Looking back, I can’t believe there was ever a time I didn’t like cauliflower. I had a mistaken, but long-standing, belief that it was a dry and stinky vegetable. I couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as I realized I liked cauliflower, I literally couldn’t get enough. I’ve been experimenting with its versatility ever since. My love affair with cauliflower began with a simple, roasted curry dish. It was moist, hearty and full of flavor. I often fall back on a simple cauliflower roast when I am crunched for time because it’s so easy.
I’m sharing this simple recipe with you so that you fall in love with roasted cauliflower too. I now call it ‘popcorn cauliflower’ after being inspired by FED UP documentary producer and cookbook author, Laurie David. Her Family Cooks cookbook is a wealth of easy, healthy whole food meals for families. I saw her coin the dish cauliflower “popcorn” and I was sold!
If cauliflower is in need of a good ‘rebrand’ in your house, this dish will do the trick. It can turn the most adamant cauliflower hater into a cruciferous munching maniac. My man can’t keep his hands off this stuff.
Laurie’s recipe doesn’t call for curry powder and it doesn’t need it, but the curry makes it look even more like popcorn and adds some nutritional bonus. Curry powder has lots of super healthy herbs and spices like turmeric and ginger that help to reduce inflammation and ease digestion.
- 1 large head of cauliflower (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp each of sea salt and pepper
- 1 ½ tbsp curry powder
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Cut cauliflower into
bit –sized pieces and throw into a big bowl. - Toss cauliflower with olive oil, salt, pepper and curry powder until evenly coated. Use your hand for
fun ! - Dump cauliflower on baking sheet and spread out evenly. Place in oven on middle rack. Roast for 30 minutes, shaking the pan or stirring florets every 10 minutes to make sure they’re evenly browned. The edges will get a little browned and crispy. This is an added dose of awesome.
Ingredient Spotlight: Cauliflower
Any way you slice it, cauliflower is amazing. It’s a proud member of the all-mighty cruciferous family so it is loaded with those wonderfully smelly sulfuric compounds, which offer a helping hand to your liver in its detox functions. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre. And cauliflower fights all sorts of nasty stuff: it’s anti-inflammatory, it boasts lots of antioxidants and has anti-cancer benefits. Plus, it’s incredibly versatile to cook with. You’ll see it popping up in a lot of my favourite recipes.
This dish is so easy you’ll find yourself going back to it all the time. Obviously, you can play around with the seasonings. It’s fantastic with just plain salt and pepper. It’s great with garlic and rosemary. Play around and see what you like.
This isn’t just for snacking either, roasted cauliflower makes a great side dish and can also be turned into a meal by simply adding a whole grain like brown rice or quinoa, some more greens like parsley or chopped spinach plus some nuts/seeds/legumes. Play, play, play!
I found these cute little take-out containers, which make it look really fun and ‘snacky’. A great way to get kids to eat more veggies!
Let me know how it goes. Post your pics and share them with the hashtag #EatSomeGood and tag me in them so I can see how it turned out for you. If you want to talk about cruciferous veggies or ask me any questions, let’s connect on instagram, twitter or facebook. You can find me @kimdeoncom. Happy roasting!
K
