I really never have been a huge fan of cauliflower; I think it’s because if I bought some, all I ever did with it was cut it up and put it on a vegetable platter with some other raw veggies, add a bowl of dip and call it a day.

But for the past few months, every time I go to the grocery store I find myself looking at it and wondering if I tried it again, would I like it?

I’d have to do something different with it, or it definitely would be going back to the bottom of my vegetable list.

I kept hearing about mashed cauliflower – how great it is for you and that it’s a really good replacement for mashed potatoes. So I decided to give it a try. And true to form – when I try something new, I tend to talk about it too much and make a huge deal of it – half of the time, the final product is a bit of a letdown. But all in all, we actually liked it, even though I probably should have mashed it with my grandmother’s old-fashioned potato masher instead of mixing it in the blender and trying to get all of the lumps out.

And I may have overcooked it a bit, making it a little grainy. But dressed with some butter and kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, it wasn’t that bad.

So then I moved on to my favorite way of preparing vegetables when I try to eat them — I roast some cauliflower. I find anything roasted with olive oil and garlic gets a thumbs-up in my book.

And last, I forced myself to put some cauliflower in a pasta dish. I really hate to use anything on pasta except great cream sauce. But I sautéed cauliflower, broccoli, onions and peppers with my favorite olive oil and garlic, and it turned out quite good. I really don’t think I can give up my cream sauces for the pasta, but I definitely am going to start adding lots more vegetables, especially since garden and farmer’s market season is right around the corner!

But now, to get your day kick-started and add another vegetable to your diet, there is nothing like a good old spicy Bloody Mary with spicy pickled asparagus for garnish!

Spicy Bloody Mary

1 large lime wedge

Kosher salt for garnish

1 1/2 oz. good vodka

4 oz. tomato juice

Dash of celery salt

Dash of fresh-ground cracked pepper

8 really good shakes of Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. horseradish

Couple good shakes of a good hot sauce

Spicy pickled asparagus for garnish

Take a glass and run the lime around the rim. Dip the rim into the coarse salt to cover the rim. Put the first seven ingredients in the glass, squeeze the lime wedge into the glass and mix it all together. Add the pickled asparagus for garnish and enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 450, and grease a casserole dish.

Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the casserole dish and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with parmesan cheese and parsley and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower

2 Tbsp. butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup of milk

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Steam cauliflower for 10 minutes or until very tender.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter and garlic. Once the garlic becomes tender, add milk, red pepper, salt and pepper, tender cauliflower and mix, using a potato masher or mixer, until combined. Serve and enjoy!

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