Cauliflower

September 16, 2015

Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts and Arugula

Carrie Zinnecker Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian arugula, Cauliflower, chickpeas, feta, Salad, side dish 0 Comments

Fall is coming and with it the return of the roasted vegetable at our house! Summer is just too hot to have the oven on at high temps for too long, so I rarely if ever roast veggies during the summer months. There’s been a touch of cool weather in the mornings here recently, so it was time to bring back the glory that is the roasted veggie! But since it is still pretty warm a cool, fresh salad is the perfect way to enjoy them.

Cauliflower is not something I enjoy much in its raw state unless it is drenched in good ranch dressing. But when roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper and some garlic it is transformed in to something super amazing. Here it also gets a tasty boost from cumin, which makes it next to impossible to resist snacking on before mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients for this salad.

The cauliflower gets combined with chickpeas, feta and pine nuts then tossed with a citrusy sumac dressing and peppery arugula. Sumac is a spice I’d never heard of before reading this recipe in the most current issue of Fine Cooking. I couldn’t find it at my grocery store and had to order it from amazon. If you don’t have it or can’t find it, don’t worry. It’s a nice spice and goes very well with all the flavors in the salad, but I didn’t find it to be a stand out in the dressing. It may not be the same without the sumac, but it will still be great.

I served this along side pork tenderloin and crusty bread the night I made it. The next couple days I ate it with some additional arugula and spring mix for a super satisfying lunch. The arugula will get wilted, so adding in some new lettuce is a good way to keep it fresh. If you wanted to make this ahead of time you could toss everything together except for the arugula and refrigerate it overnight. Toss with the arugula right before serving and enjoy!

Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts and Arugula

From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower (about 2-1/4 lb.), trimmed and cut into 1-inch florets
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sumac
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
5 ounces baby arugula
3 ounces crumbled feta (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup dried currants (I did not use these)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. On a large rimmed baking sheet toss cauliflower with a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and the cumin. Roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through, then remove from the oven and let cool.
In a large bowl whisk together lemon juice, sumac, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some fresh ground pepper, then whisk in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, pine nuts, currants (if using), and feta to the dressing and toss together. Refrigerate now to server later or toss with the arugula and serve.

October 30, 2014

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Salad broccoli, Cauliflower, dill, fall vegetables, goat cheese, Houston, Local Foods, parsley, pomegranate seeds, Salad, sunflower seeds, vinaigrette 0 Comments

Last week I had lunch with a good friend at a place called Local Foods in Houston. They have 2 locations now and we visited the newer one on Kirby for the first time. This location has more seating and boasts a lovely outdoor space. The weather cooperated perfectly making for a lunch I’d gladly repeat every day if I could. We split a pork sandwich and their fall harvest salad. The salad was so delicious that I knew I’d be trying to recreate it at home.

While I am sure there was more in this salad that I couldn’t quite pinpoint or remember when I made a grocery list, I knew that is had broccoli, cauliflower, roasted brussels sprouts, pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds and goat cheese. We chose to add chicken to ours at the restaurant, but it would’ve been just as incredible without it. You could leave out the chicken for a vegetarian salad or if you’re serving this as a side salad, or add it if you’re serving as a main course.

One of my favorite parts about this salad was the dressing. Again, I know mine isn’t the same as Local Foods, but the dill in the dressing stood out to me and really brought out all the delicious flavors of the salad. So I made a dill vinaigrette to dress this salad. And it’s pretty special. I’ll be making it again.

Make sure to use fresh dill and parsley in the dressing and chop them very fine. As with all homemade salad dressings, you can adjust the flavors to your liking. Add more or less honey (I found this to be on the sweet side) add more salt, some cracked pepper, or more garlic if you’d like. Shaking dressing up in a small mason jar is an easy way to make and store the dressing.

The amounts below are enough for 2 to 4 salads, depending on how big you make them and who’s eating. After prepping all the vegetables they can be refrigerated for use later on, so you can easily enjoy this salad for lunches during the week by simply tossing the ingredients together when you’re ready.

Salads at our house are almost always greens, carrots, celery, tomatoes, dried cranberries and nuts if I have them around. I love that this salad has so much stuff in it that I’ve never thought of putting in to a salad! It’s delicious. You can make it for one or for a large group. And it’s a great fall salad with the roasted brussels and sweet pops from the pomegranate seeds. And of course there is goat cheese. Thank God for goat cheese! I hope you try this salad.

