’s Messy Apron

2. Lime Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ cup sugar

2 cups water

1 cup lime juice

1 tsp. xanthan gum

Zest of one lime

Directions

In a saucepan, bring the sugar, the zest and the water to a boil. Remove it and let it cool. Add the lime juice and the xanthan gum to the made mixture. Stir until the gum is dissolved (use an electric mixer if needed). Pour the mixture into a freezer safe container and put it in the freezer. Every 20-30 minutes you will need to stir the sorbet until it is frozen.

Lime Sorbet Margarita Recipe

3. Watermelon Sorbet Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup sugar

1 cup water

Seedlesh watermelon (about 8 cups)

1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

Pour the water and the sugar into a small pan and let it boil. When the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and let it cool. In a blender, puree the watermelon and place it into a large bowl. Add the syrup to the puree together with the lemon juice and mix it to combine well. Place the mixture into a 13×9 dish, cover it and put in the freezer until it is frozen. To serve, blend it briefly.

These three sorbets are great, healthy substitutions for ice creams and they are super refreshing. Kids just love them and who could blame them. Make a huge batch of these easy Summer Dessert recipes to offer to friends and guest when you throw a summer party.

For more frozen summer treats on Stagetecture, click here.

Healthy Recipe: Fresh Summer Taco Cups

Image via: Blog Lovin

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Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yields: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Steak:

1 unpeeled orange, thinly sliced and divvied

½ peeled onion, thinly sliced and divided

4 garlic cloves, halved, smashed and divided

2 ¼ pound flank steak

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup light colored beer

Salsa

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 large lime juice

½ serrano pepper, seeded and minced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Procedure

Image via: A Thought For Food

1. For the steak-scatter half of each orange slices, onion slices, and garlic pieces on a bottom of a large glass dish. Sprinkle the flank steak all over with salt and pepper and place it in the prepared baking dish. Now scatter the remaining oranges, onion, and garlic over the flank steak and pout the beer over. Cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for one hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
2. Over medium heat place a grill pan or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the steak to desired doneness say about 5 minutes per side. Let it rest for 10 minutes then transfer the grilled flank steak to a cutting board and cut crosswire into strips.
4. For the salsa- In a small bowl mix together the salsa ingredients.
5. To assemble, use the butter lettuce leaves and make tacos using slices of flank steak and avocados. Drizzle with prepared salsa.

Note: The marinated steak can also be broiled if desired.

Wonderfully delicious and light, these tacos are a must try this summer. Now who says that healthy recipes have to be boring?

4th of July Barbecue: Rosemary Chicken Kebabs

Image Via: Taste

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Ingredients

5 chicken breasts, skinned, boneless and cut into cubes

1 tbsp fresh Rosemary, minced

A few rosemary stems

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp regular white sugar

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp salt

Image Via: Pinch and Swirl

Directions

1. Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a small bowl.
2. In another small bowl mix lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, olive oil, sugar and rosemary. This is your marinade.
3. Pour this marinade over the seasoned chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with a plastic film.
4. Refrigerate for two hours.
5. Take the rosemary leaves out of the stem, keeping just a few at the tip. These shall be used as skewers.
6. Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator and fix them on the skewers.
7. Grease the grill well before using. Cook the marinated chicken on the grill for about 12 to 15 minutes. You can cover the chicken with foil to retain the flavors. Keep turning the skewers every four minutes to cook the chicken on all sides.
8. Once the chicken is done, you can take off the chunks from the charred skewers and place them on to new rosemary stems.

This gorgeous 4th of July barbecue is best served with mayonnaise. You can flavor the mayonnaise with a little Dijon mustard for some rich flavors. Even if you do not want to load the chunks on to a new rosemary stem you can just place them on a serving plate besides a rosemary sprig. Slices of grilled garlic bread serve as a great accompaniment too! Do let us know of your thoughts on this beautiful 4th of July barbecue recipe.

Click here for more 4th Of July Recipes on Stagetecture!

Spring Dessert: Easy Fruit Pizza

Image via: At the Pink of Perfection

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Total Time: 30 minutes

Yields: 1 pizza pie

Ingredients

18 ounce refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8 ounce cream cheese, softened

8 ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

½ cup white sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon orange zest

Procedure

Image via: Fashion Edible

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). Slice cookie dough and arrange on properly greased pizza pan, overlapping edges. Press the dough flat into the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow it to cool.
2. Soften cream cheese in a large bowl then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. Let it chill for a while then continue by arranging fruit.
3. Begin with half sliced strawberries. Arrange in a circle around the edge. Continue working towards the middle with the fruit of your choice. If using bananas, dip them in lemon juice to avoid darkening. Then make a sauce to spoon over the fruits.
4. In a saucepan, mix sugar, corn starch, salt, orange juice, lemon juice and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring. Cook for 1-2 minutes, bring to boil, until thickened. Remove from the heat and add grated orange rind. Allow it to cool then spoon over fruits. Chill for 2 hours, then cut into wedges and serve.

Celebrate the flavors of the season with this spring dessert recipe that is full of fresh fruits. Use the ones of your choice and get creative with the arrangement. In fact, there are a lot of fun ways to arrange the fruits to give it a different vibe. Which fruits are your favorite?

