Kim made these delicious cauliflower toasts for happy hour this past weekend. I’m not really on the “cauliflower is everything” train, but I do have to admit, these are darn good. Of course, they do include bread and a trio of yummy cheeses; mascarpone, Gruyère, and Parmesan, so that could contribute to me loving them. #cheeseislife

Kim found the recipe in the New York Times. The author of the article had adapted an Ina Garten recipe, removing prosciutto and more cheese from the original recipe. I adore prosciutto, but I like these toasts this way.

Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts

• 1 head cauliflower, leaves, and thick core removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces mascarpone
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 6 slices rustic sourdough type bread
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for topping
• Sweet paprika, for topping
• Finely chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into 1/2-inch clusters. Transfer to a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread florets out into a single layer and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until tender and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes.

Have you seen or tried the packages of cauliflower rice that are all the rage? I picked up a 2-pack at Costco recently to give it a try. I used one package as intended, as a side dish, and honestly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about. If you know of a stand-out recipe, please let me know.

I decided to use the second package for soup. You can never go wrong with soup!

Initially, I thought I’d roast the cauliflower rice for the soup, I had it all spread out on a baking sheet, but then I decided to roast a bulb of fennel I had instead and leave the cauliflower as is. The thought process here was, “I don’t want to have to keep checking on the little cauliflower bits and worry about them burning.” Laziness wins!

Roasted cauliflower or not, this is one delicious tummy-warming soup.

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I found the inspiration for the final recipe of “Connor Week” on one of my favorite cooking blogs, White On Rice Couple.

Connor requested Roasted Cheesy Cauliflower which I also happily made. I figured, if one head of cauliflower is good, then two must be better!

The major change I made from the original White On Rice Couple recipe was to simmer and soften the cauliflower before roasting.

The Result?
Delish!

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Are you looking for an easy and family friendly side dish?

Look not further, this is it.

It’s as easy as steaming and mashing a whole head of cauliflower, core, and tender leaves included.

Add a little Parmesan, serve with chicken or fish and dinner is on the table in no time.

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This recipe was inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest. In the caption, the “pinner” (a person who pins on Pinterest) said that this roasted cauliflower tasted just like French fries.  If that’s not a selling point, I don’t know what is!  I could not imagine that was true, and guess what? I was right. The little cauliflower morsels taste nothing like French fries, but they are quite tasty in their own right. A nice nibble or perfectly fine as a side dish.

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Although this cauliflower soup is not flashy… plain old white and boring looking… it is full of flavor. The flavors come from the roasted cauliflower, the caramelized onion, and toasted coriander, and then end with a dollop of horseradish or a splash of hot pepper sauce. If you’ve roasted garlic recently, throw some of the mellow roasted garlic in too.

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It is officially Christmas time in the Hopkins’ home. Connor drove home from Flagstaff on Wednesday afternoon, Marissa flew in from San Francisco yesterday afternoon, and Dave’s mom, Pat, flew in from Illinois last night. The gang’s all here, time to celebrate! Nothing like a nice hot bowl of soup to get the party started, well that and a glass of wine…

When you taste this creamy, thick, and rich soup you will swear that is it loaded with cream and fat… but no, the only fat comes from 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and that is divided into 12 servings, so nearly fat-free!

And the color, oh it is lovely – thanks to the last-second addition of a bunch of spinach leaves. Check out this photo of the soup with and without the addition of spinach, just to show you the lovely transformation the spinach makes to the end result.

Healthy? Oh, this soup is plenty healthy… cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, and spinach – on mine! Plus it uses the usually discarded broccoli stalks. I almost never discard broccoli stalks, they are flavor-packed and delicious! For instance, when I stir-fry, I use a vegetable peeler on the tough outer part of the stalk and then slice them up and throw them in the wok. No need to peel the stalks for the soup, they will get plenty tender during the simmering stage.

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Green is one of my two favorite colors, blue is the other. When asked, the majority of Americans will state that their favorite color is blue. But I digress, there is no blue in the recipe, just green and orange. And that second color, orange, is my least favorite color. Not that it matters, just saying…

When I saw the striking orange and green heads of cauliflower at the market, I had to have them. I then cooked and puréed each to the consistency of baby food, and used them as the bed for a light and lovely fish fillet. Broccoli, fennel, celery root, potato, sweet potato, and such, may be used in the same manner, so don’t fret if you can’t find these colorful cauliflower orbs!

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