Cauliflower is currently in season, the cruciferous member of the leafy vegetable family is often regarded as boring, and usually covered in cheese to compensate for flavour.
Don't bother with the addition of dairy, it's unnecessary; instead, try a generous amount of coconut oil and some everyday seasoning and you'll have the perfect savoury dish.
Like most vegetables, when roasted, cauliflower takes on a deep, almost sweet flavour because roasting caramelises the sugars and brings out the slightly nutty flavour.
The purple colour in this cauliflower is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanins, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine.
Steaming cauliflower allows the flowering vegetable to retain most of its nutrients during the cooking process, but roasting adds texture. I like to do both.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Half teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
Carefully slice half of the green cauliflower florets from the stalk - carefully because the tiny florets get everywhere.
Add to a baking tray along with all of the seasoning and cook for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.
Roughly tear half of the purple cauliflower florets from the stalk and place in a saucepan of boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven.
Drain the purple cauliflower from the saucepan.
Transfer everything to bowls and enjoy.
Purple cauliflower is available year round with a peak season during the winter months.
This makes a wonderfully nutritious, not to mention tasty, side dish or main if, like me, you're trying to eat more vegetables, but don't want to compromise on flavour.
Categories
#Healthy Recipes
#Gluten Free
#Vegan
#October Competition