Herb Roasted Orange Cauliflower

Perusing the produce section of the Whole Foods Market that I work at, I happened upon an organic orange cauliflower. I had never heard of such a thing, and it looked a little silly. But, being a fan of all things brightly colored, I bought it (especially since it was the same price as the normal cauliflower).

With cauliflower, I usually just eat it raw in salads or as a snack. Sometimes I've steamed it, sometimes I've put it into soups, but my fabulous mother swears by roasting it. She says it's like candy and better than popcorn - munching on roasted cauliflower while watching a movie. Tonight I decided to follow her advice.

Tonight was my boyfriend's night to cook dinner. During the same Whole Foods Market trip, we picked up some delicious baby bella mushrooms, Greek sour cream, and pasture raised ground beef. He made beef stroganoff, I made the cauliflower, and we both collapsed into a happy food coma.

You may certainly use regular cauliflower in this recipe. I couldn't tell if there was a taste difference because of the variety of cauliflower or the different method I used to cook... but it did seem to be more flavorful, the orange kind.

Unfortunately, there is no recipe for the delicious beef stroganoff. I'll get on him to write down his ingredients next time :) 

Makes two to three side dish servings.

Herb Roasted Orange Cauliflower

• 1 small to medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced (I used four)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

 Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, peppers, salt and herbs. In a large casserole dish, arrange the cauliflower florets in a single layer. Drizzle the oil over the top, and then sprinkle on the seasoning mixture. Using your hands, toss the mixture together until the florets are evenly coated in the oil and the seasoning.

Cover the dish, place in the oven and bake for about ten minutes. Take the dish out of the oven, remove the lid, stir, and place back into the oven (uncovered) for about ten more minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender but still slightly crisp.

Before serving, toss with the parmesan cheese.

There's just something special about eating a flower...