Roasted Cauliflower Salad

I made this for our camping trip last weekend. Still noshing on it. Tastes better after it's marinated for a day.

Ingredients
2 heads of cauliflower
2 cloves  minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped pepperoncini
1/2 chopped red onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
paprika, cumin to taste
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
dash of olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
splash of rice vinegar
zest and juice of one lemon

Directions

1. Cut off the florets and rub them with olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or so. 
2. Throw everything in a bowl and mix. Season to taste.

It's that simple and that good.
 

Whole Wheat Pecan Shortbread

I forgot to buy walnuts, so I didn't bake ma'mul today. Instead, I used half the ma'mul dough to make shortbread.

(It's worth mentioning that I deviated from the traditional recipe for the ma'mul dough, replacing some of the white flour with 3 c. whole wheat and 1/2 c. ground flaxseed.)

I pulsed the dough with 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. pecans and 1 t. Mexican vanilla. Patted the mixture into a square Pyrex dish, scored it with a spatula, and baked it for 50 minutes at 300 degrees. (At 40 minutes, I removed the pan from the oven, sprinkled the shortbread with Turbinado sugar and covered it with foil before baking ten more minutes.)

Let the shortbread cool completely, then break into squares and store in an airtight container. These are quite nice dipped in cafe au lait.

Apologies for the pathetic photo.

Ugly Soup for a sick “boy”

It looks a bit like chunky grey slop, but it tastes like a spoonful of heaven. This soup is mild and hearty, to soothe a body that hasn't eaten for over a day. Simple, fast comfort food.

Sauté a chopped red onion, a few cloves of garlic, ½ t Spanish paprika and 4 crumbled dry sage leaves in olive oil. Add 3 chopped russet potatoes and ¼ of a small kabocha, also chopped. Simmer in 4 cups of stock.

If you’re inclined, add 1 c. (cooked and chopped) lean meat to the simmering veggies – we had roast pork leftovers. Chicken would do nicely as well. Even fish, though I’d add that as last step.

When the taters are tender, stir in 1 cup milk, a pat of butter and a hearty grind of black pepper. The soup is unattractive, but yummy good. A bit bland for my tastes, but perfect for someone getting over the flu. If your tummy can handle it, add a fresh, minced jalapeno to the initial sauté, or spritz your bowl with sriracha.

We're having leftovers for brunch today.