Recipe Box: Sides and Vegetables

Deviled Eggs

(Based on Martha Stewart's 

Herbed Deviled Egg Recipe.) 

8 Large Eggs 

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise 

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard 

1 1/2 Teaspoons Sherry Vinegar 

1 Teaspoon Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley 

1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves 

1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Chives 

1/8 Teaspoon Salt 

1/8 Teaspoon Pepper 

Start with 8, large, hard-boiled eggs. 

To hard boil the eggs, put the eggs in a medium-to-large-sized saucepan, covered with an inch of water, bring the pan to a boil, let it boil for about two minutes, remove the pan from the heat, put a lid on the pot, and let it stand for 10 minutes. 

Then, gently place the eggs into a cold-water or ice bath to cool. 

Once cool, peel the eggs, cut them in half, lengthwise, and place the egg yolks into a medium-sized bowl and smash the yolks with a fork. 

To the yolk mixture, add in ½ a cup of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard – I like a coarse-grained country Dijon, 1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon chopped, flat-leaf parsley, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, and 1 teaspoon finely chopped chives. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon of both salt and pepper.

Take a little taste. Do you need more mustard? Would some pickle relish or part of a finely chopped dill pickle or sweet gherkin be a tasty addition? Go easy, but it’s okay to experiment. 

Some people like to add ½ a teaspoon of sugar to their deviled eggs, so a chopped sweet pickle could meet this desire for sweet taste. 

You and your family might want some heat in your deviled eggs – you could add 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or tabasco sauce. When I serve deviled eggs, I like to have a little bottle of tabasco on the side – that way people can add their own heat. Many people don’t want that spiciness and it’s easy to let people add their own bit of heat to their individual serving. I often add a teaspoon of wasabi paste if I know that will be a welcome addition. 

When you add small-diced ham to the mixture, it’s called a Virginia deviled egg, and if you do add ham, you’ll want to omit or greatly lessen the salt in your mixture as the ham will bring the salty taste to the filling. 

A note on mayonnaise – if you want to lighten up your deviled eggs – to not lose the creaminess, but to lower the calories and fat, you can sub in plain Greek yogurt for half of the mayonnaise, or even sour cream for half of the mayonnaise. 

If you do decide to sub in plain yogurt or sour cream, try adding a little extra vinegar into your mixture make up for some of that tangy taste that mayo adds to a dish. 

Once the yolk and filling additions have been mixed together, go ahead and spoon or pipe the mixture back into the egg whites. Your mixture might not fill all 16 egg white halves. Try filling twelve, and if you have enough filling for more, go ahead and continue filling your deviled eggs. If you have just enough egg filling for twelve halves, refrigerate and use the four remaining egg white halves in a sandwich or salad. 

A sprinkle of paprika on to top is a classic look for deviled eggs, and you can also garnish and top with chopped scallion, parsley, chives, fresh thyme, or other herbs. 

You might have a special plate with oval indents on which to serve your deviled eggs. If not, I like to spread watercress or another edible green across a platter and rest the eggs on this. The greens can be eaten and, importantly, they help to keep the deviled eggs upright and stop them from falling over on the platter. 

Try to make and eat deviled eggs, same day. If you make them up earlier in the day, be sure to keep them refrigerated until time to serve.

Enjoy!

 Roasted Beets & Carrots with Watercress

1 Pound Beets 

1 Pound Carrots 

4 Cups Watercress 

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

3 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar 

1/4 Teaspoon Sugar 

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

1 Teaspoon Honey 

2 Tablespoons Minced Shallot 

1/4 Teaspoon Salt 

1/4 Additional Teaspoon Black or Crushed Red Pepper

Here’s for 4 servings – I will often double it as a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish. It can be prepared a day ahead and then served at room temperature. 

I wait until putting it out or serving to toss the beets and carrots with the watercress. 

Remember when working with lovely beets – they will stain, so be careful of your clothing and counters. 

The recipe is easy-peasy: 

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position with a large rimmed baking sheet on the rack. Heat your oven to 500 degrees.

1 pound beets, peeled and cut into ½ inch wedges, That’s anywhere from 3 to 5 beets, depending on their size. Next, 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut on a bias into ½ inch thick slices. That’s about 3 to 3 ½ cups of carrots.

In a bowl, toss the beets and carrots with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ of a teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon sugar. 

Put the beets and carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes. Don’t stir them around – you want them to just get tender and to brown a bit. 

