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Tasty Tuesday - Italian Style Baked Cauliflower

I saw this recipe for Baked Italian Cauliflower at Daily Food Buzz and thought it sounded really tasty, and easy to make. Even better, Jason had just picked up cauliflower at the grocery store.

Of course, I had to put my own spin on the dish. I decided to use my Tofu Ricotta in lieu of the meat, add in some red bell peppers and then top with Daiya for a vegan version.

Italian-Style Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To taste: parsley, basil, oregano, salt
1 jar of spaghetti sauce - use as much as you like (I used a homemade version)
1 recipe for Tofu Ricotta
Daiya Vegan Mozzarella (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss the cauliflower with seasonings and olive oil and place in a glass baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just slightly browned.

Remove cauliflower from oven and add on a layer of the bell peppers then the tofu ricotta. Top with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle on the Daiya.

Cover the dish and allow to bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

 
 
This turned out so fantastic. I love cauliflower to begin with, but roasting it always adds an additional depth of flavor. The tofu ricotta adds an additional texture that makes you really feel like you're eating a pasta dish. Definitely a winner. 

To continue with the Tasty Tuesday Theme, I also made a sweet treat for Valentine's Day for Jason. Lisa at Thrive Style has several posts including some fantastic looking peanut butter cups. She posted another one on Valentine's Day - Chocolate Coconut Crunch Bars.

I'm not a big choco-holic or coconut lover, but the recipe was crazy simple and I knew I could omit the shredded coconut. I figured Jason would really appreciate these as a nice Valentine's Day treat.

I followed the recipe with a few exceptions. I used 3 tablespoons of PB2 (mixed with water per package directions) and only 1 tablespoon of regular, crunchy peanut butter. Instead of the coconut, I used slivered almonds.

I managed to eke out 4 cups. With the modifications, each serving is only 113 calories and 3.4 grams of protein. Now that's a treat you don't have to feel terribly guilty about eating. And I am thinking that if you added in a little more water plus a protein powder of your choosing, you could really bump up the protein if you wanted.

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