What A Surprise!

It's not often that I serve a vegetable like cauliflower and my husband enthusiastically goes back for seconds.  I am always looking for new ways to prepare vegetables, particularly ones like brussel sprouts and cauliflower.  Last night I tried a new recipe and my daughter and husband really liked it.  My son ate it but said it was OK.  I thought it needed to be cooked longer.  Anyway, give it a try if you are in the mood to experiment.

Spicy Honey-Roasted Cauliflower
2 heads of cauliflower, trimmed and washed
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs or 2 tsp. herbs such as oregano, basil, garlic
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients except cauliflower in a small bowl and set aside.  Using a long knife, pierce the stem of the cauliflower.  Place in a deep baking dish, stem down.  Add about 1/4 inch  hot water to the dish, cover with foil and place in oven.  Bake about 10 minutes.  Remove cauliflower and raise oven temperature to 400.  Drain water and put cauliflower back in oven for 5 minutes to dry the heads.  Remove once more and coat with mustard/honey mixture.  Place in oven and cook 15 to 20 minutes more or until cauliflower is browned.

I think next time I make this, I will just microwave the cauliflower instead of steaming it in the oven.  I will just start with the oven at 400 and follow the rest of the recipe as is.  I also halved all the ingredients as I knew we could not eat 2 whole heads.

I also made the following fish dish which is very simple and well liked at my house.

Spicy Catfish With Lemon Cream
4 to 6 catfish fillets
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 cups Japanese (Planko) breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper
4 egg whites
Sprinkle fish with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.  Combine breadcrumbs, remaining salt, garlic powder, and red pepper in a shallow dish.  Whisk eggs in another shallow dish until frothy.  Dip fish in egg whites, then the crumb mixture.  Place on a dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Lemon Cream
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and keep chilled until dinner.  Serve over catfish.

This is a light version of fried catfish without the greasy taste.  I didn't have any eggs last night so I dipped the catfish in olive oil first, then the crumbs.  This is quick to prepare and you can serve it with some steam in the bag vegetables for a stress free dinner.

If any brave souls try the cauliflower, please let me know, I'll be curious.  If you lack anything to do this Saturday and would like to support the Humane Society, come out for Bark in the Park.  You can bring your dog out at noon to register for a dog relay or the fun walk at 1 p.m.  The entry fee is only $10 and your dog will have a good time.  There will be a drawing for a gift pack as well as bobbing for weenies.