Though not officially settled, I have now been living in a new place for a week. It is cramped, small, and totally disorganized. The walls and the floor do not always align, but I kind of love it. I am now living in a quaint neighborhood in Brooklyn, full of pastry shops, bakeries, and cute little restaurants. And though I haven’t had much time to cook, I am happy to share this quick simple recipe with you today. In the spirit of the New Year, this recipe is clean and light, with a lot of vitamins to help fight those nasty colds running around.

The beauty of this salad lies in the combination of flavors and textures. Like any good salad, you need an array of ingredients that will keep things fun and entertaining. (Think party in the mouth!) In this salad the cauliflower and fennel serve as perfect foils: soft-crunchy, sweet-salty. The peas, avocado, pistachios, and Parmigianino Reggiano, compliment the cauliflower and fennel beautifully.  The only ingredients that need to be cooked are the cauliflower and sweet peas, which you can microwave with a bit of water for a couple of minutes in the microwave if feeling specially lazy. Why eat tomato and lettuce salad when you can eat this instead!

Cauliflower Fennel Salad

Serves 2-3

• ¼ large cauliflower head, florets
• ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup sweet peas
• ½ has avocado, cubed
• ¼ cup shelled pistachios
• Parmigianino Reggiano (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• About a handful cilantro
• Spear fresh oregano leaves
• Spear of fresh fennel prawns
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

In a medium sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add cauliflower and cumin. Toss until florets are coated with olive oil. Add a bit of water (about couple tablespoons of water) cover, and cook for five minutes, or until tender. Add frozen peas, cilantro, and oregano. Remove from heat and let sit.

 Slice fennel and cube avocado, and mix with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and fennel prawns. Once the cauliflower is lukewarm, incorporate into the bowl with avocado and fennel. Add pistachios and cheese, if using. Add salt if needed. Eat immediately.

After a serving of this, some warm baguette, and a large glass of wine, I am ready to continue unpacking: to a wonderful year in NYC. Cheers!