Spicy Cauliflower and Potatoes

So, I mentioned that Sleek found a vegetarian cookbook in our cupboard last week. I've made recipes from it the last two days, and I've been shocked at how freaking good they are. Last night, I made the Spicy Cauliflower and Potatoes. The recipe seemed so simple, that I was a little worried it would be bland. Not bland at all. It was amazing. You start with boiling the potatoes whole, then peeling them and cutting them in one-inch pieces when they cool. After that, you lightly toast the spices (cumin, corriander and tumeric) in a little hot peanut oil. Then you add the cauliflower into that along with a splash of water. Stir-fry until the cauliflower is soft. Add in the potatoes and cook a little more, then remove from the heat. This is the best part...Heat a little more peanut oil in a skillet, and add some minced garlic and cumin seeds to toast. Drizzle over the cauliflower and broccoli. OMG! This stuff is like something you would get at a good Indian restaurant. I'm not even joking. I made a little raita to go with it. I just used some plain yogurt and added some shredded cucumber and chopped mint. So good!

Today, I was back in the kitchen early. I wanted to make the brown bean salad, which is also from the Vegetarian cookbook. I wanted something healthy with a decent amount of protein that I could add to my dinner. I made the salad, which is really easy. The beans are simmered a little with water, an onion, some thyme and bay leaves. The dressing is made with chopped parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin seeds. It reminds me of tabbouleh minus the bulgar, if that makes sense. So good and healthy. (For this recipe and the spicy cauliflower one, I used half of the oil called for in the recipe. I can't tell that it took away from either dish at all.)

For dinner, I decided on Chinese brussel sprouts and veggie fried rice. The sprouts are also from Vegetarian. (Be prepared for lots of recipes from this cookbook. It is INSANE!) These brussels are so easy. Just stir-fry the chopped/shredded sprouts in a tad of sesame oil. Add a splash of soy sauce and a sprinkling of Chinese Five-Spice Powder, and that's it. I made the rice the same as usual, but I added some broccoli this time just make it a little more nutritious. YUM!


Yesterday, Sleek and I received our tickets for the Radiohead show we're going to in May. So, I decided to listen to their latest album, In Rainbows. I liked it a lot the first few times I listened to it, but this time it got me. I mean, it really got under my skin. I see myself listening to it constantly until the show. Holy smokes. It's amazing. While listening to it, I got so excited about going to the show that I actually started jumping up and down and giggling. Yep. I'm that dorky. After In Rainbows, I proceeded to listen to three other Radiohead albums: Amnesiac, The Bends and OK Computer. Can you tell I'm a little excited? ;)