Turmeric Cauliflower

This is a FAVORITE.  I'm from the Midwest and the South (14 years in one and 5+ in the other) so I'm used to being loaded up with fat plates of fried crap.  And it is good crap because what isn't good fried?  NOTHING.  My favorite of the fried crap was fried cauliflower.  Every good Southern home has its secret recipe which is a battle of who has more secret MSG making power than the next.  And yes, it's so tasty, but then after the meal you want to die, you blame it on eating too much... you blame it on the food being "too good" or "too rich" and it was.  It was so good you want to die.  Well the issues with fried are that it violently breaks down protein into a hodge-podge of things, including MSG-like compounds or as we call it - the SPICE.  We always say it with contempt after a bad meal, and even our friends have taken to calling MSG containing meals SPICED.  Just don't confuse this with real spices that have nothing to do with MSG.  The second isssue is that most things fried are also battered. Wheat has protein and frying it results in, yep, the SPICE.  Egg is incredibly protein rich and using that in conjunction with flour yields, yep, - super the SPICE.  Then the grandmas and aunts and moms with their secret ingredients are usually upping that spice quotient without even realizing it by using any number of protein breakers like lemon into the batter, Taco Bell fire sauce (in my opinion, Taco Bell is one of the WORST offenders of using flavor enhancers to cover their heavily modified and very low grade food to make everyone feel as though you NEED it) and other additions.

To escape the South and keep the flavor, fresh turmeric does a fine job.

This is a VERY simple recipe.

Beforehand it looks like a non-event.

But just wait until you see it and smell it coming out of the oven...
Preheat oven to 400-425

• 1 head of cauliflower (trim off the 'stump' and leaves, cut large florets into slices)
• 1 inch chunk of fresh turmeric more or less depending on how much cauliflower (I just grate it no peeling or chopping)   Turmeric will give you "cheetos" fingers and can stain things so grate over a plate or work surface made to take this kind of thing.
• 4 cloves garlic grated
• 2 TBSP olive oil or more as needed
• pinch of salt
• ground pepper or some hot pepper seeds

Toss to combine, and bake.  At 20 minutes it will start to become tender.  Take it out, toss to coat everything once more and put back in to get the tenderness you desire.  At most 30 minutes.

Fresh Turmeric Root

The upsides of this dish is that Turmeric is well known for its health benefits and is a very subtle, savory flavor that pairs well with dark flavored things like beans, lentils, grains.  It is what gives Curry is color.  It also is used to ease joint pain and inflammation.  Curcumin, the thing that gives Turmeric is color, has antioxidant; anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, stomach-soothing, and liver-and heart-protecting effects. This will take that would-be fried cauliflower and kick it in the teeth.  I'm swearing off the fried stuff and going for this.

So simple Banana muffins.

No eggs?  No problem.  Eggs are often thought of as a must-have for baking.  This is because they are an excellent rising agent (I almost typed eggcellent, would you have ever forgiven me?).  Along with eggs, baking soda, honey, and yeast help as well.  So one part the egg does that yeast and baking soda don't do is also help bind the ingredients together.  For that bananas are wonderful, however they do not really aid in rising so along with them you'll need baking soda like in most egg baking as well.

You can also use bananas and/or applesauce in a pinch for recipes that require eggs when you are out.  Or a bit more oil than you'd like to use in a recipe?  Swap some or all of it out for applesauce.  If you want it to have LESS banana flavor use slightly greener bananas.  The less ripe the banana the less banana flavor, but they'll still bind like a champ.  I recommend if your plan is to stay away from the bad stuff (MSG, broken proteins or amines), then using just spotty bananas will suffice for banana flavored things.  It has really good flavor without too much of the bad stuff (blackened bananas are bad for you. sigh. I love them - but nature is right, rotten isn't good for me or you).

Banana anything is usually good but often not amazing.  Whenever folks would cook for me as a vegetarian they'd usually serve up a banana something for dessert.  And it was generally decent tasting but nothing to rave on about.  Bananas cooked in rum or over a campfire might send me, but alas no muffin did that.  It was always. "yum" in the tiniest print.  I think there are two fruits that go extraordinarily well with bananas: strawberries and blueberries, but they get to fight over who wins.  You win by eating them.  These muffins can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries OR fresh or frozen strawberries.  These have blueberry.  See the bounty!

So on with it.  Banana muffin time. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• 1 and 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour (as usual, you may use the flour you favor or do a combo)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice (this is my favorite spice in this recipe and I feel makes it less ordinary)
• 1 Cup slightly heaping blueberries (or strawberries)
• 2 lightly spotted bananas
• 3/4 Cup olive oil (you can get away with less and always add up to the 3/4 to make sure the flour combines)
• 3/4 Cup vegan sugar ( or sneak less in there until the family noticeably gets irritated with you)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Yield is approx. 1 dozen

I had forgotten salt when making these on a whim, it was not missed -so I left it out.  I do find this recipe to be a tad sweet for me, Jason would not have me change it for the world so your family may also like it as is. I plan on probably sneaking less in next time as the bananas and the blueberries are quite sweet and don't rely as heavily on the sugar as other fruits may - like cranberries.

Combine dry ingredients except sugar (sugar always goes with wet ingredients).  Add the 1 Cup auxiliary fruit and toss to coat in flour.  Chop bananas in a separate mixing bowl until small bits, cover in the oil, sugar and vanilla.  Beat senseless until nearly fluffy like eggs or butter would be and once well combined scrape into the dry ingredients and combine well until no dry flour remains. I use a 1/4 Cup scoop to pour into paper lined muffin tin.  Cook for 20-30 minutes. My oven in Portland, Oregon took 28 minutes the longest of all my muffins your oven in Istanbul may take longer.  The tops should have golden brown kisses and start to crack with fault lines and when pressed spring back just so.  Then perfection.