I remember the joy of the hunt, idling over choices, and then research on how to best try our new vegetable,fruit, or grain of the week. It makes it fun to get in the kitchen. Not everyday because one can lose their mind. But once a week as kind of a treat it is so much fun. It opens your world to different tastes, cultures, and techniques. This week we decided it was time to start incorporating this fun little ritual back in our house. And as a family of three (though our little one has a while to go before he samples with us) we scavenged for our pick of the week. Drumroll please.... Take a peek at the title of the blog. . . Orange Cauliflower. Does the color matter when picking produce ? Absolutely. I am not a huge green pepper fan but bring on the red or yellow bell peppers and I will cook them or eat them raw with pretty much anything. The color (if left to mother nature) is the minerals and vitamins that make up the vegetable. So orange cauliflower has way more beta carotene than the white variety. And different minerals and vitamins will usually change the texture and the taste. So for those who have limited market/produce access, have you tried every apple? Different brands have different levels of sweetness and tartness and the different textures make some great for baking and others not so much. Farmer's markets are great places to try because they tend to be local and not usually sold in your regular supermarket. It is also fun to try different grocery stores. I understand you probably don't because of cost or distance but a four - six dollar investment that encourages your family to gather, hunt, decide/negotiate, cook, and dine together sounds pretty worthwhile.
So back to the orange cauliflower. I enjoy regular cauliflower and have many found memories of mom's cheese sauce that went with it as a kid. We tend to eat it more now around our house steamed with garlic. YUM as a side dishes to most meals. Cauliflower is so easy to prepare in numerous ways. And when it comes to cooking for me I love the worlds simple (because I make things pretty complicated by myself), quick, and fun twists. So I gathered three recipes for my hubby as we were having orange roughy (fish) (also notice our orangy theme - although we rounded out the dinner with spinach.) It took ten minutes to gather these recipes from the internet for those are nervous to prepare unknown foods. The www is amazing! I type in my ingredient and add the recipe and voila the world is welcomed to my kitchen. So my three recipes steamed in the microwave with balsamic vinegar, oven-baked with some herbs, and mashed. Hubby voted for mashed. Steamed the medium cauliflower for eight minutes in the microwave after chopping away the bottom green leaf and the breaking up some florets. Then pulsed the steamed orange cauliflower with a touch of cream (we had some in our fridge, the recipe recommended milk) and some garlic. Poured into a bowl for serving and topped with salt, pepper and the recipe recommended thyme but we were out. It was delicious! The orange cauliflower has a sweeter taste than the white. A lot of people tend to cover the white with cheese to cover that bitterness but the orange doesn't need it at all. Keep it SIMPLE! The consistency of the mashed cauliflower with the color reminded me of really cheesy grits. Definitely a dish to repeat. Especially if you are tired of the mashed potatoes and want to get more beta carotene (think sweet potatoes, carrots) in your house. This is fun and delicious with numerous opportunities. I also have heard of purple cauliflower but have yet to try/see it. From what I have read it sounds like it is also sweeter than the white version but not as sweet as the orange. Kids tend to love bright colors on their plate to encourage healthier eating. But don't forget the kid in you as adult who also loves to try new tastes and appreciates more fun in their day. Start with your plate- its amazing how one change can lead to many others!!!
May your HealthFULL Journey lead you to amazing changes, treat you to new tastes, and the opportunity to have choices. 'Til we meet again. . .
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