Save the bowl that you mixed the beets and carrots in and don’t wash it out. Whisk into that bowl, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of minced shallot, ¼ teaspoon of either red or black pepper, use one type, not both, depending on your preference, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. 

For the next step, take care as you are working with a very hot oven and sheet pan. When the vegetables are done in the oven, carefully toss the hot vegetables into the bowl with the dressing and after gently tossing, allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature, about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Just before serving or plating to a serving platter, stir in about 4 cups of watercress. I take the very bottom ends off but I don’t chop the watercress. If you don’t have watercress, you could use arugula or mixed greens, but the watercress makes the dish so pretty, it’s worth the extra effort to find watercress. 

If you were making ahead, I would refrigerate the cooled root vegetables in the dressing, and then bring to room temperature before tossing with the watercress and serving the next day. 

This is an exceedingly pretty side dish, with the rich color of the beets adding color to the orange of the carrots and the watercress adding a vibrant note in both color and texture.  

Enjoy!

 Pico de Gallo 

2 Pounds Tomatoes  

1/2 Large Onion 

2 Garlic Cloves 

2 Bell Peppers 

2 Jalapeños 

2 Limes 

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt 

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin 

1/4 Teaspoon Sugar 

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro 

 
In a big bowl, start with 2 pounds of varied tomatoes, diced. 

To this, add 1/2 large white or purple onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, finely minced, 2 bell peppers, diced, 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced, the zest and juice of 2 limes, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and optional 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Mix all together, gently but well. 

Mix in 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro. 

 
This salsa has such a bright flavor and a zesty zing – taste and adjust the flavorings to your liking. I don’t tend to add more salt in case it is going to be served with tortilla chips, which can come with their own salt, or in tacos or burritos with cheese – cheese is often a salty element in any dish. 

Serve right away or put it in the refrigerator, overnight, letting the flavors blend. Pico de Gallo is big on nutrition and great for game day, game night, a story telling get together; for any kind of party, informal get together, or celebration with your friends and family.  

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Fruited Couscous

1/4 Cup Lemon Oil (See Below) 

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin 

1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom 

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon 

1/4 Teaspoon Salt 

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice 

1/4 Cup Orange Juice 

1 Tablespoon Fresh Grated Ginger 

1 Tablespoon Honey 

1 1/2 Cups Israeli Couscous 

1 1/2 Cups Water 

1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric 

1 Red & 1 Yellow Bell Pepper  

1/2 a Medium Red Onion 

10 Dried Figs 

10 Dried Apricots 

1/2 Cup Raisins 

1 Cup Shelled Pistachios (not salted)  

2 Stalks Celery  

1/2 Cup Minced Fresh Cilantro 

1 1/2 Tbsp. Grated Orange Zest 

First, you’ll need to have some lemon oil on hand, to use in the dressing. 

If I don’t already have any made up, a few days before I need it, I’ll make up some lemon oil. To make lemon oil – it’s easy. In a small pan on your stovetop, heat up 2 tablespoons of lemon zest in 1 cup of olive oil. Heat it until the mixture just barely bubbles, and then take it off the heat. Once the oil and lemon zest have cooled down, put the mixture in a jar in your refrigerator, allowing the lemon zest to further infuse the oil with flavor. I might do this at least three days before I am going to use the lemon oil. 

Then, a day before, or it can be the day of making up the Mediterranean Fruited Couscous, you’ll want to make up the dressing. 

If you make the dressing up a day before, be sure and refrigerate it. 

Make the dressing up in a lidded jar or container that you can shake. 

The basic dressing is 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin, 1/4 a teaspoon of cardamom, 1/4 a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 a teaspoon of salt, 1/4 a teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 a cup of lemon juice, 1/4 a cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1/4 a cup of lemon oil. Put the lid on and shake-shake-shake the jar. 

Next is the salad or main ingredient portion of your dish. 

Place your oven rack to the middle position, preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and pull out a large rimmed baking sheet. 

Your first ingredient is 1 1/2 cups of Israeli couscous, which is that round, about half the size of a pea, couscous. You can use regular couscous if you cannot find the small pea-sized couscous. Of course, couscous is not gluten free, and If I wanted a gluten free dish, I might consider skipping the roasting step and then using either quinoa, basmati rice, or another gluten free grain. You can slightly modify the recipe as you go - it’s very doable and I encourage you to try. 

