Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

I have always been a vegetable lover. Even as child, I remember my mom's theme for dinner included: rice, meat, vegetable, and soup. Most of the vegetables we ate were usually steamed and the water we steamed them in would then become our soup for the night. Thankfully when I got married, I found someone who loved vegetables as much as I do. One of our absolute favorite way to cook our vegetables is roasting.  With just a dash of olive oil, pepper, and salt, roasting vegetables brings out such a vibrant flavor that I think is difficult to achieve by any other method.

One of my first attempt at roasting was with cauliflower. It's a very quick and simple process with minimal prepping. The result, is amazing!

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head, trimmed & cut into about 1 inch florets
• 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
• Place cauliflower, garlic, the juice of one lemon, salt & pepper into a large bowl.
• Lightly drizzle with olive oil and mix till evenly coated
• Place cauliflower in a single layer on back sheet
• Roast cauliflower at 450 degrees F for about 20 minutes, stirring once half way through the cooking time
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese
• Serve immediately
• Yields: about 6-8 servings

The texture of the cauliflower is nice and soft, but with a slight crunch. The lemon juice and the parmesan gives the vegetables a mild salty and tart taste that I absolutely love! Chris and I even eat the thinly roasted garlic, it is too fragrant to past up. Although be careful with the garlic. You want them soft and opaque. Any golden marking may mean they are a little overcooked and can be bitter. Take a look at the final product:

Close up:

Perfect side dish for any meal! Give it a try and let me know! Enjoy!

~Hong