Roasted cauliflower

A lot of people are running away from white foods. White bread, white potatoes, white rice…white flour in general. But not white cauliflower.

Oh, that smooth head of tight-woven flowerets. There’s something satisfying about even holding a cauliflower. It has some nice heft to it. It’s got those thick real-farm-feel leaves (even tho we cut them out and throw them away)…cauliflower just feels important. When you pick it up from the produce shelf in the supermarket you’re ticking off another check in the healthy food column of your diet. You kinda pat yourself on the back for choosing it.

And yes, you should! Cauliflower has: carotenoids, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, omega-3, vitamin K, its anti-inflammatory, detoxifies, and studies call it a disease-preventing food.

Years ago, I used to steam florets and then pour something creamy or buttery on top. Now I’m hooked on roasting it. And adding olives. And olive oil. And salt & pepper. And that’s it. But my favorite part is how I cut it. After removing the impressive stems and leaves, I cut the head in half, then in quarters. I make slices of each quarter as thin as I can. Each slice looks like a cross-section of cauliflower. Like some scientific study in cauliflower anatomy.

Cauliflower anatomy

Lay the slices out on a foil-lined, lightly oiled sheet pan. sprinkle olives (I often use sliced kalamata), drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper generously.

Cauliflower ready to roast

Roast in 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes until tender. Leave in longer and get some browning going.

Roasted cauliflower

You’re gonna love this.

Cauliflower: ready to eat