Apricot-Glazed Cauliflower for One

Do you ever have a hankering for barbecue sauce and you’re allergic to tomatoes (on which most such sauces are based)? Try sloshing this sweet and tangy sauce on tofu, slabs of seitan, steamed veggies, or, as seen here, on cauliflower florets. Yum!

2 cups cauliflower florets

3 TBLSP apricot preserves

2 TBLSP miso (yellow or white)

2 TBLSP rice vinegar

2 TBLSP soy sauce or tamari

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for quick clean-up).

1. Place the florets on the baking sheet and heave it in the oven while you mix up the sauce, about 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (preserves, miso, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic and ginger powders.
3. Pull the baking sheet from the oven and slather the florets on all sides with the sauce.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
5. Pull the baking sheet out again, flip everyone over, and bake for another 10-12 minutes. The florets should be fork tender and the sauce should be golden brown and bubbly.

Serve with a refreshing salad. Seen here is a purple rice and zucchini salad, recipe coming soon! 

Simple Cauliflower Scramble for One

Among the many nice things about this dish is how many variations you can come up with. You could toss in just about any vegetable, use whatever herbs and spices make you happy, or keep it simple and serve it along with a lot of interesting breads and such. Yummy!

¼ head cauliflower

Slosh of coconut or olive oil (you could use vegan butter too)

1 or 2 slices of onion, diced (about 2-3 TBLSP)

2 TBLSP mushrooms, diced (optional)

Pinch of thyme

Pinch of oregano

Pinch of garlic powder

Sprinkle of turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

2 TBLSP (or less) water

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1. Remove the stem from the cauliflower and dice the rest up. You don’t need to preserve the floret shape unless you really want to.
2. In a skillet, over medium heat, heat up the oil of your choice and add the onion and mushroom (if you’re going this route). Saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent but haven’t lost all their shape.
3. Add the cauliflower and spread it out evenly across the bottom of the skillet. Without stirring or moving it, let it cook for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown a bit.
4. Toss in the thyme, oregano, garlic powder, and turmeric, and add the water if it seems a little dry. You could instead add a little more of the oil/butter if that’s the way you roll. Now that you’re stirring it, the cauliflower should be golden all over plus the yellow color of the turmeric. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until your desired softness is reached. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (you don’t want to do this earlier or the cauliflower will be dry).
5. Add in the nutritional yeast and combine well.

Serve with toast, waffles, fruit—whatever is your morning pleasure.

Variations:

• Wrap it into a tortilla with faux cheese and some greenery for a lovely breakfast burrito.
• Put a layer of chopped-up asparagus on top of the cauliflower in Step 3 and let it steam while the cauliflower is browning. That’s what I did in this photo. Yummm.
• Switch out the herbs for something more clearly ethnic, like chili and oregano for Mexican, garum masala for Indian, basil and tomato of some sort for Italian. You see where I’m going with this.
• Leave out the turmeric and serve it as a side dish with something more substantial for dinner.

Cauliflower Scramble for One

When you don’t want to eat a big breakfast but you want to get your engine started, this tasty toss-up is a great option. It’s quick, too, just to make a perfect start to the day.

1 TBLSP olive or coconut oil

2 slices of yellow onion, diced (about 2 TBLSP, maybe 3)

1 mushroom, sliced thinly (I used 5 olives when I didn’t have mushrooms. Yummy!)

½ clove of garlic (or the whole thing, what the heck)

1 heaping cup of diced cauliflower (if you want it softer, steam it a bit first)

2 TBLSP cooked beans (kidney, garbanzo, cannellini—your pick), rinsed well

A pinch of dried thyme

A pinch of dried oregano

A pinch of turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBLSP nutritional yeast

1 TBLSP water

1. Over medium heat, heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and mushroom, and sauté for a few minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add in the garlic and stir it around a couple of times.
2. Add the cauliflower to the pan, spreading it out evenly. Don’t stir it; just let it get a little browned on one side. This will take about 5 minutes. This is why it’s important not to have the heat on high, or the garlic will burn.
3. Toss in the beans and all the spices, and stir it all well. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring at will, until it’s soft, or it’s at the texture you find appealing
4. Add the nutritional yeast and the water and slosh it all around until everything is golden and happy. 

 Serve hot. 

Shown here with Unbacon. 

Variations:

•  Roll it into a burrito with some faux cheese.
• Top a piece of naan with faux cream cheese, sprouts, Cauliflower Scramble, and some avocado.
• Cook it until it’s fairly dry, mix with a little vegan mayonnaise and mustard, and then pack between slabs of bread, lettuce, and maybe a pickle.
•  Spread it over steamed rice or cooked noodles.

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. 

Baked Cumin Veggies for One

I was out for a walk with my friend Cynthia and Roxie the Wonder Dog, and she (Cynthia) had a hankering for a nosh. She dashed into the local mom ‘n’ pop shop and came out with this yummy little hot salad. It was so good that I tried to recreate it! You try it and tell me what you think.

¼ head of cauliflower, cut into large bite-sized pieces

¼ head of broccoli, cut into large bite-sized pieces

4 spears of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ white or yellow onion, sliced into thin moons

¼ cup raisins (or dates—any dried fruit will do)

Slosh or two of olive oil

Several sprinkles of cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. In a baking tray with a rim, toss all the veggies and dried fruit until they’re mixed nicely.
2. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top. Sprinkle on the cumin, salt and pepper. Stir until everything’s coated nicely. You don't need much oil, so go lightly! 
3. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. They might be done sooner, depending on how soft you like your veggies, so keep an eyeball peeled.

Variations:

• Toss in some thinly sliced apple.
• Try it with other veggies, like fennel, sweet potatoes, or green beans. Nearly any combination will do. 
• A little bit of garlic powder never hurt anyone. 
• Sprinkle some nuts over the top for a more substantial dish.