During the last six months I've had to eliminate DAIRY from Miss M's diet and as a seven year old who use to be able to everything we've found it difficult at times. Since we started this journey we've had to add citrus fruit and tomato to the list of foods to avoid so I seem to be learning new things all the time. I've been Gluten Free for twelve years now and you'd think it would be easy to adjust our diet but unfortunately I've had a heap of hassles adjusting our way of eating so that it was 100% dairy free. That was until I discovered Paleo. Eating Paleo means we can both eat everything without me having to make changes to nearly every aspect of the meal. I've also introduced the rest of the family to eating Paleo and dairy free just to make my time in the kitchen shorter.
So after a busy day at the shops getting three kids eyes tested and then having them all fitted for glasses I ran out of time to pick up a few things for dinner. I knew that I had a head of cauliflower which was coming close to needing to either been eaten or thrown out, so I put together this really easy and yummy Cauliflower Frittata with cauliflower puree.
I've also decided to cut down on the amount of SUGAR that's in my kids diet. To do this I'm going to change out the processed foods and replace them with healthier home made treats for the kids. I'm also hoping that this small change will impact on the kids behaviour especially around the time when I'm making dinner and trying to get them bathed. I was really happy with how this frittata turned out.
Cauliflower Frittata serves 4
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
water to boil, retain ¼ cup of cooking water
400g can of coconut cream
10 eggs, beaten
300g ham or bacon, cut into large chunks
5 mushrooms, thinly sliced
onion, thinly sliced
5 sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons of almond meal
salt and pepper for seasoning
oil for greasing
Method
1. Pre heat oven to 180°C and grease your frittata dish.
2. Bring water to the boil and when it's boiling add the cauliflower florets. Boil until tender you don't want them to be mushy they need to hold there shape.
4. Meanwhile whisk the eggs and coconut cream together and season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms, onion, sun-dried tomatoes and the ham or bacon until it's cooked to your liking.
6. Grease your frittata dish and then sprinkle the almond meal over the base of the dish. Place the fried vegetables and meat onto the base of your dish.
7. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the vegetables and meat making sure that you've half filled your dish.
8. Place the pieces of cauliflower in the egg so that some of the cauliflower is sticking out of the dish.
9. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes, check after 20 minutes and if the cauliflower is browning too quickly turn the temperature down to 160°C for the last 10 minutes.
Note: depending on how you like your eggs you might need to cook it for a further 10 or 15 minutes if the egg isn't cooking around the cauliflower.
Cauliflower Puree
Ingredients
remaining boiled cauliflower
¼ cup of cooking water
Method
1. Place the cooked cauliflower and a little bit of water and blend together until the cauliflower is smooth. If it's lumpy blend a bit more.
2. Add more water as needed until you have a smooth consistency that you're happy with.
3. Spread the puree onto your plate and place the frittata on top. Serve with a green salad and enjoy.
I'm happy to report that all the kids ate their dinner and I didn't have to prepare individual meals for any of my fussy eaters. This recipe is great because there is no hidden nasties in the coconut cream and it's also dairy free so I'm able to give the kids a healthy dinner without them knowing it.
Having tried Paleo last year I know that this recipe is also Paleo especially if you use coconut oil to grease your frittata dish and to fry up the vegetables and meat. The other change I'd make would be to use dehydrated tomatoes instead of sun-dried tomatoes.
Overall, I'm really happy with the way this frittata turned out and my daughter didn't get a belly ache after eating it which was an added bonus. Hands down, what a great start to 2016.
Happy New Year everyone I hope that 2016 is a great year for you all and that you are blessed with lots of great opportunities during the next twelve months. See you soon.
Megan