Fall Vegetable Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Inspired by Fall Harvest Salad from Local Foods

Ingredients

For the Salad

Spring mix
3/4 cup broccoli florets
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
8-10 brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, outer leaves removed and cut into quarters
pomegranate seeds
roasted, salted sunflower seeds
2 ounces plain goat cheese
cooked chicken (optional)

For the Dill Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2-3 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt

Directions

For dressing

Shake all ingredients together in a jar or whisk together in a bowl. Set aside or store in the fridge.

For Salad

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss brussels in a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast, shaking the pan once or twice, for 20 minutes until brussels sprouts are tender and browned. Set aside to cool.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil broccoli and cauliflower for 2 minutes, then drain and put vegetables in the ice water, swish around a few times, then remove from the water to drain.
Prepare the salad by either tossing salad greens, broccoli and cauliflower, brussels sprouts in a large bowl with your desired amount of dressing, then plating and topping with pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds and goat cheese OR plate everything together and drizzle on the dressing.

October 22, 2014

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian cashews, Cauliflower, cilantro, coconut milk, curry, Fine Cooking, ginger, main dish, One pot meal, red bell pepper, Vegetarian, yogurt 2 Comments

The Fine Cooking magazine from October/November has a nice feature on cauliflower. It includes ways to prep and prepare it along with a few recipes. This tart is one of those recipes. This curry is another. I have a thing for coconut and curry, and so I was drawn to this recipe immediately. I also love to find satisfying vegetarian dishes that we can work in to our meal schedule. My husband didn’t miss the meat at all. This one is a keeper.

There is quite a bit of chopping to be done, but it can all be done in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. Once that is taken care of, this dish comes together easily. You’re looking at 45 minutes cooking time in all, but more than half of that is simply simmering time. Thanks to that simmering time your house will smell amazing. The only downside there is that it will smell that way for hours, and waking up to the smells of curry you ate the night before isn’t amazing. But it is worth it!

This reheats really well, so it’s a good choice for those of you cooking for one or two. This will feed you for a couple of meals, and that’s definitely something I look for in a recipe these days. I love leftover night.

The spices are warm and subtle. The first taste is sweet and then the heat hits you at the end but is still more warm than spicy. I didn’t have black mustard seed, so I didn’t use them and I thought this was still wonderful. The coconut milk tones down the heat and adds sweetness as well as welcomed creaminess. I used a whole jalapeno with a few seeds and it wasn’t overwhelming at all. If you want it spicy make sure to use more of the seeds and membrane or even add a second jalapeno.

The garnishes are necessary, in my opinion. The yogurt is a nice cool contrast to the warm curry, the cilantro is the perfect herb to compliment the spices and the cashews add richness and crunch. We ate this with warm naan which is perfect for soaking up the sauce. Serving this on top of rice would also be delicious (and stretch it a bit). I hope you try this dish! My mouth is watering right now as I think about it and I’m considering getting some out of the fridge…and it’s 8 in the morning. So you know it’s good.

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of butter + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (use ghee if you have it)
1 onion, cut into large dice
2 red bell peppers (you could also use orange or yellow)
1 jalapeno, chopped fine (as many or as few seeds as you’d like)
1 2-inch piece of ginger, chopped fine (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 cinnamon stick (2 inches)
1 teaspoon salt
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup raisins
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 can coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-2 inch florets
plain yogurt
chopped cashews
fresh chopped cilantro
naan or rice for serving

Directions

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, jalapeno, ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon stick and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and brown a bit.
Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, water and raisins. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook until thickened, 10-15 minutes.
Add in the cauliflower and mix together. Cover. keep the heat on low and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the cinnamon stick. Season with salt and lemon juice. Serve with yogurt, cashews and cilantro.

October 8, 2014

Fall Vegetable Tart with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Tarts, Vegetables Autumn, Bell Pepper, butter, butternut squash, carrot, Cauliflower, cream cheese, fall, Prosciutto, tart, vegetables 3 Comments

Fall is coming! Here in Southeast Texas we enjoyed a “cold front” this past weekend. The mornings were slightly chilly and the days incredibly pleasant. This week it’s humid and hot again. But the promise of cooler weather is near. And cooler weather means comfort food and cute coats and sweaters for my kids.

This fall tart recipe comes from the latest issue of Fine Cooking which I received last week and I’ve already made this twice. I can see it appearing in our dinner rotation many more times in the coming months. I love roasted vegetables. I love goat cheese. I love savory pie crust. And so naturally, I love this tart. It is incredible.

You can make this from start to finish in a couple of hours, or you can make the vegetables ahead of time and simply assemble and bake the tart when you’re ready. I’ve done it both ways now.

