
Cauliflower is *definitely* making a comeback as your go-to powerhouse veggie. Remember when Cauliflower rice recipes were all the rage? Before that, everyone went crazy for the ever-popular cauliflower pizza. Now that everyone knows the veggie is the chameleon of the vegetable world, healthy recipes are popping up, transforming the stuff into all of your favorite comfort foods. Name any dish and you can probably make a delicious and way healthier version of it using cauliflower. Now that you’re sufficiently intrigued, keep scrolling for 19 healthy comfort foods featuring cauliflower as the main ingredient.
1. Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce: While homemade Alfredo is always a crowd pleaser, it tends to be full of fat and calories. Not to mention it’s definitely not vegan friendly. Try rotating your classic recipe with this cauliflower version that will blow your mind. Seriously, you won’t understand how amazing this sauce is until you try it. (via Brit + Co)
2. Cauliflower Buffalo Wings With Blue Cheese Avocado Dip: Some of the best culinary secrets are unlikely pairings. That statement rings true for these deceptive buffalo “wings.” You wouldn’t think a floret of cauliflower could as indulgent as a chicken wing, but it is — especially when dipped in a tangy blue cheese sauce. (via Well Plated)
3. Cajun Shrimp and Cauliflower Grits With Greens: Shrimp and grits is a traditional down-home favorite of a lot of southerners. When you pulse raw cauliflower in your food processor until it’s fine, it develops a texture that’s very similar to grits. They’re also ready in a fraction of the time of traditional corn grits. (via Get Inspired Everyday)
4. Beer Battered Cauliflower Fritters: Maybe you’re trying to cut back on meat a bit, or maybe you just want a fried vegetable to serve alongside your mozzarella sticks and chicken wings. Either way, these fritters are a light and crispy addition to any game-day spread. (via Easy Food Smith)
5. Cauliflower “Rice” Stir Fry Bowl: Swapping cauliflower for rice is really a no-brainer. Rice is extremely temperamental; it takes at least 40 minutes to cook, and half of the time it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Cauliflower is just as filling, absorbs any flavor you add to it and takes 20 minutes, max. (via Veggie Chick)
6. Thai Chicken Cauliflower Casserole: You know how a lot of casseroles have yucky cream of X soup in them? In this casserole, pureed cauliflower is the binder, holding together loads of other veggies, chicken and Thai spices. You can feel great about serving this casserole to a crowd, because it’s wholesome and delicious. (via Food Faith Fitness)
7. Roasted Cauliflower Chimichurri: There’s nothing wrong with letting cauliflower be itself sometimes! Sure, we love turning it into something shockingly out of the ordinary. But when it’s covered in a sauce as flavorful as a garlic and herb chimichurri, there’s really no reason to hide it. (via Root and Revel)
8. Cauliflower Pizza Muffins: Everyone knows that it can be a struggle to get the kiddos to eat their veggies. That’s why you *sometimes* have to hide them in their pizza. They’ll be so in love with these muffin-sized pies, they’ll never notice the crust is made from cauliflower. (via Kirbie’s Cravings)
9. Cauliflower and Leek Soup: This velvety bowl of comfort is perfect for those nights when there’s a slight chill to the air and you want to enjoy something warm and hearty. Cauliflower makes this soup extra creamy. Top your soup with fresh herbs and salty bacon for even more flavor. (via Salt and Lavender)
10. Chickpea Cauliflower Chili: Even the most carnivorous members of your family will love this vegetarian chili. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs kind of stew, with lots of flavor to back it up. The secret spice that brings everything together? Cinnamon. (via Bakeaholic Mama)
11. Roasted Cauliflower Tacos With Chipotle Cream: These cauliflower tacos need to be on the menu for your next taco Tuesday. They’re generously spiced with chipotle peppers and topped with avocado and radish — it’s a recipe straight from a gourmet taco truck. (via Floating Kitchen)
12. Cauliflower Waffled Grilled Cheese: Cauliflower is a pretty standard low-carb alternative to ingredients like rice and pizza dough, so why not sandwich bread? Next time you have that grilled cheese craving, turn on your waffle maker and experiment with cauliflower and your fave cheese. (via Kirbie’s Cravings)
13. Easy Cauliflower Rice Korean Pizza Bowls: This dish is an interesting combination of cauliflower fried rice, Korean BBQ and cheesy pizza. As odd as that mix sounds, the flavor is off the charts. You’ll definitely keep coming back to this one. (via Climbing Grier Mountain)
14. Creamy Butternut and Cauliflower Mash: Mashed potatoes are old news. In all honesty, it’s hard to tell the difference between this creamy combo and mashed potatoes. Plus, they’re a great way to use up leftovers, AND they’re vegan. (via Brit + C0)
15. Crustless Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice Quiche: Quiche is typically thought of as a dense, rich dish due to the cream most recipes call for. Cauliflower rice provides the same richness without the heaviness. It’s even crustless, so you could easily make this gluten-free. That’s a breakfast that’ll keep you full all morning long. (via The Flexitarian)
16. Low Carb Pepperoni and Mushroom Cauliflower Pizza: No matter how many times you see it done, it’s still pretty mind-blowing that crispy pizza crust can be made out of cauliflower. You can add whatever toppings you like — just try not to weigh it down with too many, or it might break apart on you. (via The Cookie Rookie)
17. Cauliflower Popcorn: Something magical happens to cauliflower when it’s simply roasted in the oven. It takes on a nutty flavor, similar to that of popcorn. Dress it up with some salt and fresh herbs, and you’ve got a healthy snack perfect for munching while binging on Netflix. (via Brit + Co)
18. Spicy Honey-Garlic Roasted Cauliflower: Let’s be honest — take-out can get really expensive, and usually isn’t very good for you. This sweet and spicy roasted cauliflower is reminiscent of those takeout flavors you love, but cheaper and more nutritious. Plus, it’ll be ready to eat *way* before your delivery would arrive. (via The Iron You)
19. Thai Chicken Cauliflower Curry: Think of cauliflower as a delicious sponge. Whatever sauce you simmer it in, and whatever spices you rub it with, it absorbs the taste. This Thai curry is so full of amazing flavor, it’ll make even the greatest of cauliflower skeptics stop and take notice. (via Green Healthy Cooking)
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Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures