Question of the day: do you ever eat cauliflower?

I can tell you that for most of my life, the only time I ever ate cauliflower was when it came from a raw veggie tray, along with broccoli and carrots, and gobs of ranch dressing.

Recently, I have discovered another way to eat cauliflower that is quite tasty – roasting it!

Now, the first time I roasted cauliflower it wasn’t quite done and still came out a little crunchy.  But, if you get it just right, it will be tender and firm – which is what you’re going for.   So, today I’m sharing a recipe from the great Emeril Lagasse that I found on the Food Network website.

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower
5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

I must tell you, tonight was the first time I tried this recipe and it was truly delicious.  My husband gave it a great big thumbs up, and both of my children even ate it.  Definitely worth making again!

I also did a good standby to go along with dinner tonight – corn souffle.  This dish is pure comfort food at its best!  It comes from one of my many church cookbooks.

Corn Souffle
1 can corn, drained
1 can creamstyle corn
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 cup sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix all ingredients in large bowl and pour into buttered casserole dish.  Bake for one hour, or until cake tester comes out clean.

One note here about the butter – it does not hurt the dish to use less.  I also use reduced fat sour cream, which makes me feel less guilty after consuming all of that rich goodness!

Besides cauliflower and corn souffle, we also had snow peas with dinner.  And, my husband gleefully said that yes, he would grill some chicken, even though it was only 39 degrees outside.

Sadly, I have no pictures to share tonight.  It was late when I started fixing dinner; therefore, I was in such a tizzy trying to get it on the table fast that I completely forgot to take any.  I will do better next time, I promise!

Did I mention we had snow flurries this morning?

Until next time,
Muncho Mom