The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

I spent six days traveling recently, and I realized just how far we can wander from our normal eating habits while away from home. We dash from meeting to meeting or tourist stop to tourist stop, grabbing a coffee and a bagel here and an antipasto platter there, all while trying to pass these things off as “meals.” About midway through my trip, I realized that I was feeling run down and not quite myself, and I knew that the foods I was eating (or, more appropriately, the foods I wasn’t eating) had a lot to do with it.

I upped my water intake. I made better meal choices, even when they weren’t the most convenient, and I made sure that I was getting plenty of veggies. Next thing I knew, I felt my energy levels picking up and I was back in the game. Inspired by this not-so-subtle reminder about how important “real” food can be to your diet, I came home and made some homemade comfort food with a nutritious kick: roasted cauliflower.

I love all roasted vegetables, but I think cauliflower is my hands-down favorite. It’s also loaded with good things like fiber, potassium and folic acid. It pairs nicely with so many things, from chicken to fish–even tossed into a little whole wheat pasta. Or you can just eat the florets all by themselves. That’s what I did!

Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, trimmed into florets
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.

Place florets in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, and pepper.

Roast 20-25 minutes until tender, crispy and golden, turning once. Devour.

Yield: 2-4 servings

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