roasted cauliflower with lemon and parsley
The birthday cocktail party celebrations are over, which means that we’re now back on our diet. This doesn’t mean that you won’t see anymore dessert or fatty recipes on savormania — hey, I can’t be that good for so long! — plus, I still have a lot to share with you from my 25th birthday weekend. Cupcakes, individual quiches and many more great dishes will soon be up on savormania. Be patient! I’m sure we’re not alone on our diet and that you’d appreciate some low-cal recipes too. Bikini season is just right around the corner — even closer for the lucky ones who get to escape to the beach during Easter — so while we’re prepping our bodies for the summer I’d like to share with you one of my favorite ways to cook vegetables. It’s healthy, but so tasty!
Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and doubles their flavor, turning them into delicious dishes that I’d eat year-round — whether on a diet or not. Unlike steaming vegetables, roasting gives them more color and crisps up all of their edges, which in turn gives them such a crunchy texture and sharp tang that even kids love. Cauliflower, in particular, is one of my favorite vegetables to roast, because the process intensifies its nutty flavor and turns it into a marvellous side dish to accompany meat, chicken or fish. I made this recipe to serve with my favorite balsamic chicken breast and the combination of flavors was simply perfect. Although both dishes are healthy and low-cal, our dinner didn’t feel like diet food at all!
I did jazz up my cauliflower florets a bit by dressing them in a lemony sauce and roasting them with garlic cloves. Don’t be afraid to use even 2 garlic cloves or more in this recipe, as they become much sweeter and less pungent in taste when roasted. Paired with lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and a bit of parsley, this recipe was definitely a winner and can easily be whipped up in less than an hour while you’re cooking your main course.
Other vegetable side dishes on savormania: sesame stir-fried snow peas and sautéed zucchini with dried basil and almonds
Your top 5 savormania recipes of January:
- most amazing chocolate fudge brownies
- balsamic chicken breast
- mujaddara – lebanese lentil rice
- oreo white chocolate truffles
- chinese stir-fried vegetable rice
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound (500g) cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 430°F/220°C and spray a bit of cooking spray over a Pyrex.
- If using fresh cauliflower, chop it into bite size florets and place in a mixing bowl. If using frozen cauliflower, place directly into a mixing bowl. Drizzle the cauliflower with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and dried parsley. Season with salt and pepper and add the garlic and mix well, making sure that each cauliflower floret is covered in the dressing.
- Move the cauliflower florets to the Pyrex.
- Roast in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Turn the cauliflower half way through the cooking time to make sure that the florets evenly roast.
How did your roasted cauliflower with lemon and parsley come out? Share photos of your recipe on Instagram by tagging #savormania