What do you eat when no one is around?
My husband and sons went on a boys summer road trip which resulted in a kitchen vacation for me. The relief of it shocked me. But I love cooking, cooking is my THING. Barring my compulsory morning coffee and an occasional fridge gaze and grab, I kept clear of the most habituated room in our house.
The question: Do I really exist outside of the kitchen?
It hit me hard how much time I think about, spend time on, and then clean up of the next meal, the next recipe to serve. the next great recipe for cook/book., for family, for friends I’m numbers averse, so I can only estimate how much time I spend in pursuit of a good dish, or a dish in general. And it’s a lot.
Faced with all this extra time in my day, I watched two films in bed…The first one slow, overly artsy, foreign, and a little boring. The second one Paterson was really worthwhile, and I really got into it. It’s the kind of movie that inspires you to read the reviews which then lead to some wiki-rabbit holing.
Still in an inspired mood after the viewing and sick of my greatest-hits-of-junk-food menu (______ ill in your preference here.) I decided to throw something together for myself. I treated myself to a home cooked meal but was only allowed to shop my fridge and pantry.
A plastic container provided the leftover roasted cauliflower steaks.
A thin blanket of Queso lay on top. I reached way into the back of the fridge for the jar of pickled red onions I made sometime in the Spring….. Praise the Lord! There’s that avocado in the fruit bowl that was rock hard when they left, but now, just when I need it most, is firm but yielding, and upon cutting into it is an unblemished shade of bright yellow-green, there’s a reason avocado was once a popular home decor shade
Chopping that and a few handfuls of greens was the only active work I had to accomplish my meal. Drizzled with taco sauce, and I was eating something sapidly satisfying, quick, multi-flavored, texture varied.
I could cut the roasted cauliflower with my fork yet the edges were crispy with pleasantly shattering edges. The Mexican taco spice I brushed over it added a touch of spice and heat, but mostly a savory-saltiness. The queso on top was sharp cheddary orange and added an even silkier dimension to the cauliflower. Avocado cubes added another layer of creamy smoothness to the “dish” (container) and with the shredded greens some final fresh and crispy texture and a clean chlorophylll taste.
I might not be a numbers person but I’ve come up with some kind of equation for leftover home alone dish for one.
1-2 part of leftover protein, or beans or roasted veg, or vegan protein.
1 part pickled veggies
1 part dressing
1 part avocado or shredded cheese
2 parts fresh chopped green
Eat in bed while watching your favorite thing, or standing over the sink, outside, or wherever you please.