The combination of vegetables (butternut squash, carrot, cauliflower and red bell pepper) is great. The recipe calls for leeks, but I decided to use a yellow onion instead. I didn’t make a great grocery list and ended up using my only onion in another dish so I left out the onion entirely. The tart didn’t suffer a bit. The measurements in the recipe below are from the magazine, but I didn’t really measure. I’m sure I used a bit more, maybe heaping amounts of those listed here.

After roasting the vegetables you mix in a bunch of chopped proscuitto. That’s magic right there. Magic.

The dough is simply flour, butter, cream cheese and a pinch of salt. It comes together in a food processor in no time and doesn’t need to be chilled before being rolled out. However, this means you absolutely must roll it out onto parchment paper. I made the mistake of rolling it out on the counter the first time and won’t do that again. Since this is a rustic tart you don’t need to worry too much about how neat the edges of your dough are.

After you roll out your dough you spread some softened goat cheese on it. Again, there’s magic happening in your kitchen right about now. Be sure the goat cheese is room temperature or it will pull too much on the dough and rip it. I know from experience.

On top of the cheese goes the vegetables.

Fold up the edges, brush with a beaten egg and bake. I baked mine on a pizza stone the second time with great results, but a cookie sheet works well, too.

After cooling for a few minutes, slice and serve and enjoy. It’s so amazing warm, but I ate a slice cold from the fridge as I was running out the door at lunchtime and it was still delicious. As far as reheating goes you need to be prepared for a slightly soggy bottom crust. But again, still delicious. If you’re serving this to at least 4 people you probably won’t need to worry about leftovers, though.

Fall Vegetable Tart with Goat Cheese and Prosciuttio

From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

Dough

6 ounces (1 1/3 cups) flour
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter cut into chunks
6 ounces cold cream cheese (low fat is fine) cut into chunks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg for egg wash

Filling

olive oil
1 1/2 cups butternut squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup sliced carrots (1/2 inch thick half moons)
3/4 cup sliced leek (optional)
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped cauliflower
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
kosher salt and pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut in to bite sized pieces
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

Directions

Filling

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Toss the vegetables together with rosemary, thyme 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Transfer to a 9×13 pan, cover tightly with foil and roast for 30-40 minutes until just fork tender.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes then add in the prosciutto.

Dough

Put flour, butter, cream cheese and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the dough just begins to come together.
Place a large piece of parchment on the counter and sprinkle with a little flour. Turn dough out onto the parchment and bring together with your hands, sprinkling with more flour if needed.
Roll dough out onto the parchment into a roughly 16-inch round.

Assemble

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Transfer parchment to a cookie sheet or pizza stone and trim any excess parchment that hangs off the sheet or stone.
Spread goat cheese onto the dough leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.
Pile vegetable evenly on top of the goat cheese.
Fold edges of the dough over the vegetables, then brush with beaten egg.
Bake for 35-45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

February 12, 2013

Cauliflower Mac with White Cheddar, Parmesan and Thyme

Carrie Zinnecker casserole, Main Dishes, Pasta, Vegetarian Cauliflower, mac and cheese, main dish, onion, parmesan cheese, Pasta, vegetable puree, Vegetarian, white cheddar 3 Comments

In my dreams I am someone who eats nothing but good-for-you foods, mainly fruits and vegetables, that are all beneficial to my health and do things like make my skin glow, provide me with all my daily vitamins, and will add years to my life. I grow all my own vegetables and get my eggs from the chickens I’m raising in my backyard. In that backyard I am hanging my clothes out to dry on the clothesline. In reality I love a greasy hamburger with cheese and bacon served up with a plate of crispy fries and followed by a creamy vanilla milkshake. I’ve never grown anything edible besides some tomatoes that didn’t make it through the season. And I actually hate the way clothes feel and smell after drying outside. I’m nothing like I am in my dreams. I like healthy foods, but I also really like to indulge. I’ve visited both extremes of unhealthy habits with food and over time I’ve become better able to understand that there is a healthy balance between the two. I believe that there is a time to indulge in cheesy macaroni and a time to take it easy and fill your body with nutritious vegetables. This dish allows you to have your mac and eat it too.

