The best part of my Monday is reading “3 Actions for Busy Activists,” a newsletter from a group in the lower Connecticut River valley—organized to fight hate, teach tolerance, and seek justice—called Together We Rise CT.

The newsletter is written by my friend Colleen. It gives us pithy, to-the-point guidance on how to take action about the things some of us complain about on Facebook. And taking these actions is so much more satisfying and useful than complaining on Facebook.

Colleen highlights important events. She lets us know who to call to make a difference. She shows us how to help our neighbors who are immigrants, just like my great-grandparents got help from some of their neighbors. We get invited to book clubs, fundraising walks, folks festivals, and, every Wednesday, Yoga in Sanctuary, benefiting an immigrant family at the Summerfield Church in New Haven.

Colleen gives us a recipe for Meatless Mondays, so we can go meatless one day a week to help improve our health and the health of the planet. This past week I was proud to see she included a recipe I recommended.

About the baharat spice mix in the recipe: Baharat, in Arabic, means “spices.” This baharat blend is fabulous. But if the list of ingredients seems intimidating, instead sub in your favorite tahini-friendly spice mix, use a ras el hanout, or use a simple blend of paprika, cumin, and cinnamon. Also, the original recipe called for less lemon, but I used more. Because I love lemon.

More information about the group is available at togetherwerisect.com.

Tahini-Roasted Cauliflower

with Lemony Herb Oil

adapted from a recipe by

Maikki Vasala from One Green Planet

www.onegreenplanet.org

Ingredients

1 medium-sized cauliflower

A handful of toasted almonds

For the Tahini Coating:

3 to 4 tablespoons tahini

juice from 1 lemon

2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon baharat spice blend (see below)

1 to 3 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon salt

For the Lemony Herb Oil:

A bundle of parsley

A bundle of cilantro (unless you don’t like cilantro)

2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice from 1 lemon

Zest from 1 lemon

A pinch of salt

Preparation

To make the baharat spice blend:

• Ingredients: 1 ½ tablespoons black peppercorns, 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 5 cloves, 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon turmeric.

• Toast peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cloves on a hot dry pan, until fragrant. Remove the pan from heat, then grind the spices in a mortar. Add rest of the spices and mix together.

To Make the Tahini Coating:

Mix all ingredients together. Add more water if the mixture seems too thick, it should be spreadable.

To Make the Lemony Herb Oil:

Blend all ingredients into a smooth paste.

To Make the Cauliflower:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush a cast-iron skillet or another oven-proof dish with olive oil.

Remove the green outer leaves from cauliflower. Level the stem so that cauliflower stands up.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook cauliflower for 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and pat it dry. Transfer it to the skillet or dish, working carefully. If it falls apart, just paste it together with the tahini mixture.

Spread tahini mixture all over the cauliflower with your hands. Roast cauliflower in the oven for 45 minutes or until it can be pierced with a fork. Increase oven temperature to 435°F and bake cauliflower for additional 5 to 10 minutes, until small brown spots start to appear.

Drizzle cauliflower with some herb oil, sprinkle with extra baharat if you’d like, and garnish with toasted almonds just before serving. You can also double the tahini mixture and use it as a sauce on the side.