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I was able to go to the farmers market again this past weekend. Within seconds of stepping into the lively hubbub, I spied a mound of purple cauliflower and immediately made the decision to take one home with me. I love that about the farmers market. I go in without a plan and let whatever beauties are there dictate one for me. In addition to the cauliflower, I made it home with some lacinato kale, brussels sprouts, and a trio of alfalfa, fenugreek, and radish sprouts. All of it was grown rather close to home, even in a big, urban place like Houston.

The colored varietals of cauliflower don’t really taste differently so for me the bright hues play an aesthetic role. I’ve always believed in the beauty of the food I eat as much as the taste and health. I was actually complimented once at my old job on how beautiful my breakfast always looked. Eating is an important experience and one that should involve all of the senses if possible. If your meal looks like a bowl of gruel, chances are you won’t enjoy it as much. Doing something as simple as sprinkling some fresh herbs or seeds on something can do a world of good, both for taste, appearance, and health.

This dish was inspired by one that we have a work, though my version was roasted a bit longer and has less lemon in it. Oh, and of course mine uses the much sexier purple cauliflower instead of white. It can serve as a side dish or the basis for a hearty vegetarian/vegan meal. I ended up eating it over black rice with some cilantro, chopped almonds, sprouts, and avocado. As I’m thinking about it now, it would make a really good taco filling with perhaps some salsa verde, avocado, and other fresh veggies. If you make it, let me know how you like it 🙂

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I’ve had the idea for this recipe swimming around in my head for a while. Does that ever happen to anyone else? I think it started after I had a charred broccoli salad a few weeks back. The salad combined smokey broccoli and pickled kohlrabi and it was one of the best flavor combinations I’ve tasted in a long while. The bright tang of the pickled kohlrabi cut right through the deep smokey flavor of the broccoli perfectly. There were other components to the salad, but they were mostly supporting roles in the overall scheme. If you’re in the Houston area, and want to try this awesome salad, you can get it at Coltivare.

Since enjoying the salad, I formulated my own simplified version of it in my head. I knew I wanted to combine roasted broccoli with some quick pickled shallots and toasted nuts. Tasting as I went, I decided to add a sweet component which is where the apple came in. It’s quite simple to throw together and is ready in about the time it takes to roast the broccoli. If you want to make a meal out of it, you can do what I did and serve it over some brown rice (or other grain). The salad can be served warm, at room temperature, or even chilled depending on your preference or what is easiest. If you are a bit weirded out by the pickled shallots, I urge you to give them a try in this application. I think you might find your new favorite salad.

And, on a completely unrelated subject, I thought I would provide some follow up news on a previous post in which I shared that I am no longer continuing the baking business part of Sweet Miscellany and instead pursuing my interests in nutrition. Since that post I was able to find a suitable program and will begin a year long program starting in March! I am excited and nervous but I finally feel like things are falling into place and making sense. Thank you to anyone who has offered support and stuck with me through this journey 🙂

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Mustard Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Broccoli Salad with Pickled Shallots + A Bit of News