Indian Spiced Cauliflower

My confidence in my ability to wing Indian cooking is pretty low. However, I was stuck with inspiration one night when I had some extra cauliflower and some cooked winter squash that needed to be eaten. So I sauteed some onions and ginger, added some spices and the cauliflower and allowed it all to simmer with mashed winter squash and it turned out nicely.

I have a huge Indian cookbook that intimidates the hell out of me, but one of my resolutions for the year is to dive into it and do some more experimenting. I love the spices of Indian cooking, and similar to Italian regional cooking, I know that Indian dishes vary greatly by region and I'm bound and determined to begin to understand some of those distinctions! However, I'm terrible at keeping resolutions, so maybe I should think of it as a commitment or new learning experience and that will help me stick to it.

Hope you're able to find a way to trick yourself into keeping some resolutions this year (or simply changing your behavior in some way!

Indian Spiced Cauliflower

1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
1/2 onion, minced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 cup water
1 cup squash puree
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

In food processor blend squash puree with 2 tablespoons of water. Saute onion and ginger in olive oil until soft. Add salt, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika and saute another 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and toss to coat. Add squash puree and stir to blend. Add cumin seeds and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook another 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Serve over cooked rice with cilantro chutney.

Hugs!