I have loved cauliflower my entire life. Yes, even as a child I had no problem devouring it, in whatever form it came. But I will admit my favorite, (which I haven't eaten in decades) was my mom's rich, calorie-laden, fried cauliflower.

She would parboil the cauliflower until it was just barely fork-tender, remove it from the water and cool it a bit. Then she would dip it in beaten egg and douse it in a flour mixture which contained salt, pepper, a generous amount of garlic powder and if it was being made strictly for our dad, a pinch of cayenne pepper. She would then pan-fry it in olive oil. Heavenly!

Recently the lowly cauliflower has stepped into a bright epicurean spotlight and is being featured as a healthy alternative to rice, a meat replacement and even the key ingredient to a gluten-free and low calorie pizza crust!

The recipe which caught my eye today was Cauliflower "Tater" Tots from Pure Wow, a fashion, food and lifestyle website which constantly pushes me to think "outside the recipe box". This led me to a feature on 19 of the World's Best Cauliflower Recipes, which includes a curry, fritters, sandwiches, soups, stir-fry, tortillas and even a souffle.

The most fascinating recipe is Cauliflower Rice, which is used in place of the starchy grain, as well as an ingredient in the pizza crust. This leads me to wonder; if you used the colored cauliflowers, (orange, purple, green), what your dishes might look like. How about purple pizza crust? Before I make any of these savory concoctions, I might just have to whip up my mom's version again.

Sources: Pure Wow & Food Network


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