Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Herbs

Cauliflower isn't one of those "stand up and applaud" kinda veggies, is it? Not a lot of people like this cruciferous vegetable. It is so very healthy. Great for digestion & it fights against estrogenic compounds found in our food supply and environment. (These compounds are found in, among other things, soy products, food additives, pesticides, and hormones in factory farm raised animals. They are prevalent in our environment from pollution. These compounds wreak havoc on our health and will upset our delicate hormonal balance.) I know.. blah..blah...blah.... boring. And cauliflower can be boring depending on how it is prepared.



I love it oven- roasted. A lot of people mash it up and dress it like mashed potatoes. I never really got on board with that one. I think the roasting brings out the unique flavor of this "clean as a white sheet" in color vegetable. But, as always, please don't roast it to death. Only about 10 to 12 minutes tops in the oven. You still want the pure white color and you want it crispy... and you want to maintain all the nutrients.



In this recipe, normally I use fresh herbs.... but as it is a lazy Sunday afternoon... I reached for the dried herbs. They work really well, too.

As always, I DO organic as much as possible!



Let's get to it!

After preheating your oven to 450 degrees, you will need the following:




Roasting pan
one head of cauliflower
1.5 T. of garlic olive oil. (I make mine with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 6 to 8 cloves of garlic in the bottle)
1 T. Tarragon
1T. Rosemary
1T. Oregano
1/2t. black pepper

Break up the cauliflower into florets. Place in pan. Drizzle oil all over the top and toss until well coated. Bake for 5 minutes, then toss mixture and place back in oven for another 3 to 5 minutes.




Now, sprinkle herb mixture on top and gently toss. Place back in oven for a couple of minutes.









For those vegetarians out there.... you can sprinkle shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese over the top and toss around.



This is great to serve with baked sweet potatoes decorated with raisins and pecans and with a little drizzle of Agave over the potato.



This is what we are having for dinner tonight! I will probably add some steamed Brussel sprouts tossed in red pepper oil to complete this delicious meal.




For another roasted cauliflower variation..... I call it Confetti Cauliflower....... roast the same as above, use the same herbs, but sprinkle finely chopped red, yellow and orange bells all over the top of the cauliflower after you sprinkle the herbs. Roast for another 2 minutes. This makes a really brilliant looking dish... the bright colors against the white cauliflower.... very nice and very tasty!



Until Next Time......


GOOD HEALTH TO ALL!!