If I could marry a vegetable

I love cauliflower SO much, I think I will marry it.  

Why Cauliflower?  

• Let's start with it's beautiful head, also known as a curd.  A beautiful cluster of unopened flower buds or florets/flowerets.
• Also I like it's little leafy jacket -- so stylish, yet practical.  The way it grows over it's head is so smart -- to protect it from the sun and additional photosynthesis -- and keeps it's curd pure and white and delicious.
• I like how it likes me too, and protects me with natural anti-cancerous phytochemicals like sulforaphanes and indoles.
• I'll never forget the first time I learned in spite of it's innocent appearance -- it's actually a nutritional powerhouse.  From all it's antioxidant powers which are called glucosinolates which helps my bod cleanse and remain youthful, to the high amounts of Vitamin C, potassium, folate and fiber!

Looking for a Cauli of your own?

• White is most common, a classic if you will.
• Green (broccoflower or Romanesco) is crossed with Broccoli and has a really neat fractal-like apperance and is HIGHER in protein and Vitamin C!
• Purple is touchy -- it requires less cooking time BUT can turn green if overcooked.
• Orange (aka Golden) is cool because it looks like cheese.  But besides that, it also retains its color fully when cooked and is very high in Vitamin A (thanks beta-Carotenes).

• Fresh cauliflower will be creamy and consistent in coloring with tight, firm florets and no sign of flowering.  Green shoots emerging from the head are ok though.  The large, protective outer leaves (that wrap around the head) discussed above are usually removed before shipping or displaying in retail settings.
• Keep refrigerated in a reused/reusable plastic bag with the stem down (not on top of it's head!). Use within a week ideally if bought whole -- precut florets should be used within a handful of days.
• Cauliflower can also be blanched and frozen for up to one year!  Really smart!
• TIP: be sure to use a nonreactive pot when cooking cauliflower to maintain the color integrity!  Otherwise your white cauliflower may turn some undesirable clear/gray mucky color.

Cauliflower can also be prepared in a surprisingly large number of ways besides raw & steamed.  

How about a creamy purée with curry spices?  

Or in soups or chili.  

Stir fry or curry.  

With cheese on it!

Fried (or deep-fried!), with spices -- or just sautéed and added to rice (yes, fried rice).

Or, my favorite, roasted!

Here is the main reason I love cauliflower so much lately.  I could eat that dish every meal.

Green "Romanesco" Cauli = HIGHER in protein and Vitamin C and love!

Citrus Season: Oranges

Happy New Year!

Apologies for the posting-gap....

So, if you haven't noticed, the Midwest is a cold, barren, arctic wonderland at the moment and unless you are lucky enough to have a local aquaponics, hydroponics or 4-season greenhouse in your locality there isn't much to say about local produce.

By this time you might be growing bored of potatoes, root-storage veggies, and winter squash, huh?  Well, lucky for us, our beloved California, Florida and Texas are full-swing in the midst of their citrus season.

Not excited?  Well, now and only now is your prime chance to grab a variety of orange-tinted orbs and do some homework.  Here is a little guide:

ORANGES

The common orange in grocery stores is the Valencia which does not have a navel and is available all year round -- primarily in season in the summer.  It is more difficult to peel, but contains lots of sweet liquid and used often for juicing.

Navels include the common sweet Navel (just seasonal in our wintertime, easier to peel than Valencia, enjoyed often in sections, less juicy so not preferential for juicing)

and also the amazing Cara Cara (pinkish interior with a hint of super sweet grapefruit flavor!)

and the kool-aidish, crowd-pleaser, the Blood Orange (which makes an impressive colored marmalade!!).

HOW TO SELECT AN ORANGE

• For pretty much all citrus you want to ensure there is no brown scabbing (which spreads and ruins the flavor, primarily seen on lemons and limes).
• No soft spots which will only get softer...
• NAVELS: You want to select one that has a smaller navel opening because the size is correlated to the thickness of the pith.  The larger the navel opening, the thicker the pith, the smaller the juice sacks and therefore the less fruit you get to enjoy.
• Look for a dark, uniform, deep mature coloring.  For oranges, the oranger the better in the case of Navels -- no green!  BUT not necessarily so for the Valencia!  Why?  Well Valencia's can be left on the tree for a longer period of time, specifically throughout the summer, before being harvested.  The increased exposure to light and photosynthesis means that chlorophyll from the tree might actually leak back into the fruits.  So a greenish Valencia might actually be riper than a dark orange one -- but it might not...
• The most useful tip I've picked up on is to compare the weights of your desired citrus specimens.  If you pick up two similar sized oranges of the same variety -- and one is heavier -- that one contains more liquids, more juices, more sweetness!

Now, to decifer the differences between mandarins, tangerines, clemintines and satsumas!  Oh my!