Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower seems to be the “it” vegetable of the year! For most of my life, cauliflower was the leftover vegetable on a veggie tray, the soggy and lifeless when boiled, or just ignored on the grocery store shelves. Recently Kale and Heirloom Vegetables and Spinach and Broccoli have taken center stage – but the often overlooked Cauliflower is now here to stay! We can roast it, puree it into a soup for a healthy thickener, make a dairy-free alfredo sauce, or sautee it until caramelized.

sliced roasted cauliflower

 

close up roasted cauliflower slice

 

The spice combination that we put on this cauliflower was out of this world! I love how you can spread the delicious crusty seasoning over the soft roasted cauliflower to spread over the perfectly soft cauliflower. Slice up the leftovers and reheat in the microwave – a leftover vegetable that tastes just as good on day two and doesn’t get limp and soggy. All of these positive comments about cooked vegetables coming from the person who used to call cooked carrots “fried worms”. Yes Mom, I have come a long way – sorry I was such a pain all those years and wouldn’t eat my vegetables, just took me a while to learn that you are always right.

coated with flavor roasted cauliflower

Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Author: Rachel (teacher-chef)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 – 8
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon-ish vegetable oil
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 2 Tablespoons chile powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400° and line a small baking sheet with foil and then lightly grease with a bit of vegetable oil. Set aside.
  2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon the marinade over the surface of your cauliflower. Using your hands or a [silicone] pastry brush, evenly spread the seasoning mix over its surface.
  5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.
  6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving alongside a big green salad as a main or your favorite meat as a side
Notes
Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.

As originally found on Pure Wow

 

Roasted Cauliflower in the Oven

 

And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… How do you feel about Vegetables as a Main Course?