Breakfast, at a strange angle.
You know that cliche about Twitter being used to share what you had for breakfast? Breakfast seems to be about the only thing I have time to blog these days.
This morning, I woke up thinking about what I should do the cauliflower I had washed, cut, and left sitting on the counter. Yes, that really was my first thought of the day.
And then I thought of the utility of a toaster oven. It bakes, broils, toasts. You can open the door to peek at your food without feeling like you're going to burn yourself. It's small and thus manageable. It's easy to clean. It takes no time to preheat. Even busy people can use the toaster oven.
I tossed the cauliflower with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. When it came out of the oven, I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese over the top and called it breakfast. And now, I'm ready to face Contracts.
TOOLS! I don't care for fancy kitchen gadgets, but some tools really make life easier (and cooking more enjoyable). Today, I thank the garlic press and the paring knife. Thanks to the press, I now put garlic on everything. No cutting board, no knife, simple. Some people say pressed garlic isn't as tasty as minced, but I care not. My mom has had the same garlic press for what seems like an eternity, so I hope my garlic press will last as long, too. As for knives, sharp ones are obviously essential. And they don't have to be expensive. I have only four, and the two I use most often are my 8-inch Victorinox chef's knife (under $30 on Amazon) and my Victorinox paring knife (I bought it so long ago, I can't remember which exact one). The chef's knife cuts effortlessly, and a paring knife can be used for so many tasks. You can trim cauliflower stems, cut small portions of vegetables, slice strawberries, peel apples, cut silver skin off meat, even puncture plastic bags to open stuff.
Toaster Oven Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
Cauliflower florets- as much as will fit on your little toaster oven sheet
Lemon juice
Olive oil
A few cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese
How To:
- Cover your toaster baking sheet with aluminum foil. Distribute cauliflower florets evenly on the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Toss the florets with a good drizzle of olive oil, some lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Bake for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees (the highest temperature my oven could go). Then switch your oven to broil, and broil for another 8-12 minutes (or more!), depending on how burnt-er, brown-you like your roasted cauliflower.
- Remove the sheet from the oven, and top with grated Parmesan, if you desire. Enjoy!
