Quick Roasted Cauliflower

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. I am one of those cynics that thinks Valentine's Day is a "holiday" invented by Hallmark, but I still had fun giving treats to family and friends this year. I mailed some chocolates to mommy friends in Brooklyn, my husband and I each picked out a small toy for Baby Girl, my husband got me flowers (all I ever ask for - I love to have something blooming in the middle of winter), and I got my husband a Kombucha starter (more on that in future posts).


We realized last night that we have unknowingly created an annual tradition of a homemade steak dinner on Valentines Day. Last night the menu was rib steak, Indian style roasted cauliflower, green beans with herb butter and Caesar salad plus we cheated and had dessert.

We recently have discovered a way to make quick roasted cauliflower. I have always prepared cauliflower by cutting it up into florets (the little trees). I don't know why it never occurred to me to cut it into slices until a few weeks ago. I was looking up some ideas online (can't remember where I got the idea - sorry I that can't give credit), and saw someone just sliced the cauliflower. Brilliant! It was one of those aha moments. It is quicker to cut up and it cooks so much faster too!

Slice the cauliflower in half, place the flat edge down on the cutting board, and cut the cauliflower into 1/4 inch slices. Generously oil the pan, and place the slices on the pan.(my husband broke up the slices, but I have kept them as large slices before too)

Sprinkle your seasonings over the cauliflower. We used turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, and garlic to imitate our favorite Indian style roasted cauliflower.
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Enjoy!

Quick Roasted Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
oil
Seasonings (we used turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes and garlic)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the head of cauliflower in half. Place the cut edge flat on the cutting board, and cut the cauliflower into 1/4 inch think slices. Generously oil a sheet pan, and place the slices on the pan. We liberally sprinkled turmeric and lightly sprinkled cumin and red pepper flakes, and added 8 chopped cloves of garlic. Bake until browned 10-15 minutes.

*Traditionally we have toasted a whole variety of Indian spices in oil in a hot skillet, added the cauliflower, and then placed in the oven for 45 minutes. We will still do that technique on occasion for a more complex flavor, but this is a great substitute for a quick dinner.

This post is part of Works for me Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Welcome Wednesday, and Real Food Wednesdays.

Valentine's Day Smashed Potatoes

Happy Valentine's Day.

We usually don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. In New York City, Valentine's dinners are an expensive affair. Most restaurants offer a special prix fixe menu that is significantly more expensive than their regular menu, and reservations need to be made weeks in advance. We avoid all the hype by choosing to go out for a special breakfast instead and make a nice dinner at home.

We went out for our special Valentine's Day breakfast yesterday at Prime Meats. It's close to home and they use produce, meats and dairy from local farms, so it's a treat we can feel good about.

For dinner, we continued our efforts to clean out the freezer. We enjoyed some pork tenderloin encrusted with rosemary, garlic and kosher salt, caramelized onions, smashed potatoes and coleslaw. I liked the coleslaw so much last week. I just couldn't resist requesting another batch this week. Last week we used the food processor, and this week it was just roughly chopped up by hand - either way it is delicious. But I thought the real star of the meal were the smashed potatoes. See below for directions.



Smashed Potatoes
New Potatoes
Olive Oil
Coarse Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the potatoes until softened (40-60 minutes). Place each potato on a cutting board or large plate and use a small plate to smash them flat. Place the smashed potatoes on lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until they are beginning to crisp around the edges (about 15 minutes per side).

The potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. They are delicious the next day too. Mmm, enjoy.

Plan for the week:
Monday - Leftovers and a special dessert
Tuesday - Liver and Onions
Wednesday - Salmon and Acorn Squash
Thursday - Out to eat
Friday - Homemade pizza

This post is part of Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist, Mouthwatering Mondays, Menu Plan Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Twister, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday at For the Love of Blogs, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Delectable Tuesday, and Hearth and Soul Hop Recipe Exchange.