Thank you Rick Bayless

I know, I know! I can hardly call myself a food blogger with my sporadic posts. It's hard to move around and get motivated when it's 5 degrees outside. Not to mention looking for the perfect apartment in the perfect neighborhood in such a cut-throat city like Chicago; it's a full time job in addition to the one that actually pays me to be there. Have I given enough excuses yet? I wish I could say I was busy doing something more glamourous like planning a trip to Europe, but alas our pocketbook says "no".

Chicagoans are known for hibernating during the winter with a nice craft beer or warming themselves with a whiskey on the rocks, so naturally, Joel and I fit right in. Recently, Bell's Brewery released their seasonal specialty beer, Hopslam Ale and never have I found a beer more accurately named. If you're not a fan of India Pale Ale's and can't appreciate hops then this is definitely not your beer. I'm a huge fan of IPA's and while I thought that this beer was great, the hops were really overpowering and I found it hard to finish the end of the bottle. I had to give it a try though, when we got the shipment in at work it literally flew off the shelves, people came in and bought cases and cases of this stuff so I grabbed one while I could. Now that I've tried it, my curiosity will be satisfied next year when the next batch comes out. This beer has a whopping 10% ABV and goes for $16.99 for a six pack. Joel looked at me in disbelief that I paid so much for a six pack of beer but I had to see what the fuss was all about.

You can't drink a heavy beer without eating something along side it. The recipe I'm sharing today has come in handy anytime I want to start a base for a meal. I start off by roasting cauliflower, a red bell pepper, jalapenos, onions and garlic sprinkled with salt and pepper and after about an hour it all starts to caramelize and presto! You have the beginnings of a marvelous meal. My favorite way to eat this is wrapped in a warmed flour tortilla and topped with fresh avocado. It's unlike any taco you've ever eaten. The crispy roasted edges of the cauliflower are the best and it gives it awesome flavor. Tonight I decided to wrap them in corn tortillas with cheese and topped it with Rick Bayless' green enchilada sauce. For those of you not familiar with him, Rick Bayless has a show on PBS called Mexico-One Plate at a Time. He's also very famous here in Chicago for his Mexican restaurants which I have yet to visit. He sells all sorts of sauces (taco, mole, enchilada, fajitas) in ready to eat pouches without any weird, bad-for-you ingredients. Of course if your local grocer isn't likely to carry his products then choose a sauce you know you like or try making it from scratch. Hope you try it and like it!

Roasted Cauliflower Enchiladas
Serves 4

1 large cauliflower, cut into small chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, mined
3-4 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz red or green enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas
salt & pepper to taste
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss cauliflower, onion, jalapeno, bell pepper and garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven stirring every 20 minutes for about an hour or until it begins to brown and caramelize. Remove from oven and season according to taste.
2)Warm corn tortillas by heating in a small skillet on medium high for 15-20 seconds. Fill with shredded cheese and cauliflower mixture and place seam side down in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and enchilada sauce. Warm in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with spanish rice and fresh avocado.