I have three weeks of US living left. In three weeks I’ll be living in the great city of London. I’m spending these last three weeks at home living with my parents. I was afraid I would be bored out of my mind, but I think I’ll actually be busier than I was living in Lincoln! In addition to purging myself of all possessions that I no longer need, I am also going to various appointments, attending a bachelorette party and wedding, and preparing nightly meals for my family.

Last Christmas I received a cookbook called “The London Cookbook.” It features recipes from various restaurants around London, and I’ve been dying to try some of them out. That’s where I got the base for this recipe! I did change a few things around to match my taste preferences, but the original recipe comes from Anna Hansen, the Chef of The Modern Pantry.

This recipe is vegan, gluten free, and low carb. But most important, it’s delicious! Fennel, mint, and lemon make the flavor of this dish pop, and add a summery flair. It does take a little bit of extra work to put it together, unless you cheat and buy pre-shredded cauliflower of course. It’s definitely worth it though, and the recipe makes enough to have leftovers!

Ingredients

1/2 golden raisins

1 C apple juice

2 cauliflowers, cut into small florets

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T olive oil

1 small bunch of mint, roughly chopped

Zest from one lemon

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine raisins and apple juice in a small saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. This will plump up the raisins. Once the juice is boiling, remove from heat and allow to cool. Reserve 2 T juice, discard the rest.

In a large bowl, mix the cauliflower, fennel, turmeric, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Once the cauliflower is coated, spread evenly on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 5-8 minutes, just long enough to soften the cauliflower, but still retain some crunchiness. It is very important not to over-bake the cauliflower to produce the couscous like texture.

Once the cauliflower has cooled, place in food processor in small batches. Pulse a few times, until cauliflower is chopped, but not mush.

Once all cauliflower has been chopped mix in the raisins, reserved juice, mint, and lemon zest and juice. Adjust any seasonings, and serve!

*For leftovers, best flavor is achieved when cauliflower is allowed to return to room temperature.