Back to the basic recipe. You’re going to want to roast 1 1/2 cups of Israeli couscous on the rimmed baking sheet in your oven, for about 10 minutes, just until the couscous turns a golden brown. Then carefully take the sheet pan out of the oven and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes. Then, carefully put the couscous (carefully, the couscous is roly-poly) in a medium-large saucepan. 

On your stovetop, bring 1 1/2 cups of water with 1/4 a teaspoon of turmeric to a boil, and then pour the turmeric water over the couscous in the other saucepan. Let the pan simmer on low, loosely covered, for about 10 minutes. 

After it has simmered for about 10 minutes, remove the couscous from the heat, set it aside, covered, for about another 10 minutes, or just until all of the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender. You can use a fork to gently fluff the couscous and to break up any lumps. 

Next, pull out a big bowl, and add these ingredients to the bowl: 

1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped 

½ of a medium red onion, minced 

10 dried figs, sliced, and remove any hard stems

10 dried apricots, sliced 

½ a cup of raisins 

1 cup shelled pistachios or pumpkin seeds (not salted) 

2 stalks celery, chopped 

1/2 a cup minced fresh cilantro 

1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest 

Gently mix these ingredients together. 

Add in the couscous and give it another gentle stir. 

Add in your earlier prepared dressing and give it another gentle stir to mix the dressing throughout. 

If you aren’t serving right away, you can cover and store this dish in your refrigerator until later or overnight. I like to serve it at room temperature, but you see what you like. Leftovers are usually not an issue, but it will keep about four days in your refrigerator. This recipe is based on recipe and prepared dish that was available at Whole Foods in the early to mid-2000's. 

Enjoy!

Cowboy Caviar

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar  

4 Garlic Cloves

1 Teaspoon Sugar 

1/2 Teaspoon Salt 

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

4 Ears Cooked Corn 

1/2 Large Red Onion 

 1 Bell Pepper 

1 Jalapeno Pepper  

 4 to 6 Large Plum Tomatoes 

1/2 to 3/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro 

 1 (15oz) Can Black Beans 

 1 (15oz) Can Kidney Beans 

1 (15oz) Can Black-Eyed-Peas 

(Use Cannellini or Great Northern beans as substitutes if you do not have Black-Eyed-Peas.)   

First, you want to make the dressing. If you have a rinsed out jelly jar with a lid, put inside, 1/3 or a cup of olive oil, 1/4 a cup of red wine vinegar, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 a teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper. 

Put the lid on. Shake-shake-shake the jar up, and set it aside. 

Now, for the salad part. You’ll want corn in your cowboy caviar. You can use thawed and drained frozen corn – an 8oz box will do, or, if you have 4 ears of freshly cooked corn, use the fresh. If using fresh, take a knife and carefully remove the kernels from the cob. Put the corn kernels in a big bowl. 

Next, you’ll add each of these things to the bowl. 

1/2 of a large red onion, diced so that each piece is about the size of a corn kernel. 1 bell pepper, diced. Again, pieces about the size of a corn kernel. You can use a green pepper, or orange – whatever you have. Spoiler alert – if I have two different colored bell peppers, say an orange and a green, I will use one of each. 

Add in 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, and finely diced. 

Dice and gently stir in 4 to 6 plum tomatoes or the equivalent of 4 or 6 plum tomatoes in the tomatoes you have on hand. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the bowl with your other vegetables. 

Add 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of chopped cilantro leaves to the bowl. Sometimes I don’t have cilantro. In a pinch, you can use fresh basil or even mint if you don’t have cilantro.  

Next, open, drain and rinse 1 can of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans, and 1 can of either black-eyed peas or a cannellini or other similar Great Northern-type bean. Each can should be about 15ozs. Once you’ve rinsed and drained the beans, add the beans to the bowl with your vegetables and mix, well. 

Shake up your dressing – shake-shake-shake, and add the dressing to your bowl of vegetables and beans, mixing well. 

If you have avocado, you can dice 2 avocados, spritz them with either lemon or lime and mix them in with your cowboy caviar. 

Cover the mixture and place in your refrigerator for at least two hours before serving. It's fine to make it a day ahead. 

Before serving, mix well. If you have chopped scallion and more cilantro, you can garnish the top of your bowl with one or both. 

I like to serve the cowboy caviar with black corn chips. The mixture isn’t too salty because the chips add salt, but go ahead and season the cowboy caviar to your taste. It's also nice to serve the cowboy caviar with small, bowl-shaped, or scoop-able chips. 

