Simple and Healthy Side Dish

My husband really likes cauliflower, although I’m not its biggest fan myself. I just think it’s very bland. Of course, Paul likes bland, because then he can have fun dressing it up with things like butter and cheese and spices, which is precisely what I did with a head of cauliflower we had not too long ago, and have since enjoyed again several times. It’s now a hit with the whole family.

Image courtesy pictureshunt.com

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Chop the cauliflower into good-sized florets- not too small or too large. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper; mix well. Spread the cauliflower concoction into a shallow glass baking dish and put on middle rack in oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cauliflower is browned to your desire. I like it nice and brown so it’s a little crispy, which takes 30-35 minutes. Top with Parmesan after removing from oven and serve on side of your favorite meal, as this side dish goes with just about anything.

Super easy, right? Anyone with an oven and a chopping block can make it! I have plenty of friends who tell me, “You’re such a good cook, Jess, how do you do it? I burn everything!” I just remind them that practice makes perfect and to be patient if they mess up the first time, and use it as a learning tool when they try again. Trust me, I’ve burned and messed up more than my fair share of dishes- first, second, and third tries! I can understand someone losing their patience over ruining what could have been a really good meal and being upset at having wasted good food. But, I assure anyone who’s reading this, that this is a very easy recipe!

In fact, with this new post I am going to add an “easy” label to my features cloud for beginning cooks to click on. I should’ve done that a long time ago! I mean, we’re moms, so we want easy, right? Easy and healthy is even better!

I didn't like the way any of my photos of the cauliflower I roasted came out, so this image is courtesy of creativecommons.org

This cauliflower is perfectly suitable for children of any age, and with babies over 6 months you can simply mash some of the roasted cauliflower up with some milk or formula, omitting the seasonings (except maybe keep a little garlic since it’s such a great immune booster!) If your baby is not picky about salt and pepper, leave it all as is! You’re the parent, so you know what’s best for your baby. You could even just steam some separately to mash up if you want to keep it really simple.

Let older kids help with this one by stirring it altogether and then sprinkling on the cheese when it’s ready. You could even use a different cheese instead since we all know how most kids just loooove cheese! Right now that is one of the few things Lily will eat without fussing, as she is going through another picky eater phase right now. She mainly just wants to eat fruit and cheese, but I can usually get her to eat her veggies and grains with a little coaxing. She still likes fish too!

I never used to think of cauliflower as a particularly healthy vegetable since it’s so bland and colorless, but it does in fact have numerous benefits. For one thing, it has a high content of vitamin C and a fair share of vitamin K and fiber. It also has particularly detoxifying antioxidants and supportscardiovascular and digestive health.

Cauliflower is a great addition to any vegetable medleys and besides roasting, you can fry it, steam it, and puree it into soups. It’s quite versatile for such an underdog vegetable.