Paleo Roasted Cauliflower

2013-03-01
Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables for Paleo cooking.  I use it all the time to make variations of my Cauliflower Rice, but occasionally it is just fun to cut it up, dust it with a delicious seasoning, and roast it.  Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest ways to transform them into a deeply satisfying treat, turning an average meal into an exceptional meal.  The inspiration for this particular roasted cauliflower recipe was as a last minute addition to a meal with Greek flavors.

A few months ago, I made my own Greek seasoning containing salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, dried lemon zest, marjoram, fenugreek, and cayenne.  You can buy a premade seasoning mix in a grocery store or you can make your own version.  I have also used the spice mix on cut up chicken breasts and it worked extremely well.  Feel free to use this recipe as a guideline to roasting cauliflower, but use whatever spice combination that suits the flavors of your meal.

For this particular meal, I was pairing the cauliflower with a homemade Greek dip that contained saffron and mint spiced ground lamb.  Even though the dip was loaded with fresh veggies, I wanted to create a side dish.  This roasted cauliflower took minutes to prepare, and was finished in less than 30 minutes.  Perfection.  My only wish was that we had leftovers!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium cauliflower, rinsed, and cut into florets
  • 1-2 tbs organic olive oil
  • 1 tbs paprika
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbs greek seasoning (salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, dried lemon zest, marjoram, fenugreek, cayenne)

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees
  • 2. Cover a large roasting pan with aluminum foil
  • 3. Add cauliflower florets, and sprinkle evenly with olive oil
  • 4. Sprinkle cauliflower with remaining seasoning
  • 5. Bake 18-20 minutes or until browned and crisp-tender
  • 6. Enjoy!