Cowboy caviar doesn’t heat up your kitchen on a hot day. It’s pretty to look at. It’s a great potluck item, a picnic take-along, or a nice side or main dish at the end of a long day. Add deviled eggs, sliced mozzarella and toasted baguette rounds, and you have the beginnings of a party. You can personalize this dish. Some people like a bit more vinegar or even lime. I like it best as long as it comes along with a heaping serving of friends and family. 

Ratatouille

1 Large Eggplant + 1 Teaspoon Salt 

2 Small to Medium Zucchini 

2 Bell Peppers 

2 Medium Red Onions 

1/4 Cup Olive Oil + 1 to 2 Tbsp. for Drizzling 

4 Garlic Cloves 

1 Teaspoon Fresh Chopped Rosemary 

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt 

1 Teaspoon Coarsely Ground Coriander Seed 

3 to 4 Large, Ripe Tomatoes 

1/2 to 3/4 Cup Basil Leaves 

Start with a large eggplant or the equivalent, cut into 1-inch pieces, tossed into a colander set over a bowl, with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed throughout. Let the eggplant and salt sit for at least 45 minutes and up to 90 minutes, to help to expel any bitterness in the eggplant. After 45 to 90 minutes, rinse the salt from the eggplant and put the eggplant chunks into a large bowl. 

Set your oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Pull out a large rimmed baking sheet. 

To the eggplant in the large bowl, add 2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces, 2 bell peppers cut into 1-inch pieces. For the bell peppers, you can use yellow, green, or red bell peppers, or a combination of colors, if you have. Next, add to the bowl, 2 medium, red onions that you’ve cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch wedges. 

Toss the vegetables with 1/4 a cup of olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped rosemary, 1 teaspoon of sea salt or other coarse salt, and, if you don’t have sea salt, just use your regular salt-salt. Then, add 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground coriander seeds. If you don’t have the coriander seeds, you can substitute 1/2 a teaspoon of ground coriander. If you don’t have coriander, add either a teaspoon of dried Italian herbs or Herbs de Provence, if you have either of those on hand. 

Mix all of this, well, and spread everything onto your rimmed baking sheet. If it looks like it needs it, you can drizzle 1 to 2 more tablespoons of olive oil over the top of your vegetable mixture. 

Put your rimmed baking sheet with the vegetable mixture into your oven for 30 to 45 minutes. My oven takes 45 minutes, but some ovens run hotter and 30 minutes will do. 

While the vegetable mixture is in the oven, don’t wash out your big bowl, yet – coarsely chop 3 to 4 large, ripe tomatoes – into about a 1/2 to 1-inch chop, and add those tomatoes to the bowl, gently coating them with any left-over oil and seasoning. 

Once the oven mixture has baked for 30 to 45 minutes, and the vegetables are beginning to soften, carefully pull the rack out and stir the chopped tomatoes into the vegetable mixture that has already been cooking in the oven. Be careful to not burn yourself. 

Once the tomatoes have been stirred in, let the mixture bake in the oven for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables have nicely softened and heated through. 

Wash and prepare 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of torn basil leaves. If you don't have basil, you can substitute 1/2 a cup of fresh mint leaves. 

When the vegetables are finished baking in the oven, remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes, so it’s easier to handle, and then transfer the vegetables and juices from the sheet pan into a big bowl, decorative baker, or a serving dish with sides. You want something with sides so as to capture the juices. 

Go ahead and stir in the torn basil leaves. 

You can serve the ratatouille warm or at room temperature, with a baguette, toasted or not. Garnish with more fresh basil if you have. It makes a nice meal if you have hard boiled eggs, cooked beans, a nice cheese or other protein on hand. 

Enjoy some, day of bake. Refrigerate the rest and you’ll have 3 or 4 days of a scrumptious spread, topping, or side. 

Tomato Bruschetta 

4 to 6 Large Plum Tomatoes 

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt 

5 Tablespoons Olive Oil  

2 to 3 Garlic Cloves  

8 Large Basil Leaves 

Baguette 

Chop 4 to 6, large, plum tomatoes, or the equivalent in the tomatoes you have on hand. (You might have 3 beefsteak tomatoes or a pint of cherry tomatoes – whatever you use, you are looking for about a pound of tomatoes.) 

