I spent three days in coastal Washington and Seattle this week. It was the most fun I’ve had on a work trip, plus I got to see things I’d never seen before. On paper, I was at a remote part of the Washington coast to check on the construction of the magazine’s idea house. In reality, I had to see the beach. The beach made me take a deep breath and say with all my heart, I’m lucky.

In a quick 24 hours in Seattle, I ate some incredible food. Roasted chicken (seriously, about half the chicken) on a mess of sauteed greens and pearly potatoes, a rhubarb upside-down cake sitting in a pool of creme fraiche, a ginger lemon black pepper cake I’m going to try to recreate soon (if I can do it without capsizing Brad’s gluten-free-ness), a cup of Seattle coffee (!), the most silky vegetable quiche I’ve ever eaten (why do I even pretend to make quiche? It was insane and the best I’ve ever put in my mouth), and a crisp salad with roasted zucchinis and red peppers and a seeded bun on the side.

Though the food was amazing and I’d do it all over again, I always come home from trips like this craving the type of food Brad and I make each night: simple, whole, based on vegetables but with lots of goodies alongside. Our food is my security blanket against indigestion, sluggish afternoons, and a too-full belly and too-anxious mind. I carry activated charcoal like a talisman.

Before we went gluten- and dairy-free, this cauliflower came out of our oven as often as twice a week. It’s dead simple and incredibly delicious. I could easily eat a whole pan myself and call it a meal.

We’ll probably make it again soon (without the Parmesan), but not until this heat wave leaves California. I thought this was the most temperate place on earth? LIARS. We like it.

Get the recipe here.