Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash

You can make pretty much anything delicious by making it "cacio e pepe" and this was no exception. Yum! It's so, so tasty. Sort of like a spicy macaroni and cheese. It's a little decadent, but only a little (no carbs, after all). I can't wait to make it again. It's so warm and cheesy and delicious!

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
1 1/2 cups loosely packed, freshly grated pecorino cheese
1/2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 1/2 tbsp butter
salt
olive oil

Gluten Free Plum Torte

One good thing about the end of summer is that it's time for plum torte! The little Italian plums come into season and this amazing dessert can be whipped up in a little over an hour. It's so good. The plums are tart and the torte is buttery and cakey. You can read the torte's history here. I've put this recipe on the blog before, but this time I tried it with gluten free flour. It was my first foray into gluten free baking and I was surprised - it was actually great! (A girl in my office is gluten free and can never eat any of the snacks I bring in so I wanted to make one she could eat.) I wouldn't choose it over regular flour, but it was surprisingly fluffy and nice. 

Cauliflower Couscous

This is a sneaky way to eat cauliflower, and it's fabulous. It acts and looks like couscous, but it's just finely chopped cauliflower. I found the recipe on Food52 and plan to make it again soon, maybe switching up the seasoning (though the seasoning and ingredients here are fabulous). I served it to Jamie not saying what it was and he thought it was just regular couscous. Even when I told him it was cauliflower, he loved it and said he could eat it every day - quite a hit. I'm by no means gluten free, but this would be a good gluten-free alternative to couscous.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
5 oz roasted cashews, roughly chopped
3 oz golden raisins
5 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp minced parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place raisins in a cup or bowl and cover with warm water. Let them plump for 15 minutes, then drain and discard the water.
Break the cauliflower into florets, leaving behind as much stem as possible. Break the florets into smaller pieces and add to a food processor. Pulse until all the pieces are finely chopped and resemble couscous (don't over process).