Upon first reading this recipe in Fine Cooking I dismissed it as being way too much work. I came across it again a few weeks later and thought I should give it a try. It turned out to be really delicious and not terribly time consuming. This is nothing at all like the ooey gooey cheesy macaroni and cheese I usually make, so it isn’t truly fair to compare them. However, the flavor of this macaroni was full and rich thanks to the sharp cheese and fresh thyme. Since it’s a warm baked pasta dish it still serves as comfort food, but it doesn’t carry all the butter, whole milk and cheese (and guilt) of the full fat version. One of the best parts about it is the cauliflower and onion puree. There’s half a head of cauliflower in this! And it adds a wonderful flavor and creaminess as well as a good amount of vitamin C. Purees are a great way to get more vegetables into your diet, and I’m going to look for ways to do more with them. There are only so many salads and sides of steamed broccoli a girl can take before she needs some real food. And while you eat this you can feel good knowing you’re getting some of your daily veggies.

There are a few things I did that are different from the original recipe. I used macaroni instead of penne. I used heaping measurements for the cheese because, well, I just love cheese. And I used 2% milk instead of 1%. I know there is a big difference between the two, and next time I will try 1% if I remember to pick some up. Ben and Carson both drink 2%, and I have recently made the switch to almond milk, so that’s all the milk we have in our house most of the time.

If you make this dish start to finish it probably wouldn’t take you all that long, but it dirties a lot of dishes. One of those dirty items is a blender, and I kinda hate cleaning the blender, not sure why. As a stay-at-home mom I rarely have the luxury of making dinner leisurely and I also don’t want me or my husband to be stuck with a bunch of dishes when all we want to do is sit down after the kids are in bed. So, here are some ways to make this easier and less stressful to prepare.

Make the vegetable puree earlier in the day, or even the day before, and store it in the fridge. Warm it up in the saucepan and continue the recipe from that point.
Grate the cheese ahead of time and store in the fridge in ziplocs or tupperware. (I prefer bags because I can throw them away. But that’s because I am lazy and wasteful.)
Cook everything, put it in the pan, cover and put in the fridge. Bake it that evening or the next day.

Give this a try. Even if you hate cauliflower I think you’ll like it. And if you have any healthy and delicious recipes to share, please do!

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

4 cups 1-1/2-inch cauliflower florets (about 1 lb.; from 1/2 head)
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
salt and pepper
12 oz. macaroni noodles
2 cups 2% milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 oz. coarsely grated sharp white Cheddar (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1-1/2 cups using a rasp grater)

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375°F.
Put the cauliflower, onion, and garlic in a steamer basket set over 1 inch of boiling water in a 6- to 8-quart pot. Cover and steam until the cauliflower is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower, onion, and garlic to a blender.
Fill the pot three-quarters full of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes less than the package timing. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
While the pasta cooks, add 1 cup of the milk, the dry mustard, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper to the vegetables in the blender and purée until smooth. Transfer to a 3-quart saucepan and stir in the remaining 1 cup of milk and the thyme. Heat over medium-low heat until hot but not boiling, about 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar and Parmigiano. Add all but 1/2 cup of the cheese to the sauce and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir to combine.
Transfer the pasta and sauce to an 8-inch square baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake until heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

November 16, 2012

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Carrie Zinnecker Side Dishes, Vegetables broccoli, Cauliflower, easy, make ahead, roasted, side dish, vegetables 2 Comments

Roasted vegetables are fall perfection. Anytime of the year perfection for me, really. But fall and winter seem to be better for the rich and warm flavors and the delicious caramelization of the veggies that takes place in the oven. One of my favorite things about them is their versatility. You can use your favorite vegetables. My favorite combination includes brussels sprouts, sweet potato, onion and cauliflower. I can’t think of a better side dish, can you? If you’re still planning your Thanksgiving menu, consider roasting a big tray of vegetables. You can do all of your prep, including tossing with the oil and salt, the night before. Refrigerate and roast right before dinner.

After starting this lovely dish in the crock pot I started thinking about what we would eat with it. I decided on brown rice and salad. But then I remembered that we had broccoli and cauliflower already cut up and just waiting to be transformed into something magical. I was honestly pretty worried about roasting the broccoli with my normal method. I’ve done it before and felt like the ends got too blackened and crunchy, even for me. So I looked up a recipe for roasted broccoli and found this from Ellie Krieger. As luck would have it, this particular recipe uses broccoli and cauliflower. Perfect.

