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This cauliflower don’t take shit from no one. Nuh-uh.
It’s one spicy and sassy dish.
I blame it for my near throw down with the post office lady yesterday. I get that technically I need to provide my own tape, but when I’m asking for like 2 small pieces and she’s all “well, you can purchase the roll over there” it took everything in my being to not drop the box and punch the (I will not use the word I want to right now) woman in the face. The same lady that stares at the 20 person line going around the door while she sits and eats her sandwich because it’s her “lunch break” on other days. I’d like to know in what business outside of government run ones it’s ok to purposely make your customers pissed off. Oh, that would be none. None of this would bother me anywhere near as much as it does if Miss stingy tape wouldn’t be retiring nicely with a sweet pension in a few years for working half-assedly (a necessary word creation for times like this) all her life. Or, that she’s probably enjoying way better benefits than I have while the general public, who she treats like crap, pays for them through our taxes.
I refused to buy her damn tape after a few heated choice words, paid for the box and left.
Had I not shoveled half a head of cauliflower in my mouth for lunch, perhaps I would’ve been a bit more subdued about the situation but the sass was a flowin’ and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Besides the spice, the other fun part about this dish is the yogurt. Coating your vegetables in yogurt before cooking them in olive oil may seem and sound a bit weird but it does wonders for the flavor and the texture. You see cauliflower with yogurt dips all the time, why not coat it in the yogurt from the get go?
Whether or not I’m going to eat the other half of this before going back to the post office today is still to be decided. I do like a good fight…
- 1 head of cauliflower, washed and broken into small florets
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- ½ a small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloved garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for frying
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl and toss to fully coat cauliflower in yogurt mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry cauliflower in batches (don’t overcrowd the pan) for about 10 minutes per batch until golden brown and crispy. You may need to add a bit more olive oil with each new batch.
- Garnish with lemon and parsley and serve warm.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
The post office and the DMV – the two places where you’ll get the crappiest service and the attitude that says “so what, what are you going to do about it?” I think it’s nearly impossible for them to get fired, which must be why they take advantage.
I’ve never marinated veggies in yogurt but I know it does wonders for meat. I’ll definitely try this. Plus, it looks so darned delicious that my stomach is growling now!
This is fantastic, Gina! I do this all the time! For my spicy paneer tikka masala recipe, I coat the paneer (or tofu when I want to make the healthier version) in yogurt and spices, marinade and then cook it up in the pan! It’s a great way to keep veggies or whatever super moist and delicious! Thanks for sharing this! This recipe sounds awesome. And I love ANYTHING spicy!
I just got the Mr to start eating cooked cauliflower so this is a great recipe to convince him he made the right decision!
I love cauliflower and I don’t make it nearly enough, it’s kind of my forgotten vegetabel. I love this dish, this is one I am going to bookmark for future making!
wow never would have thought yogurt would heat well but sounds really delicious! Gosh what a frustrating situation!
I’m so glad the post office people here are so nice… I can take a lot of poor service because I’m used to it coming from the Philippines…. But what I can’t take are crabby and rude people working in restaurants. This cauliflower dish is a must try… Got some left in the fridge!
Post office lady would have irritated me too…people these days, I tell ya…not very courteous! I like the tang of the yogurt and the flavor of the spices you put in this recipe…almost like a less saucy curry – it looks great! (I also love the big serving dish you put the cauliflower on) Have a great day!
I love spicy anything. Cauliflower is the perfect pair for these flavors. Love this Gina!
Love the new header!! And this looks like such a perfect side dish – I definitely want to try this once I can have yogurt again!
Ok, I may or may not have a head of cauliflower turning brown in the fridge right now. I think it’s about time I make something with it and this sounds fabulous. Winner!
