Okay, so I’ve been trying to eat a bit healthier lately, and that means more veggies. I was getting kinda bored with the usual stuff, so I decided to get adventurous with cauliflower and eggplant. I found some recipes online, but honestly, I kinda just did my own thing in the end.
The Cauliflower Experiment
First up, the cauliflower. I picked up a pretty big head of it at the store. I knew I didn’t want to just steam it – been there, done that, yawn. I thought about roasting it, which is usually a good way to go.
So, I chopped up the cauliflower into florets, not too small, not too big. Then I tossed them in a bowl with some olive oil, just enough to coat them. Next came the fun part – the spices! I grabbed some garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a little bit of salt and pepper. I just sprinkled it all on and mixed it up with my hands to make sure everything was nicely covered.
Then, I spread the cauliflower out on a baking sheet. I made sure they weren’t all crowded together, so they could get nice and crispy. I popped it in the oven, which I had preheated to, like, 400 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course). I let it roast for about 20-25 minutes, flipping the florets halfway through so they’d brown evenly.
It came out pretty great! The edges were all caramelized and crispy, and the inside was tender. Much better than plain old steamed cauliflower.
Eggplant Adventures
Next on the list: eggplant. I’ve always found eggplant a bit tricky. Sometimes it’s amazing, sometimes it’s mushy and bitter. I got a medium-sized one, nice and firm.
I decided to go simple with this one too. I sliced the eggplant into rounds, about half an inch *, I lightly salted both sides of each slice and let them sit on some paper towels for a bit. This is supposed to draw out some of the moisture and bitterness, or so I’ve heard.
After about 30 minutes, I patted the eggplant slices dry. Then, I brushed them with a little olive oil, just like the cauliflower. For seasoning, I kept it simple: salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of dried oregano. You could totally use other herbs, though.
I laid the eggplant slices on a baking sheet (a different one from the cauliflower, of course) and roasted them in the same oven, also at 400 degrees. These took a little less time, maybe 15-20 minutes. I flipped them once during cooking. They got all soft and slightly browned, which is what I was going for.
Served it. All done. The end.