cookin' at work...(cauliflower salad)

... though I was not supposed to be there today. The other cooking person did not show up, so they called to ask if I would be interested in doing it. Truthfully: I wasn't, but went in anyway, getting there about two and leaving a bit early, so you can tell there was a lack of enthusiasm.

The recipe was for 'casual sides', so there was a vegetable dish and a dessert. Sadly, our demo instructions were to not make that yummy sounding dessert, but only prepare the vegetable dish and cook a seafood item the meat department provided. The protein is something the marketing people came up with and debuted a couple of months ago: you choose the seafood your family eats and they put the dish together so you just take it home and cook, then get your fork. You can have any type fish or shrimp or scallops, add to a pre-determined combination of vegetables, seasonings and a carb. which is going to be something like quinoa or cous-cous.

Preheat the oven, cook the fresh seafood for fifteen minutes and tie your bib on. Add a salad and bread and your meal is ready to eat. Everyone who sampled said it was good, but some would not try because they could not like the tilapia we were serving.

The veg. dish is a cauliflower salad. Sounds strange, right? But it was pretty good, though I only put one bite in my mouth. It has diced shallots, that I would not intentionally eat. Or any other form of raw onion.

Cauliflower salad

1 - 10 oz. bag cauliflower florets
1 cup frozen green/English peas, thawed
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or less, or none, to taste)
2 ribs celery, diced
1 shallot finely minced

Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces, microwave for two minutes. Combine with drained peas. Mix mayonnaise, seasonings. Stir in diced celery and shallot. Mix all together. Chill until ready to serve.

When a kid came by and asked for a plate, I asked if he would eat cauliflower and he said yes. I said: you don't even know what it is! and he said: It's white broccoli. So I gave him a plate of salad.