Pesto pasta with brussels sprouts and sun-dried tomato, roasted cauliflower

This wasn't meant to be an entropic dinner.

On the way home from work --tired and brain-fried-- I had it in mind just to cook some pasta and mix it with pesto for a quick, simple dinner. But by the time I got into the kitchen, some of my creative impulsiveness had returned and I was able to whip up the following:

Pesto pasta with brussels sprouts and sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 box rotini pasta, cooked and drained
1/4-1/2 cup pesto
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
~15 brussels sprouts
olive or grapeseed oil
paprika
black pepper
salt

Rinse and halve the brussels sprouts (after removing the "stem"). Sprinkle with paprika and black pepper. In a small frying pan, heat ~1 Tbsp oil over medium high. When hot, add sprouts and fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the outsides have browned. (Alternatively, you could broil or grill the sprouts) Combine with pasta, pesto, and tomatoes and return to heat if necessary. Add salt to taste.

Notes: I'm discovering that brussels sprouts are among the most underrated vegetables; buy them fresh (not canned) and roast or brown them and they are quite fantastic! For the pesto, add it a large spoonful at a time until it tastes right to you. I used pesto we made this summer with our bumper basil crop, which I found to be more lightly flavored than most, so I went with around 1/2 cup.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 cauliflower
4-5 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sweet vinegar
ground cumin
dried oregano
salt

Rinse cauliflower and remove core (or cut into small pieces). Drizzle with 2-3 Tbsp oil and toss lightly (or brush, if using the head whole). Sprinkle with oregano, cumin, and salt and bake at 450F for 45 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Meanwhile, combine 2 Tbsp oil with the vinegar and ~1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp oregano. When cauliflower is done, remove from oven and cut into pieces if necessary. Shake dressing well, pour over cauliflower and stir.

Notes: most of the credit for this dish goes to Meghan, who co-writes a cooking and wine blog with her husband Doug (my former colleague). Her version is slightly different, but as she mentions, you can be pretty creative with the sauce/seasonings you use. For the vinegar, I used Trader Joe's Orange Malbec Champagne Vinegar (or something like that), which is quite sweet and fruity as vinegars go. You could do just as well with a wine vinegar or some lemon juice and a little sweetener.