Friday, February 8, 2013

Purple haze...

Going to the farmers market on Saturday mornings is sometimes tough to do. Friday nights are a time to cut lose and have a good time whether out with friends or just at home. I will have a few adult beverages and then a few more. It's not a secret to my friends that I love a good tequila. This doesn't make for a good time getting up early to go to the market. I usually slam a cup of coffee and put on a hat to cover up my crazy hair. Hungover shopping for healthy stuff, it's a thing!


Often times there are unique veggies in limited quantities. That's why it helps to get here early. When going through the McClendon's Select market area, I noticed a sudden burst of color. Now there are the usual greens, oranges of carrots, red radishes etc. But this area was different.


There were the pale green romanesco which is so unusual that I must buy it on sight. But close by was a lot of purple. I'd found purple broccoli and cauliflower. Now I'd seen this purple broccoli on Instagram that morning and I wanted some. It is said that purple veggies have many healthy benefits.

Of course then the Purple Haze hit me. When I was checking out I saw that I had chosen purple cauliflower instead. Doh!!


Not too big of a deal. A couple of days later I made spicy roasted cauliflower. I've made a roasted broccoli similar to this for years, Garlicky Roasted Broccoli, so I figured this might work as well.

I cut up the head of cauliflower, stopping to take some more pics because it does look so different. 

 
















Then I sprinkled it with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it at 425°. After 15 minutes I mixed in a couple minced cloves of garlic and a big sprinkle of red pepper flakes. It cooked for about 10 minutes longer until I thought it should be done.


It kept its color and was pretty tasty but lacked something. Too dry? Not enough seasoning? I don't know. I'm not sure what was wrong but I will try it again.
Maybe I'll even get the purple broccoli as well next time...

Some more links about purple veggies:
Purple Veggies Show Promising Health Benefits
Purple Cauliflower Pics
Spicy Roasted Purple Cauliflower Recipe





6 comments:

  1. I love that it's getting easier to find purple vegetables. I have yet to cook with purple cauliflower. Time to change that. You have inspired me!

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    1. I would bet the fujilings will like it especially the color.

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  2. Try some acid - a squeeze of lemon or lime, or a splash of vinegar. When a dish needs "something" that usually does the trick for me.

    And congratulations on a good start with your blog.

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    1. Thanks for the acid idea and the congrats! Plus the acid goes well with the Purple Haze title...

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  3. Hmmm - purple haze might be fun in a mashed cauliflower recipe! Happy blogging...

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    1. I saw a recipe for it, crazy purple colored. And here it is... http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2012/05/11/purple-cauliflower-mashed-potatoes-with-pesto/ Thanks Patty!

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