I think it’s fair to say that I’m a creature or order and routine. I like having schedules, making lists, having a plan. So now, on Saturdays after I publish this weekly guest post, I rush to our neighborhood green market and see what the farmers are offering today. I regularly pick up eggs from a grass-fed, pasture raised animal farm and a multi-grain bread from Just Rugelach bakers. And then of course, it’s new and exciting fruits and veggies that are spread out before me.

Last week, as I was browsing, this purple cauliflower caught my eye. Vibrant and colorful, it stood out among the regular, white cauliflower bunches and green peppers it was lying near. The stalks were firm, the leaves were fresh – and without further contemplation I shoved a bunch in my grocery bag excited to bring home this beauty.

I contemplated making soup out of this, or roasting it in the oven until it became soft, and almost potato-like, but I chose to preserve the crisp texture of this bunch and just lightly sauté with garlic, some spices and hazelnut oil. We ate the entire bowl in one sitting – it was easy, delicious and healthy. The light amount of cooking punched up the purple color even more making it one of the most pretty dishes we’ve eaten in awhile.

This also got me thinking about vegetables and children. While I don’t have any yet, and I ate every vegetable you put on my plate as a kid (and didn’t like candy – my mother got so lucky with me, she doesn’t even know it) I realize children and vegetables can be a bit of a struggle situation. I’ve an image of a sad kid with a plate of Brussels sprouts in front of him with a pained look on his face. So maybe putting colorful vegetables in front of them, especially those with cartoon-like bright color such as purple might do the trick – the child might so wowed by the cool, purple vegetable on his plate, he just might forget it is a vegetable and just eat it. Or, perhaps, kids are way sharper these days than when I was one, and see through the ruse? If you have kids, have you tried something like that one them and did it work? And while you’re at it, what creative ways have you resorted to in order to get your children to eat more vegetables?

1 bunch of purple cauliflower
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp hazelnut oil
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sambar powder
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
a tiny sprinkling of sugar
pinch or two of salt

Heat the oil in a non stick skillet over low-medium heat. Add the cumin and the sambar powder and let the spices flavor the oil. Lower the heat and add the Sriracha sauce and while it’s all heating (you may need to add another quick splash of hazelnut oil), cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces and mince the garlic. If you prefer you can use the garlic crusher for the job. Up the heat and place the cauliflower and garlic in the skillet. Over high heat sauté for 5-7 minutes until you see the color “pop” and the cauliflower is evenly coated in the sauce, but is still firm and crunchy. Serve immediately – this works either by itself or over a steaming bowl of brown rice.

Serves 2-3 as a main dish

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