Trying new things, 2 wins 1 loss

So I thought I'd switch this post up a bit since we've been eating a lot of regular, already mentioned foods most days. In this post I'm going to tell you about some new things we've tried. Some good, some not so good.

Kelp noodles, Win! Kelp is noodles made of seaweed. They can be either clear or green, I've heard the green are much saltier. I found the clear noodles at HMart, an Asian market in Hartsdale. I purchased a 2.2lb bag for less than $4.

To prepare, I took them out of the bag and soaked them in cold water. I used scissors to cut them up because the "noodles" are very long. The initial taste of the bag is interesting, very crunchy and took a long time to break down before I could swallow. Thats when I got nervous! I decided to stir fry these in an oyster/soy sauce with lots of great veggies and some stir fry beef strips. End result was delicious! After cooking for about 10 minutues, they became much more tender, almost like an al dente pasta. They absorbed the sauce nicely. My husband wanted seconds, so thats a win for me and the kelp noodles!


Zucchini, carrot, and onion fritters, Loose! I found this recipe, and picture on facebook. It looked amazing, and totally paleo so I decided to give it a try.
Ingredients: shredded zuchinni, carrot and scallions. eggs and coconut flour. Salt, pepper, garlic.

I mixed all ingredients together, resembled potato pancake mixture. I sprayed the non stick pan with oil oil and spooned in the mixture, pressing down to spread. After about 3 minutes of cooking I flipped them over. This should have been my first sign that things were going wrong, no golden color, just a slight browning, still very soft to touch. After cooking the other side with the same results, I decided to put them in the toaster over to get them warm inside. After cooking on high for over 10 minutes, they still werent hot. I served them with 2 overeasy eggs, that was the highlight of the meal. The fritters tasted like mush. No flavor, horrible texture, and bad composition. They just fell apart, and they looked like crap.  I imagine if I added oil to the pan, they'd be much better, but I didnt want to go overboard with all this "fried" food. Also, Im really not sure I like coconut flour!

Cauliflower Pizza, Not sure if this was smart to try two new things, including coconut flour, in one day. So I must preface this with, not %100 Paleo. My first try was, but it sucked! I will tell you about both.

My first pizza, looked amazing, tasted like shit, and fell apart immediately! 

Recipe:

1 bag of steamed cauliflower, pressed to let out water

1 egg

2tbs of coconut flour

Salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning

Topping: homemade tomato sauce, steamed spinach, black olives and fresh garlic.

Prep and cook: 
Combine dough ingredients and form into a "ball". Lay on wax paper and spread out to look like a pizza crust. Bake at 400 for about 15 mins or until firm. Heads up, it didn't get firm until at least 20 mins in. I then took it out, transferred to a baking sheet and added sauce and toppings. Cooked for 7 mins. Took it out, cut it up, took one bite, ITS NOT DONE! Put it back in the oven for 5 more mins. The "crust" started browning so I didn't want to leave it in too long. Took it out, tried eating it agin, didn't work. Fell apart. Tasted like coconuts. I'm confused because plenty of people have said they don't taste the coconut but for us, it's like being right on the island. So, take one, FAIL!

Take two, recipe:

1 bag of steamed cauliflower, pressed to let out water

1 egg

1/4 cup flour (not Paleo I know)

Salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning

Topping: homemade tomato sauce,

Spinach, homemade bruschetta

Prep and cook: 

Took the same steps as the first try. This time I noticed it resembled more like a sticky pizza dough. It also released from the wax paper a lot better then the fridge dough. I let it cook for about 20 mins so it would hold up the toppings. Added toppings and cooked ten more minutes. Cut and served, YES! Very pizza-like! Yum, and satisfying! I'm proud of this, considering pizza dough is all flour and yeast, I think this is much better since it's all cauliflower and a little flour. 

Do we miss the cheese? HELL YEAH! But this is a close backup for a pizza craving! Will be making this again!