Broccoli Rabe and Crunchy Cauliflower with a Lemon Tahini Dressing

Hi friends, it's been a while. The last couple of months have been super busy and passed by in such a haze. Consequently, I've been taking lots of "me" time during the hours outside of my day job. Things like dinner parties, lots of movies (omg The Handmaiden!), and lots of books (currently The Wind Up Bird Chronicle). Today I'm back with a recipe, so hi, hello, how have you been doing?

It's the holiday season, which means lots of feasting, drinking, and good times with family and friends. Last month we hosted a big Friendsgiving, it was delicious and everything we had hoped for. To our surprise, the most popular dish of the night was a leafy green salad with an almond dressing. It was mostly there as a show of good faith to the divine entity who presides over my dress size, so I was floored at how quickly it went. What a topsy-turvy kind of world we're living in these days, but if veggies are what people want, I am more than happy to serve. In keeping with the theme of eating healthy during the most decadent of seasons, today's recipe is a vegetarian side dish made with roasted broccoli rabe, raw cauliflower, pine nuts, and a creamy lemon tahini dressing.

The broccoli rabe is roasted to get two distinct textures from it: the tender stems + florets, and the crispy leaves. Then the cauliflower is thinly sliced and served uncooked for a subtle sweetness and refreshing crunch that contrasts the spiciness of the broccoli rabe. The zesty tahini dressing brings it all together, and the pine nuts add a final note of richness to the dish. Per Phillip's request, I'm making a New Years Lasagna for our first dinner of 2017, and I have a good feeling we'll be balancing the hearty lasagna with a refreshing side such as this. However y'all are celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Maitake Steaks with Cauliflower Purée

I am both excited and nervous to share today's recipe with you guys. Why you ask? Well because I'm pretty sure this is my first ever vegan, gluten free recipe (that's not some kind of side salad or condiment). Gasp! "But Summer, you love bread, you love cheese, and good god where is the butter?" Slightly out of my element, I know, but being pushed out of your comfort zone is a good thing. And plus, today really isn't about me.

Today is about the beautiful and talented Lindsey Love of Dolly and Oatmeal and the new life she's bringing into the world. We're celebrating by throwing her a virtual baby shower, yay! Lindsey's blog focuses on dairy free, gluten free, and largely plant based recipes that are elegant, creative, and really accessible even for people who consider themselves the staunchest of omnivores. Not to mention her absolutely gorgeous photography has been a huge inspiration of mine since this blog was born. All of that is to say: the theme of today's baby shower is the same as the theme for Dolly and Oatmeal. Lindsey is constantly inspiring us to cook healthy, wholesome meals, so we're sharing recipes that are inspired by her, for her.

Tagliatelle with Roasted Cauliflower

We managed to wade our way through the entire month of January without touching any kind of pork product. Why you ask, would we undertake such an endeavor? The simple answer is because I wanted to and by extension Phillip had to. The complicated answer has something to do with animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and the fact that pigs are just so god damn cute, but I won't bore you with a long winded explanation.

Then, on February 1st we promptly went to my neighborhood diner and ordered french toast, over easy eggs, homefries, and three sausage links. It was glorious. It was euphoric. But I felt awful. Not only about the poor pig that died in order for me to get my preservative laden breakfast sausage, but also for my obvious lack of willpower. It got me thinking. Though it might be unrealistic to say that I'll stop eating pork for good (just put a slice of prosciutto in front of me, I dare you, I will probably bite your hand off in my fervor to eat it), as long as it has helped me be more aware of the food choices I make on a daily basis, no-pork-January has done its job.

Slow Roasted Cauliflower with Beluga Lentils

Remember my post a month or two ago about my hatred for raisins? Then I said my one exception is pickled golden raisins? Seems like a strange exception, and this recipe is the reason.

This particular recipe is a homemade version one of the best vegetarian dishes I have ever eaten, and of course it was at Longman & Eagle. Their cauliflower entrée is so amazing that I couldn't even strongly object to the raisins in it. However, when I tried to make it at home, I found that pickling the raisins made it even better. I'm not sure if they do this in the original recipe as it's not published anywhere, I also don't remember exactly what every component tasted like, but I have a version that my home-cooking self is happy with.