Crisp Roasted Curried Cauliflower with Tofu

We are huge fans of roasted vegetables. The heat of summer normally horns in on our desire to heat up the kitchen with anything close to a 400º oven. But, on cooler days, we can make an exception. And thank goodness!

One of the things we most love to roast is cauliflower. Seems a bit of high heat does wonders for the sweetness of this vegetable. Not to mention giving it a lovely caramelized color.

Add a few colorful spices, and you're on your way to something wonderful.
Once everything is mixed together, you just slide the seasoned vegetables into their luxury tanning bed...
And WA-LA! They come out looking rather spectacular!
This cauliflower is a splendiforous departure from some of the other treatments for late-summer cauliflower. It combines the warm, sensual aromas of Indian curry with the ease of a one-pot dinner.

And the leftovers... ah! the leftovers! They're almost better than the first time around. Wrap a spoonful up in a pita for a quick sandwich. Add a splash of cream and whir in the blender for a quick, creamy soup. Or just do as I do, and eat it cold, straight from the fridge. Oh, and those of you making icky faces and "boo-ing" need to try it before judging too harshly :)

I like throwing tofu in this dish. But, you can easily make it without. It's also great with a bit of cooked chicken, or as a side dish with a more expansive Indian feast.

We served this with a side of fresh radish raita -- a simple mixture of yogurt, minced radishes and cucumbers, red wine vinegar, chopped fresh mint, and a pinch of salt. It cut the heat of the dish nicely, and gave the hot cauliflower a nice, cool, summer crunch.Crisp Roasted Curried Cauliflower with (or without) Tofu

©BURP! Where Food Happens

West Bend Farmer's Market

Another weekend down. And another trip to a new farmer's market accomplished!

I have to admit that I didn't really know what to expect when we journeyed up to West Bend to check out their Saturday morning market. The last time I'd been there was about ten years ago, and there were only a few vendors. But, these days, the West Bend Farmer's Market is pretty inspiring. Not only is it HUGE (it takes up a couple of blocks downtown), but there was lots of phenomenal produce to be had.

We arrived at the market hungry, and were glad to find lots of delicious edibles ready to be snarfed. These cinnamon claws were just right -- not too sweet, with plenty of cinnamon flavor.
The watermelon was also looking pretty refreshing. We passed on buying one of these lovely melons, but I've been regretting it ever since.
Seems quite a number of vendors had an unusually nice aesthetic going on. This farm displayed all of their lovely produce in baskets, which made me want to take home one of everything.
And I was really pleased by the selection of goodies being offered. We picked up a couple of fine looking zucchini, some eggplant, and a nice bunch of chard.
Other vendors seemed to prize size over just about anything. These kohlrabis were a steal at just $3 each.
But, the winner of the market was, by far, the garlic. Seems garlic was available just about everywhere -- in all sorts of forms.
In fact, I was absolutely tickled to find an entire table of garlic varieties -- all clearly labeled with informative descriptions. We ended up hauling home a number of heads, despite the fact that we were already pretty well stocked!
But, that wasn't the end of our adventure! We also found lots of local delicacies that we weren't expecting -- like locally grown flavored popcorn!
Oh, yes -- and the entertainment was also pretty... er... entertaining.

©BURP! Where Food Happens