Crispy Cauliflower Bites

This is probably the best (and most unhealthy) way to eat cauliflower. It tastes like bites of fried chicken but is completely vegetarian. These would also be delicious served over a salad, but we devoured them on their own.

Crispy Cauliflower Bites (adapted from Damn Delicious)

Ingredients:

·         ½ cup vegetable oil

·         1 cup Panko bread crumbs

·         1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

·         1/2 T red pepper

·         1/2 T garlic powder

·         Pinch of salt & pepper

·         4 cups cauliflower florets

·         1/2 cup flour (I used whole-wheat)

·         3 large eggs, beaten

·         2 T Trader Joe’s Soyaki Sauce

Directions:

1.   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2.   Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, red pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl

3.   Dredge cauliflower pieces in flower, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.

4.   Add cauliflower to the skillet 8-10 at a time and cook until evenly golden and crispy, rotating every minute (they should crisp up in 2-3 minutes).

5.   Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

6.   Toss the fried cauliflower in Soyaki sauce and serve.

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Pop Rock Sprinkled Brownies

Buzzfeed recently posted a video ranking different celebrity brownie recipes. This one by Gordon Ramsay is sprinkled in Pop Rocks (or as he calls them, “popping candy.” We tried this recipe out for a pre-Fourth of July BBQ over the weekend.

We love watching all of Gordon Ramsay's shows, but especially Masterchef Junior. I'm always so impressed by the talent of these 8-12 year olds! Plus, there's a lot less drama and Gordon is way nicer to the kids than the adults... 

I have to say, I followed the recipe and mine did NOT turn out as expected. The brownies were so thick that the inside wasn’t cooking so it was liquid inside at the end of the cooking time. Also, it recommended lining the pan with parchment paper, which ended up being more of a hassle than just spraying the pan like I normally do. I was ready to call it a Pinstrosity, but after cooking them for a bit longer and hiding all the crevices in sprinkles and Pop Rocks, they weren’t nearly as horrible looking.

In addition to Pop Rocks, the brownies have dried cherries inside giving them a Black-Forest Cake flavor. It was kind of a strange combination; I think I’d try the same base recipe but with toasted coconut or nuts on top next time.

If you do end up using Pop Rocks, make sure to wait for the brownies to cool and sprinkle them right before serving, otherwise they may end up melting and losing their pop. Also, I got red and blue Pop Rocks for Fourth of July, however, be warned that the color on the packages does not match the color inside. The green package is actually red watermelon inside and the blue package is green tropical punch (the strawberry was the only predictable color).

Hope you have better success than I do if you try these for Independence Day! At least they tasted better than they looked...

Chewy Chocolate Cherry Pop Rock Sprinkled Brownies (adapted from Gordon Ramsay)

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 16 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup dried sour cherries
• 2 T milk
• ½ cup Pop Rocks
• Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan (I’d steer clear of using the parchment lining)

2. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3. Melt 2/3 of the chocolate chips. I put mine in the microwave and heated on 30 second increments while stirring until liquid.

4. Pour the chocolate into the butter mixture and combine. Add the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder and mix together.

5. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat with a fork until well mixed. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mixture.  

6. Stir in the sour cherries and remaining chocolate chips. If the mixture feels stiff, loosen it with a few tablespoons of milk.  

7. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the brownies are coming away from the side.

8. Take the brownies out of the oven and leave to cool.

*At this point, we were running late for the BBQ, so we cut the brownies much too early, then ended up making a mess. Make sure you allow time for the brownies to cool completely

9. When cooled and ready to serve, sprinkle with Pop Rocks and sprinkles.

*We tried to use more melted chocolate as a frosting, which tasted good but caused the Pop Rocks to melt. If you use them as a topping, they shouldn’t touch anything liquid to remain intact.

Want to try out other celebrity brownie recipes? Check out Buzzfeed's video here: