Exciting Vegetable of the Week!

Cauliflower!

What is it?
Cauliflower is part of the same family as broccoli, kale, cabbage and brussel sprouts, and shares similar health benefits. This vegetable is also very easy to grow in your backyard garden. Its season is between December and March.

Why should I eat it?
Cauliflower is one of the power veggies, bringing high levels of fiber and folate to your dinner table. The vitamin C content is off the hook, topping the charts at over 90% of your daily value in only 1 cup. It's an incredibly versatile vegetable and can be enjoyed cooked or raw. Read about its health benefits here.

How should I cook it?
Trim the green leaves and the stem (if there is any). Cauliflower can become quite crumbly, and I generally just chop it up with a large knife, not separating the florets at all. From here you can do lots of things:

*MASH THEM UP!!! Steam on the stove until they are very soft, then transfer to a blender (or food processor). From here you just puree, adding water/soy milk/non flavored almond milk/milk(!) to add a little fluffiness. Do this slowly, you don't want soup! Do you like rosemary garlic mashed potatoes? Roast a few cloves of garlic in the oven with olive oil (20-30 minutes), puree with the cauliflower and add in a little rosemary. Transfer to the stove top if you need to heat it up more.

*Steamed, plain jane style. Lemon juice, olive oil and red pepper flakes are a perfect dressing.

*Curried! One of my favorites is curried cauliflower with chicken and cabbage. I've taken a great recipe from Catherine Hart and added in cauliflower and chicken.

*3 tbsp oil (olive or coconut)
*2 bay leaves
*3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
*1 1/2 lbs (700 g, 9 cups, or approximately one head) cabbage, finely shredded
*1 tsp ground turmeric
*1/2 tsp chilli powder
*1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
*1 tsp ground coriander
*2 tomatoes chopped

1. Heat the oil over medium high heat and add the bay leaves and the cumin seeds. let them sizzle for a few seconds.

2. Add the cabbage and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Add the turmeric, chili, cumin, coriander, tomatoes and mix with the cabbage.

3. Lower heat, cover and cook cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. I have cooked this for only 15 minutes when I was in a hurry and for as long as 30 minutes and they were both tasty...just depends on how soft you like your cabbage.

4. Remove the cover, turn heat up to medium high and, stirring continuously, cook until dry.

You can cook the chicken separately and measure it out when you serve up the curried veggies.

Increase or decrease the measurements depending on how much you plan to make.

How does this fit in with the Zone?
One block of carbs is approximately 1 and 1/4 cups cooked and 2 cups raw. It is perfect if you find yourself needing a substantial meal that ranks low in carbs.