First Forays

Well, look at that! I came back! That, my friends, is a step in the right direction.

I've cooked a few things from Nom Nom Paleo since we last spoke.

The best of the bunch was the Roast Beast. I followed this more for the method of cooking it at a low temp for a long time, than for the details. She rubs hers with dukkah. I didn't have dukkah, or the ingredients to make my own, so I rubbed my beef down with my own spice blend. I also was not able to put it on a wire rack in the oven, because mine do not look oven-proof, and I didn't feel like taking chances. I also wasn't able to let it sit for 15 minutes once it was out of the oven, because the children were turning ravenous. I still contend that I followed the recipe. HA!

Conclusion: A strong Liked it. This may be my new go-to method from now on, time-willing. Despite my tinkering, the meat came out tender and pink and juicy. I'm sure it would have been even juicier if I'd let it sit, because a ton of liquid seeped out when I cut it.

With it, I made Garlic Mashed Cauliflower. I tried to make mashed cauliflower once, 15 years ago, and thought it was NASTY. I never made it again. This does not and can not compete with actual mashed potatoes, and anyone who says that they're close has never had good mashed potatoes, but, if I thought of this as some other food, this was pretty good. If it didn't have a hit of nutmeg, I don't know that it would have enough flavor, but as it stands, this was pretty good.

Conclusion: Liked it.

Last night, I made Coconut Pineapple "Rice". I've become a really big fan of cauliflower rice in the past year, and make it almost anytime I cook something saucy (thank you Costco, for your frozen bags of cauliflower rice). I thought this sounded like an interesting variation, but honestly, it didn't turn out so well. I followed the short-end of her cook time, and the cauliflower was straight-up mushy. Blech. My pineapple wasn't sweet enough to lend good flavor, and the whole thing just tasted bland. The hint of onion from the scallions did not go very well with pineapple.

Conclusion: Disliked. I wouldn't make it again.