Quinoa Risotto with Roasted Cauliflower

I didn't even try to get my kids to eat this. But sometimes there's cauliflower in the house and you just want to do something with it. I've been thinking about risotto for a while and decided to experiment. I found a couple recipes, including one for the roasted cauliflower risotto (that I loved for the sliced almonds) and a different one for quinoa risotto with different veggies. Here's what my hands came up with. It turned out very yummy. I think it'll go on the 'make again' list.

Quinoa Risotto with Roasted Cauliflower

Doesn't it look so pretty?! Fair warning: red wine
makes the risotto sort-of brownish

1 head of cauliflower

1/2 an onion, diced

2 Tbls butter

1 Tbls Better Than Bouillon

1 cup wine

4 cups water

A little bit of oil

1 cup raw sliced almonds

1-1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1 cup parmesan cheese

1-1/2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dice the cauliflower. Make all the flower parts no larger than 1"x1", slice the stalk parts even smaller but in a separate pile. Put the florets on a cookie sheet, pour some oil over them and mix it around. Add salt and pepper. Cook on the top rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the almonds on top and cook for about 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool while you work on the rest.

While the cauliflower is cooking, mix up the water with the Better Than Bouillon in a measuring bowl for later. Melt butter in a 4qt pot. With the heat around medium, add the onion and cauliflower stalk pieces. Cook until the onion is wimpy. Add the quinoa and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the wine and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the wine is mostly dissolved. Pour in about a third of the water mixture and keep cooking. Cook about 5 minutes and then add another third. Stir pretty constantly and keep cooking. After you've added the last third, it'll take about 5-10 minutes for the mixture to get thicker, but it won't look like all the water is dissolved. The quinoa is cooked enough if it's pretty clear except for a little curl of grain.

Add both cheese and stir until they're well combined and melted. Dish up a bowlful and put a large scoop or two of the cauliflower and almonds on top. These amounts look like they'll make about 4-6 full sized main dish meals.

Calabacitas

A friend passed this recipe on to me ages ago during the time of Facebook notes. I don't know where she got it from. She says it's a traditional New Mexican dish. I'll post her original recipe at the bottom, but I make quite a few modifications to my recipe. My family doesn't really care for spicy, so I rarely add the green chilies listed in the original recipe. You can skip the bacon, but everything is better with bacon.

My version of Calabacitas

6-8 slices of bacon
2 Tbls butter
1 medium size onion, chopped
3-5 medium sized summer squash, diced to 1/2 inch cubes (I normally use zucchini and yellow squash) (I've also made this recipe with broccoli and carrots instead of squash)
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded cheese

Cook the bacon however you prefer. I have a microwave plate for bacon. Set it on a paper towel covered plate to cool and then crumble when it's cool enough.

While you're working on the bacon, melt the butter in a large pot/skillet. Add the onions and cook until it's almost translucent. Keep the heat around medium and add the squash and corn. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, covered, until the squash is slightly tender. Reduce heat to low and add the heavy cream. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes to let the flavors combine and the sauce to thicken slightly. Stir in the cheese until it's melted then add the bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Calabacitas (Original recipe)

• Six slices of bacon, diced
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• One medium sized onion, chopped
• Three to four large summer squash, cubed into bite sized pieces (zucchini, pattypan, yellow squash, etc.) - about 5-6 cups of cut squash
• Two cups of whole kernel corn, for best results, cut straight from fresh corn (about 3 ears) however frozen is fine if it's not in season
• 3/4 cup roasted, peeled, mile to medium-heat green chilies (two Trader Joe's cans)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese, cheddar or monterey jack or a mixture of both

In a large skillet over medium head, brown the bacon. Once browned, remove to a waiting paper towel, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Add butter and onion. Wilt the onion until almost translucent before adding the squash, corn and chilies. Cook for about eight to ten minutes until the squash is almost tender. Add the heavy cream, reduce heat to low and simmer slowly for fifteen to twenty minutes to allow flavors to combine and to thicken slightly. After simmering, add cheese, stirring to melt, and bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.