Yesterday I started a series of Thanksgiving dinner foods that are South Beach Diet friendly, kicking it off with a recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar. Today I'm featuring a recipe from my great blog friend Alanna for a different roasted vegetable. Alanna's Roasted Cauliflower was completely delicious, and if you're skipping the potatoes, this would be a great side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner.Don't get the wrong idea about my own dieting philosophy. Even though I've been pretty committed to the South Beach Diet for over two years now, I made it clear yesterday that I don't feel there's anything terribly wrong with indulging a little on a holiday when you're relaxing with your family or friends. If there are some Thanksgiving foods you simply *must* have, then by all means eat them! But if there are other things you can easily pass up and replace with lower-glycemic choices without sacrificing a lot of flavor, then that's a smart way to celebrate.
I made the cauliflower on a night I was furiously blogging, and I'm not sure I let it get as brown as Alanna would have recommended. Guess I better make it again!
Alanna's Roasted Cauliflower(four servings, recipe from Alanna at A Veggie Venture)
Ingredients:
2 T good quality olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
(I used 2 tsp. garlic puree from a jar)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large head cauliflower, cut in small, same-size flowerets
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl, stirring until cauliflower is completely coated with oil. (Don't rush this step.) Transfer to large baking sheet which can hold the cauliflower in a single layer. Roast 35-45 minutes stirring often the last 15 minutes. Serve hot.
(Alanna says the cauliflower should be dark brown, but not burned. Next time I might cook mine about 5-10 minutes longer.)
Variation: I'm convinced this would also taste heavenly if you put the hot cauliflower in a heavy serving bowl and then stirred in 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
South Beach Suggestions:
Cauliflower prepared this way is a perfect side dish for all phases of the South Beach Diet. If it's not Thanksgiving, this would taste great with something like Sauteed Scallops with Garlic or Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze. For phase two or three, add a side dish like Lake Powell Spicy Rice.
Cauliflower prepared this way is a perfect side dish for all phases of the South Beach Diet. If it's not Thanksgiving, this would taste great with something like Sauteed Scallops with Garlic or Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze. For phase two or three, add a side dish like Lake Powell Spicy Rice.
18 comments:
This is about the only way I'll eat cauliflower these days ;)
This is the BEST way to make cauliflower! Though I keep my garlic whole. It provides a subtle garlic flavor and you can eat the whole soft cloves at the end. I also make it with different kinds of oils. My favorite is hazelnut oil right now but I bet flax seed woul be good too!
We're great fans of cauliflower in my house--and I just planted some. So, this will be on my table for sure!
Lovely. Aren't vegetables underused in the kitchen these days? The always have to "accompany" something, but this is delicious on it's own.
Yum! Great recipe. I love roasted cauliflower and I'd already decided to roast it tonight along with broccoli, leeks, a few carrots and garlic to accompany lamb chops. Post coming soon...
This cauliflower dish lokks absolutely yummy... I love cauliflower!
Hey,
I recently did a post about roasting cauliflower and realized there's very little you can't do to make it a wonderful dish or an entire meal. I do mine at 450 for 30 minutes. And this last time just did onions, mushrooms and the cauliflower. It was so good it was all I had for dinner. That's saying something coming from me. No meat?
Biggles
Bill, I like cauliflower most any way. One of my faves is Cauliflower Fried in Butter, an old Frugal Gourmet recipe.
Kitarra, I would have kept the garlic whole, but I didn't have any big garlic cloves.
Sher, never grown cauliflower. I bet it's wonderful.
Scott, I think veggies are great.
Christine, your combination sounds great.
W_P, me too!
Biggles, who would imagined you'd become vegetarian for a meal?
Hey Kalyn,
I'm as surprised as you. Cauliflower is like meat. It takes intense heat while cooking and can hold a staggering array of spices & herbs.
After playing with it for the last year, I get the best results by adding flavors afterwards. Except for the curry version, that was good too!
Biggles
It's so funny to see the unassuming "Day One" of A Veggie Venture up in lights at Kalyn's Kitchen ... that's something like 450 vegetables ago and low-carb without even trying! I haven't made a tray yet this year, but will check timing for the browning aka caramelization. Thanks for making this! ; - )
Hey, cool beans! (Your banner.)
I think the color of your roasted cauliflower looks fine, but if Alanna's pushing for an even darker color, maybe I'll just have to get brave and try.
mmmmyes, roasted cauliflour is so good!!!
Biggles, hmmmm. Adding the flavor after. Have to give that some thought.
Alanna, amazing that this was your first post.
Cookiecrumb, my brother found the wonderful beans. He's amazing. I'm thinking the darker the cauliflower (up to a point) the more toasty it will taste. Let me know if you try the longer time.
Aria, it was fabulous, if I do say so. (Well of course I can say so, it's Alanna's recipe!)
Hey I'm closely following your posts. They are really interesting.....keep up the good work!!!
This caulflower is amazing. I have made it for about 6 months now and everyone eats it - from my husband all the way down to my toddler . It also is a hit at dinner parties.
My favorite variation: to toss in some capers, chopped olives and a spritz of lemon juice at the end!
Hey Kalyn! Have you ever pureed the roasted cauliflower? I'd like to serve it with meatloaf, so I think a mashed/pureed version would be better. Thanks!
-M, have not tried pureeing it, but I would imagine it would taste wonderful. Let us know if you try it.
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