I almost threw down with the post office lady yesterday too (granted this post office lady was located in SC)…I drove 25 minutes across town to send a bulk mail out (which is the world’s biggest pain in the ass already), filled out all the paperwork and had her get pissed off at me when I asked a question…God forbid you have to actually do your job and help someone…
THEN she calls me an hour later and tells me that my business hasn’t paid our $200 annual fee and that I need to bring her a check for that amount by the end of the day…then when I inform her that’s not possible (I don’t write the checks around here…obviously…if I did, I would not be the one dealing with angry postal workers and bulk mailings), she tells me that if we don’t pay it by tomorrow, I will have to drive 25 minutes BACK and pick up all my mail because “we’re not allowed to hold it for you and we certainly can’t send it when you haven’t paid your annual fee.” Grr. Have I mentioned we don’t get paid mileage or anything like that?
I almost threw my office phone at the wall…almost. Sorry for the long comment, I just had to take the opportunity to reciprocate and vent to someone who understands – haha. Hope your experience goes better today!
I’m so glad you vented. Makes me feel like less of a crazy person for knowing others can’t stand the post office either!
This post had me cracking up…next time wrap up some cauliflower and leave it for her. Maybe she just needs a little sass in her life:)
ha! I love this. Totally should’ve done that.
ughhhh i HATE USPS workers. the ones here in DC are super horrendous too. the line is ALWAYS out the freaking door unless you get there when they open and they’re such biatches. anyway, at least this spicy cauliflower hopefully cheered you up and burned (ha!) the anger outta ya! this looks delicious and i’m always looking for ways to do cauliflower!
What a smart idea to marinade the cauliflower in yogurt ahead of time! This looks like such a delicious, wholesome and flavorful side dish. Thanks for sharing, Gina!
So much anger!
Ugh, I hate going to post office for anything! I think it must be the same everywhere, because even up here in small town Canada, the post office workers are the most awful to deal with. Every time I go in I leave thinking I should have asked if it would hurt them to move their asses. So frustrating! Love the yogurt idea!! Plus, those golden brown edges on the cauliflower are calling to me. So yummy
ha! Love that. I would love to see someone actually ask them that
Ok this sounds and looks spectacular! The only question is how to get the cauli smell out of your house after you’re done with it. Cauli, brock, kale, they do a number on the scent of things
ha, open the windows is the best I’ve got! Yesterday that wasn’t a problem since it was 65 degrees out but in the middle of winter it’s gross because I’ll literally wake up the next morning to that smell. Not really the first thing I want to be smelling in the day.
The absolute worst is fish. Or shrimp. What’s even worse is that even if I don’t eat it, around 6-9pm I can handle it. The next day, smelling food that I didn’t even eat that I’m allergic to, is seriously like…the worst! I would cook fish more often but the lingering smell…i hate it!
Whoa! never heard of making cauliflower this way. Considering I love cauli in any way, shape or form, plus all the spices you have going on, I’m sure this is a winner
This post cracked me up. You are funny! Love the recipe. It looks like a ton of ingredients but I realized I already have everything but cauliflower on hand. I actually have frozen cauli and I bet I could use that!
I never deal with the actual post office anymore. We have little post office outlets and the people there are soooo much nicer. And helpful which is a bit of a novelty when you compare it to the post office.
I’m not fond of the post office, but the USPS is not supported with tax dollars.
thanks for the correction, probably should’ve done a quick google search on that before ranting. At least it makes me feel better about not contributing towards their retirement!
Love the rant. I needed a good story of frustration – misery enjoys company.
I have never an fried my cauliflower I always roast in the oven. Will have to give this a try!
I love cooking with yogurt but I’ve never tried to coat my veggies in it before putting them in oil. Sounds fantastic!
This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I have a cauliflower recipe that adds yoghurt after cooking but marinating beforehand – sounds yum!
Bad service can happen anywhere these days but it definitely feels worse when the unionized and/or government worker basically has a job-for-life (JFL) and will suffer no repercussions. On the other hand is the AMAZING service you can sometimes get from minimum-wage service workers.
Here’s an idea: the public makes SPECIFIC complaints about JFL workers in writing AND makes written compliments for low-wage service workers. When the complaints reach a certain level, that employee trades PLACES and PAYCHEQUES with one with sufficient compliments.
Wouldn’t that be an eye-opener!!!
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