Pasta with Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Toasted Walnuts and Feta

I don't know if this Smitten Kitchen recipe is the one Meghan used a while back, but she made something similar, and I loved it. I was having an attack of brussels sprouts cravings though, so I decided to cut out the second head of cauliflower and use brussels sprouts instead.

Since there were so many veggies, it took a while for them to soften, so I put the lid over the pan for a little bit to speed things up. It also took a long time for them to brown; both of these issues may have been the fault of my new, cheap-o saute pan from Big D. Even though the veggies didn't retain the exact crunch I was hoping for, the whole mess was still pretty darn tasty.

Also a fail: I was going to use roasted garlic for this recipe, but I completely screwed that up. Instead, I used my garlic press to make smashed garlic; this blended into the dish better than minced garlic. Fail/win.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
About 15 brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
4 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 pound whole wheat pasta
Extra virgin olive oil
2 pinches red pepper flakes (more if you want it a little spicier)
Salt and pepper, to taste
White whine vinegar (If you don't have this, I don't think it's a deal breaker. Meal breaker?)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
4 ounces feta cheese
1/4 reserved pasta water

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water when ready.

2.While water is boiling, cut the cauliflower into florets, mince/smash the garlic, thinly slice the onion, and trim and halve the brussels sprouts. Toast the walnuts over low heat, stirring occasionally. All of this also be done prior to cooking the pasta to time things better than I did.

3. Saute the cauliflower and brussels sprouts in olive oil in a large saute pan. When the vegetables begin to soften (since there are so many veggies, you might want to put a lid on them briefly), season with salt and pepper and add onion and red pepper flakes.

4. Saute over medium - high heat until the veggies start to brown. Add in the garlic and remove from heat.

5. Add the lemon juice and a few drops of white wine vinegar.

6. When the pasta is finished, add pasta and the reserved pasta water to the saute pan with the vegetables. Add enough olive oil to coat the pasta and mix in the toasted walnuts and feta cheese.