Veggie Feature: Cauliflower!

Cauliflower is an underappreciated and often poorly prepared veggie. Most people only indulge in this white delicious treat when it's on a raw veggie plate and served with a massive amount of ranch dressing. I have to admit, though I've always like cauliflower, it's never been a big part of my diet. My Aunt Mary made some very similar to the recipe here this past Christmas, and it was so good that I plan to make it pretty regularly now.

Cauliflower is in the species Brassica oleracea, which also includes broccoli and kale. It comes in many different varieties (in orange, green or purple), all under four major groups which are Italian, Northwest European biennial, Northern European annuals and Asian.  

If you plan to try and grow cauliflower in your garden, keep in mind that it prefers cooler weather and 1" of water every 5-7 days. You can find a lot of information about growing this delicious veggie on this NS State University website.

Cauliflower keeps (in the fridge) raw for about 5 days and cooked about 3. How long something keeps is something that very rarely worries me, which I'm sure my brother can attest to. He just threw out my mustard which expired in 2009. Oops... (What can I say? I don't use a lot of mustard.) Still, it's worth mentioning.

Now to the parts most of you are probably wanting to hear about... what vitamins it has and how to cook it to make it taste amazing! Low in calories, this veggie has high fiber (8% DV), vitamin C (46%!) and potassium (9%) contents ( DVs based on a 1 Cup serving).

Cauliflower and Yellow Squash

3 Tbs butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
medium head cauliflower
1 small/medium yellow squash
4 cloves garlic
dill weed to taste

Mince garlic and add to a large pan with 1 Tbs butter and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan about 3/4 (roughly 1/4 cup).

Cook uncovered until the water is almost completely evaporated.

Add cauliflower, squash and lemon juice. Add the remaining 2 Tbs butter (cut into pieces) and enough water to cover the veggies about 1/2 way. Sprinkle generously with dill (or to taste). Cook covered on medium-high to high heat for about 15 minutes, or until tender and the veggies have started to brown a bit. The water should be mostly gone by now, but you can drain what's left out if necessary.

Serve hot and enjoy!

What's your favorite way to eat cauliflower?