Cauliflower Gratin

A few months back Vegetarian Times had an article about cauliflower that was accompanied by lots of yummy look recipes. Unfortunately, the magazine arrived at my house around about the same time that the large insect living in my cauliflower showed up, so I didn't try any of the recipes. Now that I'm almost over my fear of cauliflower, I decided to revisit the issue and see what I could make. This Cauliflower Gratin dish looked really good, so I wanted to give it a try. It was super simple to make, and it was a nice light dish that wasn't too filling.

I bought pre-cut cauliflower and steamed it for a few minutes until it was tender. While it was steaming, I sautéed onion and then added canned chopped tomatoes and some capers. It's then layered together with feta (I used vegan Sunergia Soyfoods feta) in a casserole dish and placed under the broiler for a few minutes. While it was broiling I sautéed up some purple kale with a little garlic. Voila - dinner in less than half an hour!

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Cauliflower Cashew Curry

I love this time of year, because I love stews and curries. This cauliflower cashew curry recipe from 101 Cookbooks is a fall/winter favorite of mine. I didn't make this dish at all last winter because I was avoiding both coconut and soy. But since I've added them back into my diet, I've been looking forward to making it again. I used tempeh instead of tofu and served the dish with black rice. I doubled the recipe so there would be leftovers for lunches. It was delicious!

Since the Great Cauliflower Incident of July, I have been able to work through my fear of cauliflower. But I am still only able to buy pre-cut cauliflower. Pre-cut veggies are more expensive but cut down on prep time and make cooking on busy weeknights easy, so I'm okay with the extra cost. And of course, there's the peace of mind that comes from knowing there aren't any large bugs setting up house in the middle of my veggies.

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Cajun Cauliflower Hash

The September issue of Vegetarian Times has a lot of really good looking recipes, including an entire section devoted to cauliflower. My recent insect incident has led to a fear of cauliflower, but I decided to face my fears and make Cajun Cauliflower Hash. Instead of buying a head of cauliflower, I bought pre-cut organic cauliflower at Whole Foods. The precut packages cost a little more, but being able to see what's inside is worth the extra money to me. 

This is a simple recipe using spices, onion, garlic, cauliflower, frozen hash browns and chopped pepper. I deviated from the recipe a little and used red pepper instead of green and I added some chopped kale, because kale makes everything a little better. I also cooked the dish a little longer than the recipe called for because the potatoes seemed to need more time. 

This was a really good meal, and the cauliflower did taste pretty tasty. I guess I am over my fear of cauliflower now. I'll be buying more and making a few more of the recipes from Vegetarian Times soon.

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Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Wilted Spinach

This is another delicious recipe from Vegan Yum Yum! It's a nice light and easy meal that's good for a hot summer's night - although the oven was on for half an hour. It's made with pasta (I used rice pasta, of course), roasted cauliflower and spinach. The recipe called for either olives or sun-dried tomatoes, and I used both, because I like both. Instead of cooking the spinach, it's mixed with the hot cauliflower and pasta to wilt it a little. I also mixed in a little bit of nutritional yeast for a little bit of a cheesy flavor. Dennis and I both really liked this meal, and we both agreed that we'd like some chickpeas added to the dish next time.

Most of the time, white foods should be avoided, but cauliflower is an exception to the rule. Cauliflower is in the cruciferous veggie family and is very similar to broccoli in structure. Cruciferous veggies are twice as powerful as other vegetables and are packed with anti-cancer properties. Cauliflower has a very high nutrient density and is full of folate, Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and even protein.

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Cauliflower Stew

This recipe was in the NY Times last week and it looked good, so I made it for dinner last night. I pretty much followed the recipe with a few exceptions: I only used one onion, I used a shallot instead of the garlic, and I added some beans for extra protein. I decided to deviate from my chickpea habit, and I used cannellini beans. I cooked up a brown rice medley and served it all on a bed of kale.

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. It is a cruciferous vegetable and contains several phytochemicals that are known to prevent cancer.

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