Roasted Cauliflower: Three Different Ways
(oil-free, no added salt, vegan) Roasted Cauliflower: Three Different Ways
(oil-free, no added salt, vegan)
Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | Derrick Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | Derrick

One of the hardest times for Paula and I to stay healthy is in the evening, after dinner.  We both love salty, savory, snack foods while we relax before bed.  Unfortunately, the easiest (and often tastiest) options are usually chips, crackers, salted nuts, etc.

In my experience, it doesn’t seem to matter which type of chip or cracker you choose, they are all pretty much the same, from a calorie standpoint.  If you check out the nutritional information, they are all typically around 200 calories per 50g.  It doesn’t seem to matter if they’re fried, baked, popped, gluten-free, or organic. The sodium content will often differ slightly, but hardly ever within a healthy range.

We’ve experimented with a number of oil-free whole-food snacks to try to curb our cravings, and have recently found a couple of options that seem to do the trick.  If you’re a snack-fiend like us, today’s recipe is worth a try!

Roasted Cauliflower, With 3 Different Flavouring Options
(oil-free, no added salt, vegan)

When I was a child, I was introduced to roasted cauliflower as a bite-sized snack while visiting a family friend.  The idea sounded pretty horrible to me at first (I hated vegetables at the time), but I was soon shocked at how delicious these small florets became when you doused them in oil, covered them in salt, and then roasted them until they were golden brown.

After that first introduction, I thought of them from time to time but never made them myself. Never, that is, until years later when Paula and I wanted to try something a little different.  Our first attempt was definitely not meant to be healthy, so I did my best to duplicate what I remembered, and they were an instant hit.  We had them a few times, but soon realized that we needed to decrease the oil and salt content.  Eventually I decided to try to make them without either, and to my surprise, they were still pretty darn good.

A bit more experimentation later and we’ve come up with 3 different flavouring options which contain only whole foods, no oil, and no added salt. They may not be exactly the same as the high-fat original, but we really think you’ll enjoy them!  Your waistline will too!

Happy snacking!

Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic

Really quick and easy to prepare, these delicious little florets are surprisingly satisfying, especially for garlic lovers

Ingredients

1 medium head of cauliflower
1 – 3 cloves garlic (depending on how strong you want it)
1 – 2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Remove the leaves of the cauliflower and cut into large sections.

2. Wash the large sections thoroughly and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

3. Peel and coarsely chop the garlic, to make it easier to blend.  If we were making a larger batch in the Vitamix, we could have skipped this step.  However, for such a small amount, we just use the Magic Bullet.  Add the garlic and water to a blender of your choice and blend until fairly smooth.  Add more water if it looks too thick, as you’ll want it pretty runny.

3. Mix cauliflower and liquid in a large bowl and spread evenly on a baking pan (we line the pan with non-stick foil to make for easier clean-up, but it would probably still work fine without) and place in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, flipping once.  Check on them a few times to make sure they don’t burn, as your oven time may vary.  They should turn out tender with slightly crispy golden edges.

4. Place in a bowl and serve while hot.

Roasted Greek Cauliflower

For those with slightly more complex cravings, this option brings intense flavour, while still being fairly quick to make.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower
1 – 2 cloves garlic (depending how strong you want it)
3 large green olives (thoroughly rinsed)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soaked in water for 10 min or thoroughly rinsed if packed in oil)
1 large green onion
1/2 tsp dried oragano
1/2 tsp dried basil
3 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of the Roasted Garlic Cauliflower, above.

2. Coarsely chop the garlic, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and green onion to make them easier to blend.  If we were making a larger batch in the Vitamix, we could have skipped this step.  However, for such a small amount, we just use the Magic Bullet.  Add the chopped ingredients, oregano, basil, and water to a blender of your choice and blend until fairly smooth.  Add more water if it looks too thick, as it should be a thin paste.

3. Mix cauliflower and liquid in a large bowl and spread evenly on a baking pan (we line the pan with non-stick foil to make for easier clean-up, but it would probably still work fine without) and place in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, flipping once.  Check on them a few times to make sure they don’t burn, as your oven time may vary.  They should turn out tender with slightly crispy edges.

4. Place in a bowl and serve while hot.

Roasted Cauliflower with Walnuts

This version doesn’t look quite as dramatic in the bowl, but the additional crunch of the walnuts really makes up for it.  We’ve found that pecans work well too, in a pinch.

Ingredients

1 medium head of cauliflower
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup walnuts (raw unsalted), coarsely chopped and divided
1/4 – 1/2 lemon, juice, to taste

Directions:

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of the Roasted Garlic Cauliflower, above.

2. Coarsely chop the garlic, and half of the walnuts to make them easier to blend.  If we were making a larger batch in the Vitamix, we could have skipped this step.  However, for such a small amount, we just use the Magic Bullet.  Add the walnuts, lemon juice, and water to a blender of your choice and blend until fairly smooth.  Add more water if it looks too thick, as it should be a thin paste.

3. Mix cauliflower and liquid in a large bowl and spread evenly on a baking pan (we line the pan with non-stick foil to make for easier clean-up, but it would probably still work fine without) and place in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, flipping once.  Check on them a few times to make sure they don’t burn, as your oven time may vary.  They should turn out tender with slightly crispy edges.

4. Place in a bowl and serve while hot.

Each of the three versions serve 2 – 4 people (depending on just how snacky you get)