Cauliflower Cravings

I had a craving last night.

And with the Sun and Moon both in need-to-have-your-needs-fulfilled Cancer, thankfully that which I had a craving for was in clear sight.

Located bottom left, tucked nicely away in crisper drawer of our just-cleaned refrigerator, there it was. The cauliflower.

Now, I should be more clear. I wasn’t just yearning for cauliflower prepared any which way. In fact, raw cauliflower—a staple of crudite platters nationwide—is just not my personal cup of tea. Since that was the way I knew this vegetable when I was growing up, it took until I was in my 20s—the time I began to hone my stir-fry skills and saw how heat could transform the flavor of this vegetable—that I began to enjoy cauliflower.

But truly my love affair with it didn’t develop until I discovered the alchemical magic that occurred when its little white florets met its compadres of a casserole dish and a 400F oven. It is roasted cauliflower about which I swoon. That’s because roasting brings out qualities in cauliflower— a caramelized sweet flavor and amazing buttery texture—which, upon reflection of this vegetable in raw form, you wouldn’t think really existed.

But trust me, it does, and it was a desire for roasted cauliflower that in pure Plutonian fashion caught my attention and wouldn’t let go. Before I share with you how to prepare this delightful dish, I want to detour for a moment and extol another aspect of this vegetable—its nutrition and health benefits.

Cauliflower is a member of the much-lauded Brassica family of vegetables, making it a cousin of broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, and other crucifers. In addition to a common geneology, what these foods share is their being a repository of health-promoting sulfur-containing phytonutrients. These nutrients, known as glucosinolates, aid the liver in its ability to detoxify chemicals and compounds like estrogen. This is one reason why researchers, public health organizations, and healthcare practitioners suggest eating several weekly servings of Brassica vegetables as a part of a cancer-preventive diet.

In addition to these phytonutrients, it is also concentrated in vitamin C, with one cup cooked cauliflower providing about 90% of the Daily Value for this immune-supporting nutrient. It’s also a good contributor of folate, fiber, and vitamin B6. Plus, if you’re looking for a food that will satisfy hunger without costing you too many calories, cauliflower fits the bill, with one cup containing about 25 calories.

Roasting Cauliflower: A Recipe

There are many ways to prepare roasted cauliflower. You can roast the whole cauliflower, cut it into slices, or divide it into small floret pieces. It was the latter approach that I used last night.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• Cooking oil with high smoke point (e.g., grapeseed oil or avocado oil)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• Several crushed garlic cloves (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
• Break washed cauliflower into florets and then cut them in quarters. It’s better to use a knife to cut rather than just break them apart with your hands so that they’ll have a flat surface upon which they can rest in the roasting pan.
• Toss cauliflower with enough oil to coat. Mix in lemon juice as well as salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cloves if desired.
• Place cauliflower in roasting dish or baking sheet large enough so that each floret piece is touching the bottom. The dish/sheet should be on the middle rack.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes.*

*The reason for the range of time is related to several factors: the depth and material of the roasting dish; the size of the florets; and your personal preference for how “roasted” you want your cauliflower to be. What I like to do is check on the cauliflower every 10 minutes or so to gauge its “doneness” (when it achieves the texture and flavor I like). I also use that opportunity to mix the florets with a wooden spoon in order to redistribute them along the surface of the roasting pan so that they can cook evenly.

After writing this blog post, I can only say one thing: I’m really glad that there’s leftovers from last night!

Do you have a favorite way of roasting cauliflower or another way that you love preparing it? If so, consider sharing it with other Planetary Apothecary readers in the Comments section.