Easy roasted cauliflower

Cauliflower can get a bad rap. I don’t think my parents like it, since I don’t remember ever eating it as a kid.

As a result, it’s not a vegetable that’s top of mind for me, um, ever?

Until I stumbled upon this super simple roasted cauliflower recipe from Skinny Taste. Instant, healthy-ish side? For those who might not actually even like cauliflower?

Sold. And it was spectacular.

Recipe (via Skinny Taste)

6 cups uncooked cauliflower florets (about 1 large), cut small
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Combine cauliflower, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper so that all the florets are coated and seasoned. Place in a large shallow roasting pan in the center of the oven.

3. Roast for about 25-35 minutes, turning florets occasionally so they are evenly cooked. Remove from oven and top with Parmigiano Reggiano and additional salt and pepper if needed.

Couscous fried rice

Ok, I realize the title doesn’t quite make sense, but everyone knows that making fried rice is super easy, because you can essentially use whatever leftovers or ingredients you have on hand.

Since I haven’t cooked in a while, I had a bunch of random not-quite-entree-worthy ingredients and was feeling lazy (naturally). So I decided to make my own version of a fried rice – with whole wheat couscous instead.

I started with the couscous, then simultaneously cooked some frozen broccoli, corn, and bits of spiral ham (that were leftover and hanging out in my freezer). Of course, if you want to make this all vegetarian, you could simply skip the ham or add cooked tofu.

I added a teeny amount of soy sauce – because um, that’s all I had – and some garlic powder, then mixed everything together. I made a well in the middle of the couscous and veggie mix and then added two eggs to cook for another minute.

Once the egg was cooked and all mixed up, it was done! In approximately 10 minutes. Easy (tasty) dinner in a cinch. Definitely my kind of cooking.