Recipes for the New Year by Quail Ridge Press

Now that the holiday feast is behind us, it’s time to think about eating healthy and dropping those festive pounds we may have accumulated.

Or not. This week also marks the beginning of Carnival — Jan. 6 — and you know what that means.

So we’re compromising, offering two recipes we gleaned from Quail Ridge Press, the cookbook publisher in Mississippi known for their Best of the Best State Cookbook Series, cookbooks that highlight top recipes from every state in the country, although we might add that Louisiana had so many wonderful recipes they had to do two cookbooks!

Below are recipes for Coconut Curry Cauliflower, a healthy Indian dish packed with nutrients: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, phosphorus, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K. And if you want to get into the Carnival spirit, there’s also a recipe for the colorful Mardi Gras salad.

Coconut Curry Cauliflower
From “Skinny Ms. Superfoods”

1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup lite coconut milk, canned
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt to taste
Directions: In a medium saucepan, saute garlic in oil over medium-low heat until tender, about 4 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in the saucepan with garlic. Cover, and cook on medium-low heat until it begins to boil, then reduce heat, and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes. 

Mardi Gras Salad 
From “The Cookin’ Cajun Cooking School Cookbook,” included in “Best of the Best from Louisiana Cookbook II”  

1 head lettuce
1 cup sliced purple cabbage
1 cup sliced yellow bell pepperDirections: Wash and dry lettuce. Tear into pieces. Place in large salad bowl. Sprinkle cabbage and bell pepper on top. Pour one cup Creole Mustard Salad Dressing over salad. Toss and serve. Serves 12.

Creole Mustard Salad Dressing:

2 tablespoons Creole Mustard

2 tablespoons vinegar (cane, red wine, or rice)

3/4 cup oil

Directions: Blend mustard and vinegar. Slowly add oil; blend until smooth.  Pour over salad.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She also writes Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire, “A Cajun Dream” and “The Letter.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.