Of course, I love to eat cauliflower the way I love to eat just about every vegetable, which is tossed in olive oil and sea salt and roasted.
Roasted cauliflower is delicious plain and simple, but it's mild flavor also goes great with all sorts of seasonings and sauces. Recently, I roasted a combination of cauliflower and tempeh with buffalo sauce, and it made for an amazing dinner. No need for chicken wings here!
To make this meal, I used the following (it made about 3 servings):
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into florets
- 1 package tempeh, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I like Frank's)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Sprinkle of pepper
(If tempeh isn't your thing, you could always use extra cauliflower, or just reduce the sauce and oil by half)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower and tempeh with buffalo sauce and olive oil. (If you have time, let it sit for a bit and absorb the flavors.) Bake for approximately 40 minutes, tossing at least once, until cauliflower and tempeh are browned but not burned.
This was terrific served with brown rice and topped with a little Sriracha and organic ranch dressing. Chopped green onions would have been the icing on the cake!
This was terrific served with brown rice and topped with a little Sriracha and organic ranch dressing. Chopped green onions would have been the icing on the cake!
My other favorite way to eat cauliflower is in "mashed potato" form. It's amazing how similar this dish tastes to real mashed potatoes, yet so much healthier.
- 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into small florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and cook for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain the rest of the water. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and use an immersion blender to puree the cauliflower until smooth and creamy. If the texture is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid.
Of course, if you don't have an immersion blender, you could always transfer the ingredients to a food processor or blender. I love my immersion blender so much because it allows for everything to be made in one pot. Hooray for less dishes!
Here is my mashed cauliflower alongside cheesy baked tofu and a sweet potato. I realized after I made this dinner that it was a little heavy on the "potatoes," but still a delicious meal nonetheless.
Here is my mashed cauliflower alongside cheesy baked tofu and a sweet potato. I realized after I made this dinner that it was a little heavy on the "potatoes," but still a delicious meal nonetheless.
If you want to make your mashed cauliflower even more amazing, you could add in a little shredded cheese (or nutritional yeast) or roasted garlic before blending, and/or top with fresh herbs. I promise you will not miss the actual potatoes - I am drooling just thinking about this!
There are a million more ways to prepare cauliflower - I've even seen other bloggers make rice or pizza crust with it. But, when it comes to keeping things simple, roasting or mashing is the way to go!