Hello there! Are the lilacs going completely nuts where you live? My street is exploding in purple, and I highly recommend sticking your nose right into a cluster of blooms and inhaling deeply. Kinda smells like vanilla ice cream, right?
Another recent (nonfloral) development: I’ve been cooking mostly vegetarian meals lately. I wish I could say this is for some noble cause, but it’s really because the grocery store closest to me doesn’t sell meat and I’m lazy. This means I’ve discovered a bunch of vegetarian recipes that are now favorites on heavy rotation: cheesy cabbage tteokbokki, eggplant dal and this insanely good cauliflower shawarma.
The reader notes for this five-star Melissa Clark recipe are ecstatic. “I have been married for 31 years, and my husband said this was the best dish I ever made. He gave it 12 stars out of 10. It was enjoyable, and very difficult to stop eating it,” writes Cheraud. “Melissa Clark could make a phone book delicious,” notes Z. Stafford. And I particularly appreciate the enthusiasm and honesty of RP: “Have made this two more times since my initial review. Eating it while stoned is currently the main source of joy and self-fulfillment in my life.”
Featured Recipe
Cauliflower Shawarma With Spicy Tahini
Hetty Lui McKinnon’s roasted potato salad with jalapeño-avocado dressing is another vegetarian stunner: Roasted potatoes, cannellinis, green beans and plenty of dill are tossed in a creamy, zesty mix of blended avocado, garlic, lime and chile. It’s a satisfying main, and it would also — if I may allow my brain to drift away from emails to weekend dinner gatherings — be stellar alongside simply roasted whole fish and a citrus salad.
