SCRUMPTIOUS Saturdays: Spanish-Style Cauliflower Salad

This is really yummy--an adaptation of an adaptation. At first I couldn't see how it would work--cauliflower not being very flavorful, but with the dressing you make for this dish, it makes sense, and you can even get a hint of Spain (perhaps).

Utensils: chopping board, sharp knives, small whisk

Ingredients: salad -- 1 half head cauliflower, 1 cup finely diced parsley, 1 finely diced green onion (scallion), 1 minced hard-boiled egg; dressing -- 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 pressed garlic clove, 1 tbsp capers, 1 tbsp. paprika, dash, cayenne.

Notes: Make the dressing and set aside. Separate the cauliflower into small florets, about as big, maybe a little bigger, than your thumb. Steam in an inch of boiling water, with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, for 10-12 minutes. Let cool, pat the florets dry. Toss into the dressing, cover and refrigerate. The next day, spoon some cauliflower onto a salad plate, sprinkle some of the parsley and egg on the top. Serve.

Then toss the cauliflower in the dressing. After that, toss in the parsley and green onion. Parsley and hard-boiled egg provide color and texture, but not too much flavor--for that, you should probably dial up various elements of the dressing: garlic, capers, cayenne, paprika, etc. It's important to steam the cauliflower as directed, then allow to cool, then marinate in the dressing, refrigerated, overnight.

SCRUMPTIOUS Saturdays: Super-Quick Olive & Garlic Dip

Wow. This is the easiest thing I've made all year. This dip, with olives, garlic and green onion takes 10 minutes to make, tops.

Equipment: blender, spatula, large glass or ceramic bowl

Ingredients: 1 cup olives (from olive bar); 5-7 garlic cloves, pressed; 2 green onion stalks, diced; 2 cups sour cream (or any combination of sour cream and yogurt you wish); 1 dollop mayonnaise.

Notes: You shouldn't need to add spices because of the amount of garlic, which you can alter up or down. Add the olives and garlic to the blender first, then blend them, then add the sour cream/yogurt and mayo, along with the green onion. The dip should turn a slightly taupe color, especially if you've mixed it up with a variety of olives, including black ones.

SCRUMPTIOUS Saturdays: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

A great little meal in a pocket, so to speak:

You will need: sharp knife, cutting board, large glass or plastic bowl, skillets.

Ingredients: 5 green peppers, hollowed out; 1 can black beans; 1 large onion, diced and sauteed; 1 package of mushrooms, diced and sauteed; fresh rosemary, to taste; salt and pepper, to taste; 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar; 1/2 lemon, juiced.

Notes: chop and saute the veggies; mix the other ingredients in a bowl, then add the veggies. Mix, stuff the peppers, and bake the peppers on a cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

SCRUMPTIOUS Saturdays: Eggplant and Tofu Grilled Bundles

It's rare that a dish--in this case, "Tofu and Eggplant Hobo Bundles"-- I adapt doesn't work out too well (or can't be saved); my guess is that in this case, I am showing my amateur skills, rather than any weaknesses inherent in this Sunset Magazine recipe I tried out. It's still worth making: it's filling, and delicious--just not perfection. See my notes at the bottom.

Equipment: chopping boards, small chopping knife, large knife, mixing bowl, large squares of foil (at least one foot long, outdoor grill with fuel and lighting implements.

Ingredients: 3 green onion (scallions); 1 20 oz. container, firm tofu; 1 large eggplant (or 2 small); 2 tbsp. minced garlic; 2 tbsp. minced ginger root; 1/3 cup soy sauce; 5 tbsp. oil (any kind).

Directions:  Start the grill to heating. Cut the foil squares. Cut the tofu into even chunks (about 16). Chop the vegetables and add to the mixing bowl. Add soy sauce and oil. Mix gently to make sure all vegetables are coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours, stirring and turning contents once. Spoon four portions onto the foil squares and seal up the squares into a purse. Place foil purses onto the grill, and cook until contents are tender (about 15-25 minutes depending upon size of grill).

Notes: Oh boy, where to begin? I would fry the tofu chunks up before adding them to the bundle; otherwise I would use tempeh chunks and let those marinate with the vegetables. The tofu just ended up as, well, hot sauced tofu--too soft. I increased the amount of soy sauce called for, and was glad I did. The ginger and garlic saved my effort from being too soggy, and tasteless (it was soggy, but very tasty). I might also add zucchini chunks, with the chunks large enough to withstand the heat in the bundle and not break down into mushiness, when cooked in this fashion. 


Ah yes, the recipe called for rice--which I don't eat. I did make some  brown Jasmine rice, just to see how it went. You can include brown-rice, or not and serve the cooked bundles over the rice. I'm tempted to propose putting the recipe constituents on some kind of a sieve, spatter cover or other porous, but grill-ready, implement, to simply grill everything, but I understand that the recipe was attempting to be campfire-friendly, with the foil purses re-purposed as a plate, once ready to eat...