Add a scant teaspoon of kosher salt or 3/4 of a teaspoon of regular salt to the chopped tomatoes, and then put the salted tomatoes in a colander over a bowl. Let the tomatoes drain over the bowl for at least one hour and ideally, for up to two hours. 

Take out a small saucepan and add 5 tablespoons of olive oil to the saucepan. 5 tablespoons is the same as 1/4 of a cup plus 1 tablespoon. 

Add 2 large, well-minced garlic cloves to the olive oil and warm the olive oil and garlic over a low heat for about five minutes. You just want the garlic to soften and to become fragrant – you are not looking to brown the garlic. Once the garlic is soft and the oil mixture is aromatic, take it off the heat and set the mixture aside to cool. 

Slice a baguette into diagonal oval slices, or wrangle another type of loaf into toast-able pieces. Day old bread is fine if not preferred. Toast the bread under your oven grill or in your toaster. 

Next, wash 8 large basil leaves or the equivalent. Blot them – dry them off – stack them one on top of the other, roll them all up and slice them very thinly, crosswise. This slicing technique is called, "Chiffonade" (Shif-on-ahd). I learned to chiffonade leaf-like herbs, to make little ribbons of thinly sliced basil from a Julia Child episode on PBS. Julia, we miss you.

After the tomatoes have had a chance to drain, up to two hours, put the tomatoes in a bowl, gently mix in the cooled garlic oil, and then stir in the thinly sliced basil. 

Some people like to add a splash of balsamic vinegar, to brighten it up a bit, but I prefer to have a little bowl of balsamic vinegar off to the side of the tomato bruschetta, and people can add what they want.  

Sturdy Slaw (Coleslaw)

1 cup Mayonnaise 

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard  

2 teaspoons Sugar 

2 teaspoons Celery Seed 

1/2 Head Cabbage, Thinly Sliced 

3 Large Carrots, Shredded 

Kosher Salt & Black Pepper to Taste 

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except cabbage and carrots. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss until coated with dressing. 

Helpful if you can let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour, to blend the flavors. Give it a stir before serving. 

Change it up and use a mix of purple and green cabbage. Toss some sliced apple with a squeeze of lemon and add it to your slaw. Add a half cup of raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries if any of these would be to your taste. Sometimes, I'll thin-slice a half of a red onion, soak this in a couple of tablespoons of vinegar, and mix the onion (not soaking vinegar) into the slaw before serving. Experiment and what you have on hand and suites your taste. 

If you don't have kosher salt, use regular salt, but a tiny bit less. If no apple cider vinegar, use your regular vinegar, and if no Dijon mustard, try using whatever you have. If using yellow mustard, try using 1/3 less until you are sure of the taste. Basically, use what you have and enjoy. 

Coleslaw is good at standing up to heavier meals, delivers good nutrition, and helps fill you up without taking a big bite out of your budget.   

Humus

2 Cups Chickpeas 

1 Lemon 

3 Minced Garlic Cloves 

½ Teaspoon Black Pepper 

¾ Teaspoon Salt 

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder 

½ Teaspoon Cumin 

¼ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tablespoon White Vinegar 

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 

¼ Cup Tahini Sauce (optional) 

 If you are going to use canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans, get a standard 15 ½ ounce can of beans, open the can, drain and rinse the beans, and you are ready to go to the part of the recipe where you add spices and other ingredients to the chickpeas.  

If you are using dried chickpeas, rinse, sort, and strain 3 cups of dried chickpeas, then place the cleaned chickpeas in a large bowl, and cover with water by about 4 inches. Then, cover the bowl with a plate or another covering and let the chickpeas soak overnight, for at least 12 hours.
The next day, drain the beans, put them in a large pot on your stove and cover with water by about 2 to 3 inches. Bring the pot to a boil, and then turn it down to a simmer for about 30 minutes. Carefully use a slotted spoon or fork to take a chickpea out and test to see if it’s just tender. Chickpeas overcook really fast. If they aren’t done at the 30-minute mark, I keep the pot simmering and check every 5 minutes. Once they are just done, carefully strain them into a colander and let them cool down. Take out what you need for the humus, about 2 cups of chickpeas.

Let the rest cool completely, put them in a freezer safe container, chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, then put into your freezer. You now have a very nutritious and handy protein source. 

