Cruciferous Splendidrosa

This one is magic.

I like to roast vegetables first thing in the morning.  The oven warms up the apartment. Getting this task done means there’s one less thing on my plate for the day, or in this case, one more thing on my plate (in my salad.)

I picked up a couple heads of romanesco cauliflower, cut it up into bite sized pieces, spread the florets on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt and white pepper and roasted until I could smell them getting caramelized.  About 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

They were perfect tossed in with my trusty shredded cabbage, Frankie’s Olive Oil and cider vinegar dressing, and the last pickings of parsley and mint from our garden.  For protein: walnuts and a fried egg.  I rarely make a salad without an egg these days.  The yolk gives the dressing creaminess, and a flavor that is dreaminess.

Speaking of dreamy flavors, I tend to go heavy on the herbs in my salads.  I’ve grown dependent on the vibrant pops they give to each bite.  At one point during the summer months, my ratio of basil and parsley to lettuce was about 4:1.  Assuming it’s healthy to be eating this many herbs (I’m not a nutritionist or a doctor),  I highly recommend trying this.  It’s refreshing and cleansing, and the girls and I are checking the garden daily,  clinging to the last harvests of herbs before the winter season, when herbs hibernate, and cookies, pies and breads come out to play.  Recipes to come.