Chicken and Cauliflower Parmesan

This one just came to me out of nowhere (as these things often do). So glad I indulged this idea; it came out wonderfully! There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but this dish could definitely be simplified based on what you have in the kitchen.

Part One: Cauliflower Base

Cauliflower
Salt and Pepper
Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

-Clean cauliflower and break into small pieces. Spread pieces out face up in a casserole dish so that the bottom is barely visible (I used 9"x9", but you could easily make a larger amount).
-Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over the cauliflower and grate cheddar cheese over top.
-Bake at 350º for 10 minutes

Part Two: The Cream Sauce

Frozen Spinach
Diced Red Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
Minced/Pressed Garlic

Half & Half
Cream Cheese
High Quality Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Corn Starch

-Heat olive oil in a pan at a medium-low heat. Add garlic and salt to taste.
-Add spinach and red pepper, and cook until spinach is defrosted and cooked all the way through.

-Heat half & half in a saucepan on medium-low heat.
-Add cream cheese and grated Parmesan. Allow to cook at a medium heat until the cheeses start to break down and melt.
-Whisk through this process to keep ingredients at same temperature and from scorching on the bottom.
-Add salt to taste and whisk in a small amount of corn starch at a medium heat until sauce thickens.
-Remove from heat and add spinach mixture including excess olive oil from the pan.
-Pour sauce mixture over cauliflower base and set aside.

Part Three: The Chicken

Thin Sliced Chicken Breast
Olive Oil
Minced/Pressed Garlic
Salt
Lemon
Thinly Sliced Parmesan Cheese

-Warm up olive oil on medium heat and add garlic.
-Saute chicken breast in oil and sprinkle salt to taste on top. Squeeze lemon joice on top and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
-Lay chicken breasts evenly over cauliflower/sauce mixture, and cover the dish with foil.
-Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cover chicken breasts with thinly sliced Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
-Serve with a green salad and a glass of wine :)

Paleo Breaded Chicken

It's been awhile since I posted. . . This recipe is really just a variation of other breaded chicken recipes I've posted in the past, but I'm going back towards the whole Paleo thing, so this fits a bit better.

For this recipe, I actually used chicken thigh tenders. I like dark meat better than white meat and while I don't usually cook with dark meat, I had a craving. I paired the chicken with some sliced large portabella mushrooms, which was from an earlier recipe:

http://laurensfoodblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/italian-veggie-chop-best-portabella.html

A little arugula salad made the rest of this meal complete :)

Ingredients:

Raw Almonds
Parmesan Cheese
Eggs
Half and Half
Salt
Basil
Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
Chicken Breasts or Thighs

Directions:

-Place raw almonds and shredded Parmesan cheese in food processor. Blend on high until ingredients form a semi fine meal. Place meal in a bowl or pan.
-Mix eggs and half and half in a bowl.
-Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture one at a time and submerge fully. Place in almond meal mixture and flip pieces to coat completely. Set on separate plate.
-Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add minced garlic, salt, and basil.
-Place pieces of chicken in oil and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
-Remove from heat and place on a plate lined with paper towel to drain the oil.

Notes: When breading things, the most important things are keeping the cooking oil at a good temperature throughout, and not flipping the chicken pieces until they are cooked on each side.