Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato

Cooking for one is something I struggle with, when SB leaves for any length of time. This past weekend, he and a group of guys from the family headed north to the mountains to snow shoe and hike in the late winter snow. I stayed home with Mimi, the little Corgi. We puttered around the house and yard, sewing on a quilt top, picking up yard debris, playing with the Frisbee, reading, and stoking the woodstoves.

This warm curried stew was the best I could come up with for my Saturday evening supper. It was super easy to throw together, despite my not having butternut squash or pickled peppers ! It's a Michael Anthony recipe from his cookbook called V is for Vegetables. I have tried several of his recipes from the book and have always been really happy with the results. Thanks, Kate (eldest daughter!) for the Christmas book !

Curried Cauliflower Soup

I'd like to change the picture of The Spice Garden welcome in the sidebar to a lovely, breezy Spring photo, but alas, winter just continues to hold on tight to this little corner of New Hampshire. Taking a little walk around the back acreage, I've found that the daffodils are only about an inch out of the ground. The crocuses along the side walkway are tiny little needles of green just breaking the surface of the soil and there are three lone snowdrops in bloom along the rock wall. For mid-April, this is sad and sorry. To boot, we got a couple inches of snow last evening and into this morning.  So, I make soup and SB keeps the woodstoves going and we wait ...

Crisped Cauliflower Salad with Citrus and Aromatics

Happy New Year, folks ! More veggies and less meat is what I say for 2018! Here's my first platter of salad. A warm salad of crisped cauliflower slices, shallots, rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, orange zest, flat leaf parsley, toasted hazelnuts, and a drizzle of olive oil and orange juice over top to finish it.

Roasted Cauliflower, Sage, and Almond Risotto - IHCC

Do you ever fold the corner down on a page when you just have to remember where you left off ? I try really hard not to, but I'll admit that sometimes I will dog-ear a page ...

Cauliflower and Barley Salad with Toasted Almonds

The continuing parade of vegetables is marching out of the kitchen and onto the dining room table! I've been at the Farmer's Market for two weeks straight and have come away with some great produce that SB is not growing in his 'bit of Earth'.

This week, it was a gorgeous head of cauliflower, some of the first I've seen around. I dug up another of the newest recipes from my latest cookbook, power foods - 150 delicious recipes .... This pearl barley with cauliflower and toasted almonds is very reminiscent of a risotto. The barley is slowly simmered to a nice 'bite'. Then, Parmesan cheese is added to the last bit of moisture and makes for a creamy finish. Cauliflower and toasted almond chunks are added and the dish is finished with a spritz of lemon juice and some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Gougère

The quest for new and different vegetable dishes took me in a very different direction this evening. I have been slowly collecting the library of The Cook's Encyclopedia, a series of cookbooks compiled by various editors through Anness Publishing Limited. I like the books, as they have a wide variety of recipes that I have never come in contact with. This recipe is a great example.

Ina Garten's Garlic-Roasted Cauliflower

When one is trying to follow a Weight Watcher's regimen, vegetables are good friends! Consequently, I have been digging around for good vegetable and fruit recipes that are lighter and more diet friendly ... got a winner here! Ina Garten's latest, how easy is that?, has given me this newest approach to cauliflower.

50 Women Game-Changers - Clotilde Dusoulier

This week's Game-Changer comes right from the blogging world ... and has had a wonderful influence on bloggers who aspire to use fresh ingredients and give them a spin on classic recipes. Along the way, Clotilde Dusoulier has given her readers a glimpse of her private world with family and neighbors, her neighborhood in Paris, and the city, in general. For foodies, travel enthusiasts, and beginning cooks, she is a breath of fresh air - never haughty or presumptuous - just a fresh-faced sweet woman with a sense of fun, a passion for good food, and a willingness to teach readers a bit of her French language and culture.

As she becomes more successful as a food writer, it's only natural that she has become somewhat of a 'brand'. Food blogging has come a long way, is wildly popular, and is grist for every food producer and cooking product company out there. Because her blog has been around for so long and has gained such a following, she has been able to be a direct influence on many a foodie, as they begin to structure their blogs, delve into the business side of blogging, and make the move from casual food diarist to published food writer and author. Therein, lies the reason, I think, for inclusion on this Gourmet Live list.

In researching Clotilde, I spent a good deal of time on her blog Chocolate & Zucchini. It was there that I found this recipe for Gratin de Chou-Fleur. Cauliflower is just beautiful right now and can be had for a song at the market. I love Gruyère cheese and bechamel sauce. What could be more yummy than a warm gooey vegetable dish that includes all three ingredients?

'Veggible Molebake' ... Kid Friendly Veggies!

A comment a while ago made me think of all the fun foods served to the creatures of Redwall Abbey in Brian Jacques' Mossflower and Redwall series. In looking through his little vegetarian cookbook published for young  fans of the Redwall series, I found a nice casserole worthy of a chilly day. I must admit, this little book is a masterful bit of marketing and it sends a good message to kids about enjoying their vegetables! The original recipe serves 6, but I halved it for Silent Bob and I. We're having it as a side dish with some schnitzel this evening ... whatever is for dinner at your house, I hope you're eating your vegetables!