Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower

Cauliflower was not one of my preferred vegetables until I came up with this super simple roasted sweet and spicy cauliflower recipe.

One important thing to know about vegetables is that with the right cooking method, the sweetness gets stronger and the vegetable more yummy. In my opinion, roasting is the best way to make most vegetables taste better. The roasting process caramelizes the sugars and makes it better! Enhance the sweetness with some maple syrup, add a little spice and salt and it’s something I REALLY want to eat.

Cauliflower Flavors

Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family and cabbages are all on the bitter side. Kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are all part of that family too. That bitterness is why many of us don’t like those vegetables. So let’s go back to the basics of how to make food taste better and address that bitterness.

Our taste buds tell us that something tastes great when there is a balance between salt, sweet, bitter and sour. So to make cauliflower more appealing we’ll balance the bitter with sweet in the form of maple syrup (or your preferred sweetener) and salt. Adding a hint of a spicy element like cayenne pepper, chili flakes or hot sauce will wake up your taste buds and amplify all those other flavors. Even if you don’t like spicy foods, just add a pinch of cayenne or red chile flakes and you’ll taste the difference without feeling the heat.

This sweet and spicy cauliflower recipe is super simple. Just six ingredients that you probably have in your pantry, will transform cauliflower into a dish you will be excited to put on a holiday table.

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Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 52 minutes

This recipe for roasted sweet and spicy cauliflower changed my mind about cauliflower. Just six ingredients in this super simple dish.

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Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsps olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts

Sweet and Spicy Glaze

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400°
1. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Rinse it thoroughly.
2. Cut the head in half right through the stem. Then cut out the thick stem to break the head into florets.
3. Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt.
4. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.
5. While the cauliflower is roasting, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
6. Add the walnuts to the glaze and toss to coat.
7. Add the glaze and nuts to the roasting pan for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Any longer and the nuts will burn.

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