Please make this and let me know if it's really wonderful (looks amazing)

That was the subject line of an email sent to me by my mother. I can always count on getting at least one email from her a month asking to make a new dish that she found. She sent me this recipe for cauliflower pizza right around the time the CSA started, and I knew I had to save it until cauliflower was available at the market. I used that recipe to make the crust but added my own toppings - mozzarella cheese and mushrooms.

Cauliflower pizza is popular on Pinterest, and it seemed easy enough...but was it? Here's how it turned out, fresh from the oven:

Looks pretty good right? Here's another close up:

And now, here's one slice:

So, did it taste like pizza? Yes and no. The crust didn't really crisp and was on the mushy side. That's probably chef error (didn't read the recipe all the way and forgot to parbake the crust first). It tasted good and had all the flavors of pizza (tomato, cheese, and basil), but it was just kind of a big ball of cauliflower, tomato sauce, cheese, and mushroom glop. Overall, the cauliflower pizza wasn't so pretty, but it still tasted good. I would definitely try this recipe again, but first I would read the recipe all the way through before I start cooking. 

Roasted Cauliflower

Did you know cauliflower comes in colors besides white? While white is the most common variety, they also come in purple, gold, and green. Who knew?! I was pleasantly surprised to see an orange cauliflower at the farmer's market a few weeks ago, so I snatched it up, roasted it, and served it alongside beer can chicken (which might have to be another post of it's own)!

It didn't taste any different than white cauliflower and it made a really tasty side dish alongside the chicken! Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest ways to prepare fresh vegetables and it always seems to perfectly compliment whatever is being served as the main dish. Sometimes simple is much better than a complicated side!

Appetizer Things

Have you ever made of one those dinners that's just a mix of everything you have left in the refrigerator/freezer? We had one of those types of meals this past week. It's always fun to figure out what to make with the random assortment of foods you find lying around. Here's our hodge podge dinner, featuring cauliflower and zucchini:

We had marinated chicken, buffalo cauliflower, and zucchini fries. The buffalo cauliflower was surprisingly delicious! We are big buffalo chicken fans, and I was a bit skeptical when it came to buffalo cauliflower. There was a flour/water/garlic powder batter that gave the cauliflower a really nice texture...and you can never go wrong with Frank's Red Hot Sauce. 

Zucchini fries...before the oven

Zucchini fries were another easy side to add to our random dinner. I didn't have buttermilk (not a staple in this kitchen) or eggs (expired a few days prior yet still sitting in my fridge...), so the zucchini were dipped in milk, then in breadcrumbs. Baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

These two random sides would make really good appetizers for a party! They are both very easy to make and are healthy alternatives to some of the more popular appetizers. I would definitely make these again the next time I have a party. Or the next time I crave junk food!

Adventures in Scaping

Below is a guest blog post from my friend/cousin Annie - she picked up our CSA share the week we were on vacation. She has an adorable 3-year old who is featured below!

My sous chef Carter was also a big helper. Just to recap we had cauliflower, garlic scapes, turnips and squash. 

Garlic scapes and Cauliflower

We pan seared the cauliflower in a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper until browned and then threw in the chopped up garlic scapes- including the bulb at the end for the last few minutes. The friendly farmer had told me they are good in anything stir fried that you want to taste like garlic- he had said to use the whole thing. The scapes have a mild garlic/onion flavor, similar to scallions but just more garlicky. They were good!

In the pan!

Then we sliced up the squash and turnips and tossed with olive, oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Nothing too exciting but the roasted veggies tasted good.

Roasted zucchini

Carter tasted a garlic scape (nothing else) and said he liked it. Garlic scapes are 3 year-old approved!

Sous chef Carter, hard at work adding pepper!

Thanks for the post, Annie! Glad to hear Carter was able to help and enjoy some of the produce!