Cauliflower Rice

I've come across cauliflower rice on a number of websites lately. The idea is to use cauliflower as a lower calorie and lower carb alternative to rice, so I thought it was worth a try. The version I used came from nomnompaleo although I used sunflower oil rather than coconut.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 cauliflower (approx 200g) chopped into medium chunks
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp sunflower oil
Salt/pepper

* heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until translucent
* grate the cauliflower. Blitzing it in a food processor would be quicker, but I don't have one.
* add the cauliflower to the pan, season and stir well then cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
* serve in place of rice

Obviously it doesn't actually taste like rice, it tastes of cauliflower, but the texture is pretty good.

Nutritional info
Calories: 92, Carbs: 11g, Fat: 5g, Protein: 3g

Swede and Parsnip mash

I really fancied sausage and mash last night, but I didn't have any potatoes and this close to the end of the month I couldn't afford to buy any. What I did have in the fridge though was half a swede and some parsnips.

Ingredients (serves 1 greedy person)
1/2 a swede (200g approx)
1 parsnip
Knob of butter
Salt/pepper

* peel the veg and cut into even chunks
* bring a pan of water to the boil, and the veg and cook for around half an hour, or until soft
* drain, then put the veg back into the pan and return to the heat for 30 seconds or so to get rid of excess moisture
* add a knob of butter to the pan, with a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper
* mash the veg 
* eat!

I think I actually prefer this to potatoes.

Sweet potato hash

Found this idea on a website called nomnompaleo and thought it looked well worth a try.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 sweet potato
1 clove garlic
1/2 small onion
Salt/pepper
Oil spray

* finely chop the onion and garlic
* cut the sweet potato into little sticks. I used the julienne blade on my mandolin. Mix the potato with the onion and garlic and season well
* heat a couple of sprays of oil in a pan and fry the potato mixture over a medium-high heat for a few minutes 
* put a lid on the pan and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the potato has softened.

I had it as a side dish with a couple of sausages and some steamed veg.

Boulangere potatoes

Ingredients
1 or 2 large potato per person
Small onion, sliced
Clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 pint vegetable stock
Salt and pepper

* Heat oven to 200C
* thinly slice potatoes. I use a mandolin
* Place a layer of potato slices in the base of a lightly greased casserole dish and top with some onion and garlic, and season
* Repeat layering, finishing with a final potato layer
* Pour over the vegetable stick until it comes about half way up the potato layers
* Bake for around 40 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. Cover with foil if the top is getting too crispy

As a variation, I sometimes mix in sliced swede, parsnip or turnip with the potatoes.