For more dessert ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Image via: Pretty Fit Body

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Carrots

Easter bunny loves carrots. So, why not wrap a few sticks with a ribbon, or fill a few small cellophane bags with baby carrots? Toss an individual hummus container in the basket for a healthy dip.

Hard Boiled Eggs

You have already dyed those eggs. So, why that filling protein go to waste? You might as well slip a few in. However, just make sure to use food grade dyes such as gel, liquid, and paste colors for cake decorating. Decorated eggs are indeed a healthy addition to any Easter basket. And they are fun too!

Image via: MSLiving

Fruit Treats

For a little chocolaty treat with a healthy dose of fruit, dip grapes, whole strawberries or banana slices in melted chocolate. Microwave a little dark or semi-sweet chocolate, or melt in a double boiler and dip fruits of your choice. Freeze to let them set. For some added crunch, roll the fruit in chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans. If you prefer to stay away from sweets all together consider using nut butters such as peanut, almond, sunflower butter instead of chocolate.

Homemade Marshmallow Peeps

Easter without marshmallow peeps is like Christmas without cookies. For a healthier version, ditch the white sugar and corn syrup in favor of honey. We are not saying that these are as healthy as broccoli florets, but they are at least free of any artificial dyes and preservatives.

Plastic Easter Eggs  

Image via: Crazy Little Projects

Those colorful plastic Easter eggs are a great way to pre-portion treats. Fill them up with dehydrated or dried fruits such as dates, apricots, toasted hazelnuts, macadamia nuts or yogurt covered raisins. Apart from being healthy, there is an element of surprise too!

No doubt Easter Bunny is the bearer of delicious, tasty treats. But this does not mean that the holiday turns into a week-long candy spree. Use these ideas and let us know what other items would you like to put in your kids healthier Easter basket?

Hearty Spring Dinner: Vegetable Lasagne

Image via: Half Baked Harvest

Total Time: 20 minutes preparation + 55 minutes cooking

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

30g butter

¼ cup flour

1 and half cups milk

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced

2 zucchini cut into ribbons

2 green onions trimmed and cut

1 bunch spinach, trimmed

10 instant lasagna sheets, dried

1 cup frozen peas

250g ricotta, fresh

2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

2/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 cup pizza cheese, grated

Some extra basil leaves to serve

Procedure

Image via: Gojee

1. Pre heat oven to 200-180 degrees Celsius (fan forced)
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbling, keep stirring. Remove from the heat. Slowly pour in milk and stir until combined. Put back to heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Make sure to stir constantly. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to boil. Add zucchini, asparagus, and onions. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Add spinach to pan and cook for 1 minute or until wilted. Again remove using a slotted spoon. Let it cool then squeeze out excess moisture. Roughly chop.
4. Cover the base of 8 cup capacity ovenproof dish with 2/3 cup of white sauce. Layer it with ¼ lasagna sheets trimmed to fit followed by asparagus mixture, 1/3 ricotta, and peas. Top it up with 1/3 of remaining lasagna sheets, ½ remaining ricotta, and ½ bunch spinach. Repeat the process. Now top it up with the remaining lasagna sheets and white sauce. Arrange basil leaves and tomato on the top. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and tender. Serve with extra basil leaves.

Celebrate the fresh flavors of the season with this healthy spring dinner recipe. The best part is it won’t weigh you down, yet is wonderfully satisfying.

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

Image via:  Blog Chef

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Ingredients

4 slices of thick cut Bacon, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 cup of Short-Grain White Rice
1 pound of peeled and deveined medium Shrimp (raw)
6 cups of Broccoli Florets
½ cup of Oyster Sauce
5 ounces of Kale, chopped
¼ cup of Rice Vinegar

Image via:  Recipe Great

Directions

1. You want to first begin with cooking the white rice, by either microwave or stove top depending on package directions.
2. While the rice is heating, you can start cooking the bacon. Take out a large skillet and lay the bacon strips side by side, being sure to occasionally turn them over until all four of the strips become crisp (2-3 min). Once they are finished cooking then you can place them on another plate that has paper towels on top of it, but leave the skillet out.
3. Now for your New Year’s dinner, you are going to cook the garlic and onions in the skillet, stir the mixture constantly for again abut 2-3 minutes or until the onions become tender. Add in the shrimp, and cook until it has transformed from the translucent color it was to a more opaque look (2-4 min).
4. After the shrimp, onions and garlic have been thoroughly cooked through then you can set them on the plate with the bacon strips.

Image via:  Cook Smarts

1. Now time for the broccoli; take the broccoli, oyster sauce and a ¼ cup of water and add them to the skillet. While the combination is cooking, be sure to give the combo a few quick stirs while the broccoli is becoming crisp and tender like (3-5 min).
2. When the broccoli combination is complete, now you can bring everything together. The kale, vinegar, shrimp and onions are ready to be blended into the mixture. Keep tossing the mixture until the kale is wilted and the sauce is thickened, which should take about 1-2 minutes.
3. You can go ahead and place some of the white rice on a plate and place the shrimp and broccoli mixture over it and drizzle the sauce over it.

Typically, you can’t go wrong with a stir-fry. It’s just one of those meals that will satisfy everyone’s needs or you can substitute ingredients without changing the entity of the meal. The recipe is at best a 20-minute meal that will give you a break and your family the gratification of an awesome meal. So for a new but overly used recipe, try this New Year’s dinner recipe for your household tonight.