Curried Cauliflower Salad |

My mom was here for a visit all this past week and we had a wonderful time tooling around the city, eating out at some lovely restaurants and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Mom proved invaluable at trivia, answering lanolin and others correctly, though let it be known that she was unable to produce Princess Diana’s maiden name. She fell in love with Game of Thrones, bought two pairs of shoes, and bought us a lovely bouquet of tulips. Mom seemed content to sleep on our ancient couch but was very troubled by our loose toilet seat. I have also been troubled by the loose toilet seat but found it was easier to strategically sit than to try to figure out the best way to go about fixing it. After work on Friday, after mom had left for Whitehorse, I set about tightening the toilet seat bolts.

It should be known that the toilet is already kind of strange. It is a low-flow toilet that has two buttons, one for the little stuff and one for the big. It is all one piece, the tank is part of the whole. And the frigging seat is a slow-close miracle that is unlike all the diagrams that I have looked at online (yes, I researched proper toilet seat tightening protocol). So, Friday after work I set about tightening the darn seat. I had studied the diagrams and understood the mission. Find the caps near the hinges, pry them off, use my pliers to tighten the bolts, replace the caps, and voila, a sturdy sitting experience. No such luck. I stared at the seat, perplexed by the lack of caps that EVERY toilet seat tutorial made mention of. OK, new strategy, pry the seat off the obviously hidden caps, right? No. Some desperate tugging, prodding, crying, and excessive (or not) hand washing later, I was back at the computer trying to figure out how to solve this mystery. I Googled, “slow close toilet seat fixing no caps” and many variations of that general combination of words but all the tutorials suggested that there should either be caps or an easy-release button somewhere in the general vicinity of the hinges. But our toilet seat is smooth with no visible access points. I squeezed the sides in an attempt to release it, I gently and not-so-gently tugged at it, I peaked into the bowl to see if the bolts were accessible from there, I started to cry. I was so frustrated at the seemingly impossible task of tightening the frigging toilet seat that I sat at my computer, staring at pictures that did not look like my toilet seat, and just cried. Then, an hour or so after starting this ridiculous journey, I marched into the bathroom, slapped my hand on the side of the bowl and felt a frigging bolt. Reaching around the other side I found the matching bolt and realized that I had not looked in the most obvious place, the outside of the bowl. A quick couple of turns on the plastic nuts and the seat was secure. I washed my hands and forearms (I felt too close to the toilet not to) and schlumped on the couch, totally embarrassed that I let a toilet seat bring me to tears.

It’s hard to segue from a toilet story to a recipe, but it must be done.

This salad is pretty amazing. (Smooth transition, right?)

This salad is nicely curried, the cauliflower mimics potatoes, and the crunch from the almonds and celery make for a lovely textural contrast. I came up with this when I wanted to pair something with roast chicken for the summer. I whipped up a batch last week, but it was experimental and I hadn’t thought to take pictures. Both Gen and I LOVED it and I feel pretty confident that this will be a summer staple. It is creamy and crunchy and pairs amazingly with grilled meat. Add some dried cranberries or raisins for some sweetness if you’d like. And don’t skimp on the curry powder.

Curried Cauliflower Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3-4 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne (**optional)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coarse salt (more to taste)
1 tsp black pepper
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 stalks of celery, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Steam the cauliflower until just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Check with a fork, they are done when the fork slides in easily. Try not to over cook, unless you want a really soft texture. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cold water. Allow to drain in colander while you prepare the dressing.
In a large bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients except the onions, almonds, and celery. Taste and adjust for spice and salt.
Toss the cauliflower in with the dressing. Add the onions, almonds, and celery, toss to combine.
Serve with grilled meats, or on its own!