Cauliflower Gruyere & Thyme Gratin

With gusto, I let fall into my home. I'm not talking about pumpkins or mums, either. I'm talking about the breeze.

I’m rarely home alone but when I am I take advantage of it. This time, I threw open all of the windows and let the breeze rip through the house. There are only two times of the year that allow you to do this at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, and fall is one of them (Spring is the other; summer is far too hot and winter far too cold). I put Elephant Revival on and turned the volume up high as if to drown out other noise, even though the house was silent. I threw my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head (or tried— half of my hairs fell out, and I didn’t bother putting them into place), and I whipped out the pots and pans. 

It was going to be a good afternoon: I had cheese to melt. 

Even though cauliflower is a fall crop, I abuse the fact that modern grocery stores carry it all year around. I can't lie about this with over 19 recipes using cauliflower on this blog, and almost none of them fall-related. 

This cauliflower gratin is rich and hits your "I really just want cheese for dinner" spot, but feels a little more grown up because 1) you're eating vegetables and 2) the cheese is gruyere, which I almost can't say out loud without second guessing myself (groo-year? gru-air?). There's even a little thyme stirred in. 

It pairs well with a glass of red wine, a cold beer, or a dry cider. Fancy enough for something like Thanksgiving dinner, you could cook this cauliflower gratin up for party. But best of all, you can just reheat it as a lazy couch dinner. 

I hope you'll invite fall into your home like I did: it will come out bubbling and strings of cheese will follow as you serve yourself the first bite. Maybe, if it's cool enough, you can get away with wearing your slippers, too. 

Cauliflower Gruyere & Thyme Gratin

Published September 26, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 pounds cauliflower florets (about 2 heads)
• Water, for steaming
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1-1/2 cup shredded gruyere, divided
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash cayenne

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
2. Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and place steam basket in pot. Place cauliflower in steam basket, and heat over medium heat until water is simmering. Allow cauliflower to steam for 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat. Drain any water from cauliflower, and then put cauliflower in a 8x8inch baking dish.
3. Now, in a small sauce pan, melt the butter. While the butter melts, whisk together the milk and corn starch or arrowroot powder until no clumps remain. Pour milk into melted butter and whisk. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly so as not to scald the milk, for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of gruyere cheese. Continue to whisk and simmer until sauce thickens (it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon), and cheese is fully incorporated. Remove from heat.
4. Stir thyme, black pepper, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne into cheese sauce. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and use a spoon to ensure the cauliflower is all coated and the sauce is distributed.
5. Top with remaining gruyere and the parmesan. Place in oven, and bake for 35-45 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and top is golden brown. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Broccoli & Pepper Jack Frittata

Frittatas are the answer. As long as you have eggs, frittatas will solve your problems. All you have to do is trust in the way of the frittata.

When I want to feed a crowd, I make a frittata. When I want to use up all of the almost-at-the-end-of-their-life veggies in the fridge, I make a frittata. When I am feeling extra organized and want to make a breakfast we can eat all week, I make a frittata. 

Heck, when the fridge is looking really bleak and I have to get dinner on the table, what is always there as a fall back? Good old frittata. 

I make a frittata at least once a week, because you really can just put whatever you have on hand in a pan and fill in the cracks with egg. 

This particular frittata calls for broccoli, a bit of bell pepper, potatoes, and pepper jack cheese (plenty of pepper jack!). It's simple, but it's killer. It's the kind of frittata I would serve to guests (I use fresh veggies for the guests, of course ... not those wilting veggies I mentioned earlier, of course! 😝) 

And you know me, impatient as always: frittata comes together quickly, too!

Broccoli & Pepper Jack Frittata

Published September 19, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 9   |    Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets  
• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato  
• 1 red bell pepper  
• 1/4 white onion  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic  
• 6 eggs  
• 1/4 cup milk of choice  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt  
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil  
• 3/4 cup shredded pepper jack

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Set aside.
2. Dice the potato into bite-sized cubes, chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces, and dice the onion and bell pepper.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot, add potatoes, broccoli, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender. The onion should be softened. Scrape veggies into the prepared baking dish.
4. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over vegetables.
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk of choice, black pepper and salt. Pour over vegetable mixture. Place in oven, bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top, and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven. Eggs should be set. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Banana Passion Fruit Lassi

One fine and humid day in Ecuador, we toured a biodynamic farm that rotated its crops (of which there were too many to count). The land owner showed us how he planted specific vines together to avoid weeds, how he tapped rubbed trees for their sticky sap, and how he mulched passion fruit vines. We picked as many passion fruit as we wanted. We cracked them open right then and there, and drank their juice. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, we watched an entire tree of bananas get harvested.

This Banana and Passion Fruit Lassi is a cold, creamy and refreshing reminder of that day in the tropics.

Finding passion fruit here can be tough (just like my story about sushi fish from earlier this week) but I was determined to try. So I went on a witch hunt for passion fruit, checking all the local stores until… There they were! 🙌 Magenta and looking fresher than ever. Did my subconscious realize that passion fruits were on sale this week? Or was this just dumb luck? I grabbed several--more than I would need- and triumphantly made my way to the check out line. (Tip: if you have a Sprouts near by, they often carry tropical fruits like passion fruit).

NOW, if you can’t find actual passion fruits, you can still have a sip of the tropics. Look for passion fruit juice in the juice aisle!

Finding ripe passion fruit is the crux — once you’ve past that speed bump, you just dump everything in the blender and hit go.

That first sip? 😍🤤💓 Oh what a treat! It is both hydrating and satisfying, and boasts a tang from the passion fruit that couldn't otherwise be recreated. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine you’re in the rainforest (hammock is a bonus!). 🌴

Banana Passion Fruit Lassi

Published September 7, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2   |    Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (non-dairy yogurt would work at well)
• 1 cup chopped banana (frozen makes for a nice cool drink but is not required)
• Juice of 3-4 passion fruits, or 1/4 cup passion fruit juice
• A dash of cardamom 
• 4-5 ice cubes 
• Optional: 1 scoop whey isolate for protein

Directions:

1. If using whole passion fruits: slice fruit in half, and scoop seedy flesh into a strainer. Use the back of a spoon to push the juices through the strainer and into a blender jar. Once you’ve gotten all of the juice, discard the seeds and peel.
2. Add banana, yogurt, a dash of cardamom, ice cubes, and whey protein if using, to the blender. Turn blender to “Smoothie” setting or puree on high until the drink is smooth and no chunks remain.
3. Pour into two serving glasses and drink while it’s still cold.