Mono-Meal for the Win: Vegan Spicy Cauliflower

HOMEMADE VEGAN SPICY BUFFALO ‘WING’ CAULIFLOWER BITES PEOPLE!

I love it when I make a vegan meal for myself and my husband hovers curiously, ready to make a ‘rabbit food’ joke, then agrees to taste it, and ends up loving it.

Last night, inspired by a recipe I found at Mojo Mecca, I cleaned and chopped a head of cauliflower, tossed it with dry taco seasoning, pink salt, and a touch of coconut oil, and baked it until it was cooked through but still firm. Then, I tossed the hot cauliflower in spicy buffalo wing sauce.

The result was vegan grub we couldn’t stop eating. A head of cauliflower is a lot of food, but we hogged it all in less than 10 minutes. Cauliflower is chock full of vitamins C, B6, and K, as well as protein (vegans get plenty of protein don’t worry about it), phosphorus, folate, potassium, manganese, and more. And lots of fiber. Win!

Our lemongrass is already growing out of its huge pot, and I’m thinking of planting it in the ground for summer.

I have yet to overwinter lemongrass indoors with any success. It’s worth trying something radical this year: grow it in ground, then in autumn, mulch it heavily and cover with a tarp. It may just survive until next summer. Bringing it indoors would be certain death. If my prayers were answered and we lived in the subtropics, I’d have a virtual landscape of lemongrass. And turmeric and pandan.

This weekend, we’re giving away our first kale to friends and family. The kale beds are burgeoning. The kale is still young and tender: now is the time to harvest, then plant more. Kale is an all-around awesome veggie that packs a lot of goodness in its leaves. And when harvested and prepared while it’s young, it’s tender and not at all bitter. It’s great in smoothies and it juices beautifully. There’s a reason why smart and frugal vegans and hippies dig kale. Organic kale seeds are cheap and easy to grow and fresh kale is teeming with nutrients we all need.

This weekend, I plan to head to Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center for Rinpoche’s talk on the Buddha’s enlightenment. I love the Center, Rinpoche’s teachings are potent, and Middletown is a great little city, so I’m really looking forward to it.

There’s always Tibetan butter tea available in the Center’s kitchen, and it’s one of the rare times I’ll willingly consume a tiny bit of animal product. There’s a very cool vibe in downtown Middletown that I love: it reminds me of my hometown of New York City. I love the diversity of people and the energy on the streets. I guess you can’t take the city out of the girl.

Live in peace.