Bang Bang Cauliflower

Wanna know a fun fact? I went on my first real date to Bonefish Grill. I was sixteen, he picked me up in his Jeep, and dropped me back off a few minutes after curfew, causing my Dad to nearly have an aneurism.

Ah, memories.

But really, if you've never had Bonefish, you need to. It's really good seafood, and their widely considered best item is the Bang Bang Shrimp. It's spicy, crispy, creamy and full of calories. I try to avoid eating it, even though I'd seen copycat recipes all over Pinterest, but then I found the veggie holy grail: Bang Bang Cauliflower.

It's cheaper, easier, and less calorie-dense than the seafood variety without sacrificing flavor. Plus, I'm southern, so frying veggies is in my blood. I just scarfed down a huge bowl for dinner and I can't wait to make it again.

Recipe adapted from That's So Michelle. Serves 2.

Ingredients

Cauliflower
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
4 tablespoons flour
1 egg beaten
2 cups cauliflower florets
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Sauce
1/4 cup lite mayo
1/4 cup Sriracha or similar hot sauce (reduce or add more depending how spicy you like it)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. Slice your cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces. Mix salt, pepper and garlic powder into your Panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.

2. Set separate bowls aside with egg and flour. Dip your florets one by one into the flour, and shake off excess. Then dip into egg, and then coat with Panko mixture.

3. After coating all of your florets, heat up your vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium-high and place all florets in hot oil. Turn with tongs making sure all sides are browned, about a minute on each side. Set on top of paper towels to remove excess oil. Top with more salt.

4. In a small bowl, mix all of your sauce ingredients. Coat your breaded and pan fried florets with sauce and serve right away.

I ate these with chopsticks, because it made me feel fancy. I also didn't have rice vinegar so I used water to get the consistency, but it tasted fine without it, although I would cut down on the sugar next time as well. All in all, this is a really yummy, easy dinner!

Let me know if you try it!

Greek Summer Pasta Salad

Pasta salad just screams summer. When I think pasta salad, I think of picnics, days at the pool, and backyard bar-be-ques. It's cool, easy-to-make, and keeps fantastically so you can eat it all week, avoiding heating up your kitchen to cook. I have several go-to pasta salad recipes, but my favorite is my Mediterranean variety. It's loaded with veggies, feta, and balsamic, so it's a healthy summer dinner.

The best part about this recipe is the flexibility. Pretty much any Greek veggies taste great in it, and you can make as much or as little as you want. I don't even measure when I make it, I just keep adding things until I'm happy with it. There is one secret ingredient, but we'll get to that in a minute. This version of the recipe serves about 4 people.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups (dry) rotini pasta
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 tablespoon lite mayo

Again, you can add or subtract any veggies you want. Sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, or red onions would probably be delicious as well. If you're feeling up to it, you can make your own dressing, too. The measurements are approximate; I usually just dump things in there until I'm happy with it.

To make it vegan, just eliminate the mayo and feta. To give it an omnivore twist, grilled chicken would be delish.

Directions

Boil the pasta with salt and olive oil until al dente, about 9 minutes. Chop your veggies into chunks while its cooking. Drain and return to pot off the hot eye.

Add our secret ingredient - lite mayo - to the pasta and stir. This helps bind everything together and adds a touch of richness.

Dump all veggies into pasta dish.

Pour half of the dressing onto the dish, then stir. Once everything is incorporated, add feta and the rest of the dressing and stir.

Chill in the fridge for 1-3 hours before serving.

That's it! You really can't screw up pasta salad, so don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients. This time, I chose tomato basil feta instead of plain and it was delicious! I also want to try zucchini instead of cucumber next time to switch things up.