Sunny and 70 degrees in November? I have been warned in the past that one can never really know what to expect from Mother Nature here on Nantucket but correct me if I am wrong: that was a wild card. Having been raised in Florida, I thought this was exceptionally lucky and could not wait to get outside. (At least this is what I told tell myself as my alarm got me up at 4:30 AM; poor preparation for the time change.) I didn’t seem to be the only one in this circumstance, as I found others walking along the beach at sunrise enjoying the warm weather.
As I walked along with my morning coffee in hand, I couldn’t help but contemplate what the day might bring (which, of course, led me to thinking about what I planned to have for lunch). Back at home, ready to heat and eat in my fridge was leftover roasted butternut squash soup (made with farm grown butternut squash, of course). While that soup was absolutely delicious, (even if I did go to heavy on the thyme and rosemary,) it wasn’t satisfying my expectations for lunch on this warm day…
Luckily for me, I have easy access to all the fresh ingredients in the market to quickly whip up something new. The only thing I had to decide was what exactly I was going to make to satisfy my warm weather food hankering. Consulting the Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm Cookbook, (conveniently sitting stored at my desk for situations like this,) I settled on the Curried Cauliflower Salad; easy to whip up with only seven ingredients and taking less than 15 minutes, this made for the perfect last minute lunch idea (and boy, was I right). It really turned out as the perfect lunch choice al fresco, as I sat at a picnic table enjoying what might be the last few moments of 70 degree weather we will see for the next few seasons.
Curried Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise (regular or nonfat)
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon curry powder (more to taste)
1 teaspoon (or more) of your favorite mustard
2 cups cauliflower, broken into flowerets
1 carrot, diced
Large handful of mixed greens
Directions
1. Stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry and mustard
2. In a small bowl, mix vegetables
3. Spoon dressing over vegetables and (optional) chill for one hour
4. serve over a plate of mixed greens.
Serves 4
-written by Kyra Doyle, Asst Operations Manager
-edited by Leah Mojer, M & P