Put the 2 cups of cooked chickpeas you are using for the humus or the 1 can of drained canned chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor, blender, or other type of immersion/bowl chopper. I have a little 3-cup bowl with an immersion blender stick that fits into the lid. It’s perfect, although whatever you have is what will work.
If you don’t have a blender, you can put the chickpeas into a Ziploc bag with the air all pressed out, and very gently smash the beans with a wooden mallet or possibly the heal of your hand. Be careful.

To your chickpeas, add the juice from one lemon, 3 minced garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. If you have tahini sauce, you can add ¼ cup of tahini sauce.

Blend everything together.

With a small spoon, take a little taste and see if you need to adjust your seasonings. If too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil, or lemon juice/vinegar, to taste.  

Cover and store the hummus in your refrigerator, and enjoy it over the next few days, as a dip with cut vegetables, chips or pita. I like to spread it on toasted country bread and then to top it with a little red onion, maybe a sprig or two of arugula or other green, and sliced tomato.  

Happy Making!  
 

Roasted Cauliflower

1 Medium to Large Cauliflower 

1 Medium to Large Red Onion 

2 to 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

1 to 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (or other vinegar) 

1 Heaping Tablespoon Cumin 

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder 

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder 

1/4 Teaspoon Salt 

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes 

If you have garlic cloves, you can grate 2 garlic cloves into this mixture. 

If you have soy sauce, you can add ½ a teaspoon of soy sauce. 

This mixture is really your person preference as to taste. If you don't have a particular spice, omit it.  

The red onion is optional as is the curry powder. Want a bright color? Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon turmeric. 

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees, with your oven rack set to the middle.
I use a rimmed sheet pan, and sometimes cover it in foil to make the clean-up easier, but you don’t have to. You can roast directly on the sheet pan and just plan on getting a little of your arm work exercise in with scrubbing the pan once your cauliflower is done roasting.

First, remove the leaves and the bottom part of the core of a medium to large cauliflower. Give your cauliflower a nice wash off with clean water and pat dry. Then, slice the cauliflower, just like it’s a loaf of bread. With every slice around ¾ of an inch thick. When the cauliflower is sliced, the individual slices will look tike the cross section of an oak tree.

If you have a small to medium-sized red onion, cut it in half and then into about ¼ inch slices.  

Carefully spread the cauliflower out on your rimmed baking sheet. If you are adding a red onion, places the onion in and around your cauliflower slices.  

Next, in a small bowl, mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons of balsamic or other vinegar, 1 heaping tablespoon of cumin or curry powder, ½ a teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon, each, of salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. If you have garlic cloves, you can grate 2 garlic cloves into this mixture. If you have soy sauce, you can add ½ a teaspoon of soy sauce to this mixture. This mixture is really your person preference as to taste. 

Drizzle your mixture from the bowl over the cauliflower and red onion, if you added red onion. 

Using your hands, carefully coat the cauliflower and maybe onion on your sheet pan with the olive oil, vinegar, and spice mix. Gently turn it over to coat all sides and spread everything out, evenly, on the sheet pan.

Put your sheet pan into the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, just until the cauliflower becomes tender enough for a knife to slide in easily.
You don’t want to overcook, though. Better a little under than overdone.

You can rotate your pan halfway through. Check the cauliflower at 20 minutes – you don’t want to over-roast the cauliflower. It cooks, quickly, and easily goes from done to mush in the blink of an eye.

At about 20 to 25 minutes, your cauliflower should be done. Pull your pan out and transfer the cauliflower to a large plate or low-rimmed bowl to cool. Drizzle any warm sauce or oil remaining on your baking sheet over the cauliflower.

I try not to crowd the cauliflower as you don’t want it to keep cooking.
You can serve this, right away, same day, or let it cool and put it in the fridge as a nice side or a base to a meal.

Often, while the cauliflower is roasting, I’ll put a large pan of water on to boil, peel and slice up some thick carrot sticks, toss them in the water, cut up some broccoli, and toss the broccoli in the water just as it comes to a boil.
Right away, just as the water comes to a boil, turn the water off, give it 30 seconds, and then drain the carrot sticks and broccoli out into a colander. Run cold water over the broccoli and carrots, and set aside to cool off.
Once the cauliflower is roasted, and the carrots and broccoli blanched. Let them all cool off, and put them in a container in your refrigerator as ready-to-use building blocks for lunch, dinner, or snacks over the next few days. It’s so nice to have something ready and handy to use. I feel a deep sense of being taken care of when I have food prepped for meals.  

As always, happy baking (& roasting)!