It really can”t get any easier than rubbing your raw cauliflower with yumminess & sticking it in the oven to do its thing! This recipe offers a variation to your average boiled or steamed serving of cauliflower and also provides a wonderful display piece on the table for dinner!

• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1-1/2 cups of plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a small baking sheet with vegetable oil.  Set aside.  Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.  In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt  & pepper.

Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly overt its surface.  There should be no ‘excess marinade’ – which means this is a very, very thick coating!  Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry & lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes.  The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower…I had guests while mine was baking and therefore, roasting went on for a rather longer time than desired!  Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving.

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I’ve always had issues with cauliflower.  Do I really like it?  Do I hate it?  It’s so bland and colorless, such a bore to make, serve, and eat!  Is it better raw, steamed or roasted?  Not to mention, no one here at home likes it very much.  Nonetheless, it makes its way into my kitchen solely for its great nutritional value.  Originally from Italy and the Mediterranean region, cauli-flori – as the Italians call it (cabbage + flower) – held an honorable place in the garden because of their delicacy, and eventually made it to the grand table of Louis XIV in France!

Raw white cauliflower is also a popular choice for crudités and salads.  It has few calories, is low in fat & carbs, and has a high content of vitamins C, B, & K.  Since boiling reduces the levels of cauliflower compounds, steaming, microwaving, and stir frying are recommended, since they have no significant effect on these compounds.  As far as cooking methods go, cauliflower heads can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed, pickled…you name it!  However versatile it might sound though, it still seemed pretty boring to me!  And then I found this idea on Pinterest.  Roasting a whole cauliflower?  Who would’ve thought?  The result is an amazingly delicious dish with a pretty awesome presentation that’s so easy to prepare!