Roasted Romanesco with Za'atar Yogurt Sauce

Strange coincidence: last year, on January 25th, 2014, I wrote about romanesco in a post entitled 7 Uncommon Vegetables for your Produce Bucket List. I had never seen romanesco in a store. I kept my eyes peeled for it all year, but could never find any. That is, until last Wednesday, when I finally spotted some at my local Whole Foods . . . on January 25th, 2015. Weird, right?

Coming across this gorgeous vegetable exactly one year after posting about it has me wondering if it might be magic. I mean, look at those spirals! According to Wikipedia, the number of spirals on a head of Romanesco is a Fibonacci number, and its form approximates a fractal. How is it possible that something like this exists?

In addition to its special properties, romanesco is delicious. I roasted it whole because I couldn't bear to slice it up any sooner than I had to. Its flavor is similar to cauliflower and broccoli, but a little milder and nuttier. And, just like with cauliflower or broccoli, the browned bits are extra delicious. If you can't find romanesco, you could definitely use one of its brassica cousins for this recipe instead.

Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Cilantro Pesto

Do you like to read "day in the life" posts?  I loved this one on What's Gaby Cooking (the first food blog I ever read!),  saw this one recently on How Sweet It Is, and was inspired to write my own.  I think it's fun to get a peek into someone's daily routine.  Of course, if you don't, you can just scroll down for the recipe.

If you're still with me, here's the story of my Thursday!

I woke up late, around 9:30.  Since Ben works from home on Thursdays, he had made coffee.  I had mine with vanilla chai spiced ghee and a splash of cream, blitzed with my immersion blender.

In the kitchen, I briefly contemplated abandoning my cauliflower plans since I wasn't sure I had time to cook and photograph everything before class at noon, but I decided to go for it.  I had a gorgeous orange cauliflower from Whole Foods, so I had to take a few shots of it before chopping it up.

Moroccan Beef with Apricots & Dates + Simple Cauliflower Mash (Whole30 Day 22)

It's Day 22 of my Whole30!  I can't believe it's been over three weeks.  This month really is flying by.  I have more energy, more even moods, and while I still get hungry, I no longer want to kill all the things when my stomach starts rumbling.  Also, my pants are looser and I'm recovering more quickly from my workouts, with much less soreness.

Yesterday, a big snowstorm came to town.  After traipsing home from the train station in the snow, I made this Moroccan beef.  It's almost a stew, but I wanted the sauce to be nice and thick so that the beef wasn't swimming in liquid.  The meat is perfectly spiced, and the sweet fruit provides a wonderful counterpoint.  The garnishes--toasted almonds and fresh cilantro--are highly recommended.  I served this beef over a simple cauliflower mash, but it would also be great with spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or even real rice--anything that will soak up the delicious sauce.  No matter how you serve it, this dish will comfort and warm you on a cold winter's night.

Creole Hash & Eggs (Whole30 Day 2)

It's Day 2 of my Whole30, and I'm feeling great so far!  Yesterday I had quite a headache, which I think was because I tried to replace my morning coffee with tea.  It was too soon for that--I need to take my changes one at a time!  Since I don't like black coffee very much, I did a little research and found this recipe for bulletproof coffee.  It's basically hot coffee mixed with some ghee and coconut oil.  I made some using my immersion blender, and it was pretty good!  Not quite as delicious as my regular cup of joe (with copious amounts of grassfed milk, a splash of maple syrup, and a few drops of vanilla extract--none of which are allowed on the Whole30), but much more palatable than plain coffee.

Indochinese Chilli Chicken with Cauliflower Fried Rice

I LOVE Indian food.  Luckily for me, my mom's apartment is just blocks from Singh's Cafe, which has a fabulous lunch buffet every day of the week.  I go more than anyone should go anywhere, but I just love it so much.  One of the best parts of going to lunch buffet is that there is no waiting: you show up, you sit down (or not), and you go get your food!  I also love it because you can try some of everything.

Mocha Marinated Steak with Peach Salsa and Cauliflower Mash

If you haven't stopped by since last month's chocolate party, you'll notice that things have changed some since the days of double malt ice cream sandwiches.  A Calculated Whisk is going paleo!  It's not a permanent change, but I'm doing a Whole30, and the blog is doing it with me.  So for the rest of August, you'll find more healthy recipes with fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, and seafood, but no grains, sugar, sweeteners, legumes, soy, milk, or processed food.  Desserts (at least paleo ones, which can still be impressively delicious!) will return in the fall.