Fast and Spicy. The Cauliflower Your Mom Warned You About.

   Actually not really. This cauliflower dish is simply easy, tasty, quick to fix and perfect for any weekday meal... even if every time I fix it my husband says the house smells like the Lower East Side circa 1920. But I don't care, cauliflower is good, inexpensive and one of the most versatile vegetables out there. It's also pretty and the spring-like colors of this cruciferous wonder out there right now remind me of a basket of parti-colored Easter Eggs.

   Cauliflower comes in a variety of colors, purple, pinks, greens, yellows and plain old white, so when I was at the market I was drawn to all the pretty colors and decided I needed more Gobi in my life. Also, they were on sale... just sayin' . So, I chose a brilliant deep golden one and took it home.
  

  
  I wanted a simple way to cook this cauliflower, something that wouldn't take all day as we're in the midst of a script and I couldn't spend hours in the kitchen, so I turned to a basic Gujarati sabzi, a simple dry curry vegetable dish, and to speed things up, I roasted the cauliflower before cooking. This allowed me extra work time as I could pop it into the oven on a baking sheet get some work done while it roasted, and then do the final assembly quickly. I highly recommend roasting as it really brings out a lot of flavor, and as I said, keeps things moving. Also I'm not nuts about filling the house with the aroma of boiling cauliflower.

Simple Gobi Sabzi

Here's What You Need:

For The Cauliflower : 
1 medium cauliflower broken into florets
1/8 tsp turmeric
2 Tbs vegetable oil, I use coconut oil
2 serrano chilies slit
1 peeled and crushed shallot
1/2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
1 finely chopped onion
1 fresh tomato peeled and chopped or diced chopped canned tomatoes
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

For the Spice Paste:
1/2  cup of water
1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 Tbs yogurt


Here's What To Do: 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the cauliflower into florets.

Place them into a bowl and drizzle them with 1 Tbs of coconut oil and 1/8 tsp turmeric.

Mix everything around well so the cauliflower is coated.
Place it on a baking sheet and pop it into the 400 degree oven to roast for about 20 minutes.

Check in and stir it around. When it starts to get slightly crispy-looking, it's done.

Take it out and set it aside.
Mix together the ingredients for the Spice Paste.
Whip the yogurt.

Mix it with the water.

Add in the Kashmiri chili, garam masala, turmeric, and coriander powder.

Mix it together well.
Slit the serrano chilies.

Crush the shallot and chop the ginger.

In a skillet or kadhai heat 2 Tbs of vegetable oil.

When the oil is hot toss in the 2 slit serrano chilies. Let them sizzle for about 10 seconds then take them out and set them aside.

Now add in the cumin seeds.

When the seeds start to crackle  add in the ginger, shallot, dried red chili and saute everything for about 2 minutes.

Now add the chopped onion...

...and diced tomato.

Let them saute for about 2 minutes then pour in your spice paste.

Mix it in well and cook it until it starts to thicken and the oil seperates.

Now add in the previously roasted cauliflower.

Cook it until the cauliflower is warm again and cooked through.

Check it for seasoning and serve it up.
Garnish it with the serrano chilies and sprinkle it with the chopped fresh cilantro.

Just don't eat the serranos. We took our lunch out into the garden.

     
   The cauliflower in this dish can be roasted ahead, the spice paste made ahead... all in all this is why this dish makes a great lunch or dinner side. Enjoy it with rice, chapattis or any American main course. Coming up next more Seasonal Indian dishes and a surprise giveaway from the gang at CocoaPlanet Tasting Room and Modern French Cafe...win a Golden Ticket! Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

A Fresh Spring Dish, An Indian Classic : Cauliflower and Potato

   Spring is one of my favorite times of year here in Sonoma.The Farmers Markets are filled with the delicacies one doesn't get the rest of the year and at our place, planning has begun for this year's crops. But first, the last of the Winter harvest needed to be brought in. My cauliflower came fashionably late. In fact, I didn't think I was going to get any cauliflower this year, but after the heavy rains we've had the last month...there they were! I waited for a break in the rain to go out and cut myself a beauty.

   Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables because there are so many ways one can prepare it that even the most die-hard cauliflower hater can find something they like. Because we've been pretty busy with launching The Chaunk I was looking for a very fast and easy recipe that would do the job for lunch. Good old Aloo Gobi to the rescue. I took my cauliflower and some fresh cilantro from my garden (it started raining again) ...

...and combined it with organic fresh peas (cheap and good this time of year) a few Yukon gold potatoes, and a red pepper.....Luncheon is served!

                               Cauliflower With Potatoes and Peas aka Aloo Gobi

Here's What You Need:
1 cauliflower
2 Tbs coconut oil or other vegetable oil
5 fresh green serrano chilies (I grow my own during the Summer then vacuum seal and freeze them for later use)
1 Tbs finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 cup of fresh peas, or frozen ones thawed
2 Yukon gold potatoes
1  red bell pepper finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbs  coriander
1  tsp  cumin
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp amchur powder (dried mango)
1/4 tsp garam masala
3 Tbs water


Here's What To Do:
Shell your peas (if using fresh ones).

