It's been a while!

I finally decided to get on top of things and write another blog.  It's not that I haven't been cooking, but I have kinda felt like we were in a food rut.  I think that everyone has those go to dishes that everyone likes and they are easy to make, so we just get stuck there.  We have been living in a haze of French Onion Soup (which is my son Liam's favorite), Chicken Enchaladas and frozen Lasagna (yes, I am ashamed to admit that....) Even Papa Murphy's pizza has been frequenting our table.  "What woke you up?" you ask?  It was a long overdue trip to Seattle, in my opinion, the greatest culinary destination in the West.  A trip to Pike's Market and my spark was reignited.  While at the market, I was able to pick up some amazing ingredients; sun dried tomato pasta, amazing fresh goat cheese with garlic and dill, fresh black truffles, and a beautiful fig balsamic vinegar. 
For the appetizer course I made a flatbread with the goat cheese, pears, caramelized onions, the fig balsamic and some fresh arugala.   I spread the goat cheese on garlic flavored naan and chopped pears and caramelized some onions and put them under the broiler for a few minutes.  When I got them out I added the arugala and drizzled the balsamic on top.  The arugala added a beautiful cold crunch with that little bite that arugala gives.
For the soup course, I made a Jerusalem Artichoke and Cauliflower Soup. 
Roasted Cauliflower and Sunchoke Soup
Makes 4 servings
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 2 1/2 c.)
3 large sunchokes, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 1 1/2 c.)
3 cloves garlic, whole
1 c. water, divided (or 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided)
juice from one lemon (I used Meyer lemon)
1 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 c.)
3 to 4 c. low-sodium vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 c. unsweetened soy or almond milk (or I used coconut milk and it was amazing!)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix 1/2 c. water (or 2 Tbsp. olive oil) with lemon juice. Gently toss cauliflower slices, sunchoke slices, and garlic cloves in this mixture to coat (it’s okay if some of the cauliflower falls apart – it can go in the oven just the same). Spread vegetables in one layer on a baking sheet, pouring extra liquid over the top. Bake until cauliflower and sunchokes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, chop into 1-inch pieces, and set aside.
In a pot over medium-high, heat the remaining 1/2 c. water (or 1 Tbsp. oil). Add onions, and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add 3 c. stock, coconut milk, and roasted garlic cloves, and bring to boil. Add roasted cauliflower and sunchokes and return to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer until vegetables are quite soft, about 5 minutes.
Blend until completely smooth using immersion blender directly in pot, or pour into food processor or regular blender (allow to cool 10-15 minutes if pouring into regular blender to avoid explosions!). Season to taste with salt and pepper. If desired, gradually stir in 1 c. remaining broth to thin out soup a bit. Reheat if necessary, and garnish with a little pile of sprouts (or pancetta, which you should dice, throw in a pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring periodically, until browned and crispy).  I garnished with the black truffle.

For the main course, I made the sun dried tomato pasta.  I took a basic alfredo sauce in the jar and used sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and roasted some garlic.  It took that jarred sauce from blah to really yummy.  I topped it with some parmesano reggiano.  Overall it was an amazing meal.  If you are going to make one of the items though, I would whole heartedly reccommend the appetizer!