By Kristy Del Coro
This recipe is all about technique. Learning how to properly roast vegetables is an essential cooking technique that gets you far in the kitchen and easily on the path to healthy eating because it makes vegetables so delicious. Because this is all about technique, I don't list specific measurements. Instead, use your senses to "measure". In time, this will make you a more confident cook. Simply roasted cauliflower is fantastic on its own but in this dish, I topped it with the Japanese spice blend shichimi togarashi, also known as 7-spice seasoning which is a combo of red chiles, citrus peel, dried seaweed, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds.
Ingredients:
2-3 heads heirloom cauliflower (combo of purple, orange, and white)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh lemon juice
Shichimi Togarashi to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Toss cauliflower generously with extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat. There is really no need to measure this! Season with salt to taste and toss again.
Spread the cauliflower out on baking sheet in an even layer, leaving a little bit of space between the florets. (If the pan is overcrowded, the cauliflower will end up steaming and not getting the beautiful golden brown color pictured here.)
Roast in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until florets are tender and nicely browned.
Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top and top with a sprinkle of the shichimi togarashi.
Optional: Garnish with any fresh herbs you have on hand.
👩🏻🍳 Tip: Purple and orange cauliflower contain more antioxidants than white due to the antioxidants in their pigments. Purple cauliflower gets its color from anthocyanins and orange cauliflower gets its color from beta-carotene. But all cauliflower contains sulforaphane, an important antioxidant for cancer prevention and heart health.