Warm Cauliflower and Mustard Greens Salad for One

It’s autumn and I want comfort food. But I don’t want to eat a heavy meal. What to do, what to do? Here’s the perfect compromise—it’s a slightly warm salad and there’s only enough fat in it to keep the cauliflower from sticking to the pan.

1 TBLSP sliced almonds

½ red onion, medium diced

1 TBLSP golden raisins (black will also do nicely)

1 TBLSP sugar

1 TBLSP red wine vinegar

Pinch of salt

1/8 cup water

1 ½ TBLSP olive oil

½ head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 TBLSP capers

2 or 3 leaves of mustard greens

1. In a non-stick frying pan, toss the almonds on medium heat until warmed through. They should just be starting to smell wonderful and browning slightly around the edges. Remove them long before they burn and put them into your serving dish.
2. In the same pan, combine the onion, raisins, sugar, vinegar, salt, and water. Heat to boiling on medium high (speed is not the point here). Once boiling, stir occasionally for the next 2 or 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften and the liquid has somewhat evaporated. Place the onion deliciousness in a small bowl.
3. In the same pan, heat the olive oil on medium until it’s hot. Add the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the cauliflower is lightly browned. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, capers, and mustard greens and continue to cook until the mustard greens have wilted. Add to the plate or bowl of almonds.
5. With a slotted spoon (so you don’t get much of the pickling liquid), transfer the onions to the cauliflower. Add as much pickling liquid as you like. I like mine a little dry AND I want to use the pickling liquid for something else. (It’s a nice pink and very tangy.) Give the whole salad a good stir so that almonds and capers are spread throughout.

Eat warm or let it cool to room temperature.

Variations:

• Any bitter green would be nice in this. Try chard, dandelion—even arugula.
• This would be very interesting wrapped in a noodle (like a lasagna noodle or cannoli), sauced (I thin a mock béchamel or alfredo would be good), and baked for a bit.