Asparagus and Cauliflower

My roommate (Lori) panic bought produce last week so we had two heads of cauliflower and two bundles of asparagus to use up. Sean and I have been busy digging a giant hole in the backyard so I was specifically looking for recipes that wouldn’t take much effort today. 

For the asparagus: Asparagus-Sesame Salad (Pg. 125) 

The “Salads” section of the book is the best for lazy people because for the most part it just involves mixing a list of ingredients together. This recipe starts with steamed asparagus (Pg. 208)

While that’s happening (only takes 5 minutes) you mix your wet ingredients for a dressing. Toasted sesame oil, rice or white wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame seeds. 

Realized I didn’t have toasted sesame oil, so I…. oh dang just realized I have tahini. Ok well what I did was toast my sesame seeds lightly and then added 2 tablespoons of olive oil to finish the job and try to infuse some sesame flavor. I also added way less than a tablespoon of sugar. Didn’t really have issues with either of these alterations, I’d definitely make this dish again the same way. 

Beth: 5 stars

Sean: 5 stars

Lori: “best asparagus I’ve ever had” (may have been exaggerating)

The next recipe was just as easy. Creamy Mashed Cauliflower (Pg. 230)

                                 

Basically you steam a chopped up head of cauliflower with the liquid of your choice (I used chicken broth) add some garlic cloves and salt. Once soft you blend with an immersion blender. Definitely does need to be blended rather than just squashed. Then you add ½ c. of cream. I used half and half. The flavor and texture were really satisfying. The only criticism is that the cauliflower doesn’t absorb the liquid completely so you get this embarrassing separation of half and half. But, I’d definitely make this again especially because I wouldn’t need to reference the cookbook to do it. 

Beth: 4.25

Sean: 4

Steven: 5 stars