Reboot T2 Day 4 & Roasted Cauliflower

Today, was a hard day at work. After about 3 hours, I was ready to go home! Long holiday breaks make it difficult to work a full day. But, of course, 3 hour days are impossible...

Normally, when I get bored at work, I reach for junk. I know that sounds horrible, but unless you are a teacher or work at a school, you have absolutely no idea how much junk food is in a school.

Every teacher has candy or chocolate...kids bring cookies and cupcakes...the vending machines and I are on a first name basis...and, we have several fast food restaurants surrounding us--Subway, McDonalds, Little Ceasuers, Quiznos, Pollo Tropical, Wendys, Publix (I know it's a Supermarket, but the deli counts!), Panda Express, Burger King, Casavana, which by the way delivers! (in fact, they can be at our school in less than 15 minutes depending on what you order--that's including the time it takes to order the food and pay for it!)

There are countless others, so the food possibilities are endless at a school...and I haven't even talked about the food that the administrators get for teachers on special occasions, the potlucks, the PTSO sponsored meals, etc., etc... We even had a Thanksgiving meal potluck on Tuesday before Thanksgiving...and leftovers for the next day, of course. I remember overhearing some of the teachers saying that they wouldn't have room for their own family Thanksgiving meals!

It's all done with the best intentions. Teachers are people pleasers...or maybe we need that food high to get through the tougher parts of the day LOL. But, it's been my crutch way too long.

Sooo...today when I felt like caving in to the AP's request for Casavana orders, I simply said, "No, thank you," drank some water and walked away. When I got back to my office, I packed up to go to another school. Once I was in my car, I pulled out my thermos and drank my juice like it was the best thing ever, and I purposely reminded myself of how many times in the past I have ordered fast food and been sick afterward.

As I drove away from the school parking lot, I felt...accomplished. Silly how a simple choice can make one feel so empowered.

When I got home later on, I had a protein smoothie and my new favorite vegetable: CAULIFLOWER

Growing up, I never ever even tasted cauliflower. As a teenager, I tasted it at a Wendy's salad bar--yes, I'm dating myself--and I thought it was absolutely disgusting. So, I did what any teenager would do...I avoided it from then on.

Last year, when I started the reboot for the first time, I read about how great of a vegetable it is, so I actually tried to juice a cauliflower, LOL...boy was that a total bust! It sent tiny white crumbs all over the kitchen before I could push down on it, and the smell that came out of the juicer made me want to hurl. And, after all that mess and craziness, it didn't produce even one drop of juice.

This time, I decided to give it another go...but the motivating influence was an episode of the TV show Chopped, which I am completely addicted to. I saw an episode in which one of the chefs roasted the cauliflower, and the judges LOVED it. So, the next time I saw it at the farmers market, I decided that it would be worth the $2 to try it one more time.

It...was...the BEST THING EVER! And, it was sooooo easy!

Here's what I did:

Ingredients
1 cauliflower
5 cloves garlic
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut the cauliflower into 2 inch pieces (keep all of the itty bitty pieces in a small bowl)
3. Spread on a cookie sheet
4. Mince the garlic and sprinkle over the cauliflower
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Drizzle 1 T. olive oil over the cauliflower
7. Cook the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes until it starts caramelizing
8. Remember the bowl of itty bitties...season those with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Then, add them to the cookie sheet and mix them in with the bigger pieces. I got this idea from the internet, but I haven't been able to find the website again. It keeps the smaller pieces from burning.
9. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower looks a bit translucent but not completely wilted or burnt.

The cauliflower takes on this very nutty taste, and I would eat the entire head of it by myself if my kids weren't making me share it because they love it too!

You should definitely try it. I saw many recipes online that added lemon and parmesan cheese, but I just cooked them the same way that I would roast potatoes in the oven, since I knew I liked those flavors.

Let me know if you try the recipe and provide me with any feedback. Thanks!

BTW, I wanted to post a picture of the cauliflower, but I had to take the picture with my phone since my camera battery is dead. Now the picture is not cooperating with me--it's upside down and tiny, so I won't be able to post it for you :(