We loved these. I ate the remainder of them for lunch the next day straight from the fridge. One of the reasons they were so good is the garlic. I smashed whole cloves and mixed them in with the vegetables. If you cut the garlic too small, it burns. I learned that lesson the hard way! The garlic mellows enough through the cooking process to not be an unwelcome addition to your bite. Cooking the vegetables covered allows them to steam before roasting, which keeps the broccoli from burning on the tips and cooking unevenly. I will probably try this method with my normal line up of vegetables the next time I roast them. However, I think you could get by with less covered steam cooking, maybe 20 minutes covered and 30-40 uncovered? I’ll mess with that and see how it goes.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

From Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into florets
2 large stalks broccoli (1 pound), cut into florets
1 head garlic, broken into cloves, peeled and smashed but still intact
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place cauliflower and broccoli into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, toss with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1/2 hour.
Remove the foil, stir and cook for 30 to 40 minutes more, until vegetables are tender and nicely browned, stirring occasionally.

October 20, 2011

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Pasta bacon, brussels sprouts, Cauliflower, Parmesan, Pasta, roasted vegetables, sweet potato 2 Comments

Once it starts to cool down just a touch, as in highs in the 80’s or so, I find that it is time for roasting vegetables at every possible chance. I saw this recipe in the October issue of Martha Stewart, and immediately added the ingredients to my grocery list.

I changed a few things. More bacon, of course. I’m pretty sure I doubled it, but I wasn’t really keeping track. I also roasted some brussels sprouts along with the other vegetables. I didn’t think I liked brussels sprouts until about 5 years ago when my husband’s aunt cooked them for Thanksgiving. It was a huge eye opener for me. I guess I’d just always thought I was supposed to hate them, so I did, without any good reason. Thank you, Lynn! They might be one of of my favorite vegetables now. I also opted to use medium pasta shells because I was not about to pay $8 for a bag of orcchiette. Not going to happen, Martha. I shaved big hunks of Parmesan into the pasta but I wished I’d grated at least some of it, as the recipe suggests. It’s nice to get those big pieces of salty cheese, but I think smaller pieces that can make their way into the nooks and crannies of the pasta would’ve been better. A few shaved pieces on top are all you need.

This was a lovely dinner. A definite comfort food that fed 4 quite generously. I will be making this again as the weather continues to cool off. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 ounces bacon, preferably slab, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed into 1 1/2-inch florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 bag of brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces orecchiette or other medium pasta shape
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 ounces), plus more, shaved, for garnish
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon. Reserve drippings.
Toss sweet potato, onion, brussel sprouts and cauliflower with reserved drippings. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until tender and caramelized, about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot with cooking water, and toss with grated cheese and vegetables. Stir in parsley. Sprinkle bacon over top. Garnish with shaved cheese.

September 2, 2011

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Couscous Salad

Carrie Zinnecker Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian carrots, Cauliflower, chickpeas, couscous, Vegetarian 0 Comments

This vegetarian dish can stand alone as the main meal, or it can be served as a side dish. I served this alongside some grilled chicken. When I asked Ben if he’d be OK eating a vegetarian dinner or if he wanted chicken, well, you know what he said. If I were to serve this as a side again I might leave out the chickpeas. It seemed too substantial as a side with them. It can be eaten warm, at room temperature, or cold (which is how I’ve enjoyed it for dinner and lunch the last couple days).

Yes, I made yet another meal with couscous. I like couscous. My grocery store had whole wheat this time, so I grabbed 2 boxes just in case they decide to stop carrying it again. This is an incredibly simple meal to prepare. The only bad part is having the oven not only on, but on at 450°F to roast the vegetables. It’s in the triple digits outside, so it does seem a little crazy to make it even hotter inside. I do love the flavor that roasting vegetables produces, so it’s worth it. The combination of rich roasted vegetables with the cumin and the bright flavor of the lemon is wonderful.

This recipe came from my dear friend Martha Stewart. I played with it a little bit, but will not say that I “adapted” it at all. I used baby carrots, omitted the arugula completely, and then the dressing I just mixed up without measuring. I used about a tablespoon of olive oil, the zest and juice of one large lemon, and salt and pepper. I’ve said this before, I do not like things to be overdressed or sauced. You can always add more, but you can’t take any away. It’s like cutting bangs, sort of. Some of you know what I mean. Anyway, start by adding a little dressing, taste, and then add more to your liking. The recipe below reflects my changes. The original can be found here. Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Couscous Salad

Courtesy of marthastewart.com

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, sliced 3/4 inch thick on the diagonal (or halved baby carrots)
1 head cauliflower (3 pounds), cored and cut into florets
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
6 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place carrots and cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet; toss with cumin and 1-2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet and tossing halfway through. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/4 cups salted water to a boil. Stir in couscous; cover and remove from heat. Let stand until tender, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; set aside to cool, uncovered.
Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice and remaining tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine roasted vegetables with couscous, chickpeas, and scallions. Toss with dressing.