The past two days were less about vacationing (as intended) than about taking a break from my routine and working from home. Still, it was pleasant enough to sleep in a little and not deal with a hellish commute.

Ugh, I sound like such a Pollyanna.

On Day 2 of my “vacation,” I decided a little cooking was in order and gave the Feisty Green Beans from 101 Cookbooks a whirl — with substitutions, of course. Since the main ingredient is out of season, I swapped in a head of cauliflower. Tofu was nixed because I just don’t keep it in the house if I’m not planning to make a specific recipe (usually from Simple Chinese Cooking).

Made according to the recipe otherwise, this dish was spicy enough for me to take notice, which was a very pleasant surprise. But the flavors reminded me enough of my chickpea and spinach curry to realize I’d probably prefer the more aggressive tang of the greek yogurt in that dish to the creme fraiche in this one. (Can’t say I’m anything less than thrilled to have a container of creme fraiche in the fridge now for snacking or dessert purposes, though. We’ll just see what the weekend brings on that front.)

When I know it’s going to be an especially busy week for me, complete with late nights and long commutes, I like to plan at least a couple of easy meals that can be prepared quickly when I get home. Often, these take the form of picnics in the living room — a selection of cheeses, maybe salami, definitely olives (for me, at least), and a little wine. But sometimes I want something more substantial, which is when having a decently-stocked refrigerator comes into play.

For this quick cauliflower soup, I sautéed three thinly-sliced medium leeks in a little butter until soft, then added some chopped garlic and gave it about 30 seconds in the pot before adding one head of cauliflower florets and (this is key) fresh chicken stock to cover. I usually make this with low-sodium chicken broth (shhhh — don’t tell Ruhlman!), but the real stock makes such a huge difference I don’t think I’ll be going back. Once the cauliflower was soft, I added salt to taste, then gave it a whirl in my blender (filled halfway, knob off the lid, covered with a dishtowel), and we were ready to eat. Because I had a bunch of parsley on my hands, I made a quick parsley oil with the stems and a combination of olive and avocado oil, but I don’t think it added enough to the dish to make it a requirement.

It was just the thing to end one day of an already-long work week — simple, nutritious, and tasty.