Chop the serrano chilies and set aside.

Peel and chop the ginger/

Add the cumin seeds to the chopped ginger and set them aside.

Mix the ground cumin, coriander and turmeric together in a small bowl and set them aside.

Wash and dry the cauliflower. Trim it and cut it into florets.

Place the cauliflower pieces into the bowl with the peas.
Wash and quarter the potatoes.

Place them in the bowl with the peas and cauliflower.

Chop the red bell pepper into small pieces  mix it with the cilantro and set it aside.

Heat your pan or kadhai over a medium/hot heat.
Add in the vegetable oil.

When the oil is hot toss in the chopped serrano chilies.

Stir them around for about 30 seconds or so until they sizzle, then add the cumin seeds and ginger. When that starts to sizzle, add in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric.

Stir everything around so the oil and spices are well mixed, then add in your cauliflower, potato, and pea mixture...

...along with 2 Tbs of water.

Cover the pan and stir fry everything over a high heat for about 3 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and let everything cook for about 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft. Check on things and stir once in a while so nothing burns or sticks. If you need to add another Tbs or so of water go ahead and do so.
When the potatoes have softened, add in the red bell pepper and cilantro...

...and the amchur powder.

Put the lid back on and cook for about 5 minutes.
After that time, take the lid off, give everything a good stir and place it in a serving dish.
Add the 1/4 tsp of garam masala, then stir everything again.

And serve it up!

  Spicy, delicious, and made with the freshest stuff one can get this time of year, Aloo Gobi is a great dish served just with rice and chapatti, or as the vegetable accompaniment to any Western style meat and veg dinner.
 For a how to kit to cook these and other delicious easy Indian dishes visit The Chaunk
Coming up next, taking advantage of Springtime produce bargains, follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Coming Down From Holiday Feasting Cold Turkey With Hot Cauliflower

       
   Just putting it out there straight up, the last month and a half has been a time of plain unadulterated piggery. Parties, holidays, anniversaries and I haven't even gotten to New Years Eve/New Years Day yet and I'm all ready to get clean for '14. There are only so many cookies, cakes, pies and indulgent foods one can handle in the short space of 45 days. Of course, like any situation where brakes are applied, a soft foot on the pedal is always best. "Turn in the direction of the skid" as my old Broadway Department Store Driving instructor used to say. There's no better way of tapering down after a glut of end-of-year eating then with something that appears to be indulgent but is actually vegan, paleo and gluten free. A little trickery goes a long way on the road to rehabilitated eating. Which is why when I was looking for something healthy, but not hard core kale smoothie, I chose the Gujarati classic Cauliflower nu Bhanolu, a warm and creamy tasting Indian comfort food.

   This cauliflower dish cooks up very quickly with just a few ingredients and you will not believe it contains no butter, cream, or eggs, it's that good.

Cauliflower nu Bhanolu

Here's What You Need:
1 and 1/4 cups of finely chopped cauliflower florets
1 Tbs green chili and ginger paste
1 and 1/2 cups of coconut milk
6 Tbs besan flour (aka garbanzo flour)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp of salt or to taste
3and 1/4 tsp of vegetable oil for greasing and tempering
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of hing (asafoetida) optional

Here's What To Do:
Preheat the oven to 360 degrees.
Lightly grease a pie plate or 6 inch cake pan with vegetable oil. Set it aside.
Finely chop the cauliflower florets and set them aside.

Pour 1 and 1/2 cups of coconut milk into a bowl, set aside.

Chop 1 serrano chili finely.

Mix it together with 1 tsp of so of chopped fresh ginger and a bit of water until you have 1 Tbs of green chili ginger paste.
Add the besan flour into the coconut milk and mix it into a smooth batter.

Add in the finely chopped cauliflower.

Add in 1 Tbs of the chili and ginger paste.

Stir it in well.
Add in the sugar and salt...

 

...and the lemon juice.

Mix everything together well and pour it all into the lightly greased pan.

Pour the batter into the lightly greased pan and set it aside.
In a small skillet or pan heat 3 tsp of vegetable oil.
When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

 
When the mustard seeds start to pop, pour over the top of the cauliflower batter.

Pop the whole thing into the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until the cauliflower mixture is set and lightly golden.

Scoop into indvidual bowls and serve it up.

   Creamy and smooth with a hit of heat, this is the perfect side dish to make the transition into healthier New Years eating a whole lot easier. If you have cauliflower haters in your family, this dish might just change their minds. It did at our house. Did I mention that it's gluten free, vegan and also meets Paleo requirements? Just what you need to clean up your act for the new year.
Coming up next a few more tricks to eating clean, Indian style. Follow along on Twitter  @kathygori