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Asparagus Basil Salad and Cauliflower Risotto
by KYMBERLY DELOATCHE 		 

Recipes:
Asparagus Basil Salad
by KYMBERLY DELOATCHE
serves: 2
  Late spring and summer salad
Ingredients:
  1 lb   Aspargus, trimmed and halved
  1 cup   grape tomatoes, halved
  1   ripe avocado, cut into cubes
  1 cup   sliced basil leaves
  1/4 cup   olive oil
  2 tsp   lemon juice
  2 tsp   dijon mustard
  1/2 tsp   celtic sea salt
  1/2 tsp   pepper
Directions:
  1.Steam asparagus for 5-7 minutes until fork tender
2.Place asparagus, tomatoes, avocado and basil in a large bowl
3.Stir in olive oil, lemon juice and mustard
4.Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5.Serve
Cauliflower Risotto
by KYMBERLY DELOATCHE
serves: 2
  veggie, vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Ingredients:
  3 Tbls   Pine Nuts
  1 1/2 Tbls   Nutritional Yeast
  1/2 tsp   Salt, or to taste
  2 Tbls   Grapeseed, Olive or Coconut Oil
  1/2 cup   onion, minced or diced
  3 cups   Cauliflower (1/2 med to large head) Grated
  1   garlic clove, minced
  1/4 cup   Broth, chicken or veggie
  6   Basil Leaves, chiffonade
Directions:
  Combine the nuts, nutritional yeast, and salt in your spice grinder, and give it a few pulses. The nuts should grind up, and begin to clump. It is best if it stays a bit powdery and doesn’t turn into a paste, but if it does, no loss. Set aside while you cook the cauliflower.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the grated cauliflower and continue to sauté / stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and suate for 1 minute more. Add the broth, reduce the heat to medium-low, stir, cover and allow it to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. This cooks it to the perfect “al dente” consistency for us, but feel free to cook it to your desired tenderness.

Remove the lid, turn off the heat, and stir in the reserved nut mixture. It may clump a bit, but continuing to stir it in the hot pan will help it to distribute and become creamy. Stir in the basil and fresh ground pepper to taste, if using. Serve.


No Onion? I ran out of onion the second time I made this dish, so I skipped the onion sauté, but added ¼ teaspoon of onion powder to the nut mixture. The fresh onion was better, but this was still tasty in a pinch!

To Serve: This versatile dish can be served with a salad or steamed veggies (broccoli or asparagus would be nice) to keep it light and vegetarian. For an omnivorous meal, we found it went quite well with baked chicken, and also made a quick lunch with leftover chopped chicken added.

Lower Fat Option: I haven’t tried this as of yet, but I think this would work with just 2 teaspoons of oil if you were trying to go lower in fat. I would just sauté the onions in the oil, add the cauliflower and sauté for just 1 minute, and then add the broth and cover. Cook until it reaches your desired tenderness. You may need to use a touch more broth. Don’t skip the pine nuts though; they add richness and nutrition!