A coworker recently told me her daughter had roasted cauliflower with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and turmeric. She said it was amazing.  So I decided to try it.

My first attempt was… uh… not so amazing.

Edible? Yes. Amazing? No.  

The main problem was that I overcooked it, which made it mushy. It also needed a little kick.

So I shortened the cooking time and added red pepper flakes the second time around. This made a world of difference.

Why Cauliflower with Turmeric?

Turmeric is a great spice to use in your cooking. It contains curcumin, which is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that contains sulphoraphane, which is also known for its powerful anti-inflammatory effect. Cruciferous vegetables are a great source of antioxidants too.

What I Like About This Recipe:

• Simple ingredients

• It requires only one dish.

• A great way to use more turmeric in my cooking!

Ingredients:

• One head of cauliflower, washed and cut up

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (Note: If you don't do oil, you could try a little water or vegetable broth instead, and use parchment paper. I have not personally tried this.)

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp black pepper (preferably fresh-ground)

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (Note: I like things spicy. And this was pretty spicy. If you're not into spicy food, you'll want to reduce this amount or eliminate the red pepper flakes altogether.)

• Salt (added at the end) to taste

Steps:

1. I put the olive oil in the bottom of a glass 9x13 pan (which happens to have a plastic lid). I added the turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, then used a fork to mix them all together into a paste.  

2. I then added the cauliflower to the pan, put the lid on, and shook it around. This coated the cauliflower with the oil/spice mixture.

3. I removed the lid and used a spoon to further coat the cauliflower with the oil/spice mixture. 

4. Note: Turmeric will stain your skin and nails bright yellow, so avoid touching it with your hands too much. Admittedly, my right thumb and pointer finger tips are stained yellow as I type this. (Kinda reminds me of this incident involving fresh cherries.) SO glad I didn't dig in with both hands to mix all this together. :)

5. I put the pan in the oven, baking it uncovered at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. (In my first attempt I baked it at 400 degrees for 35 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered. This made it too mushy.)

6. Salt to taste, and enjoy!

How about you?

Do you like roasted cauliflower? What is your favorite plant-based way to prepare it?

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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Note: This recipe was part of a New Year’s resolution to try one new recipe a week for a year, focusing on whole-food plant-based (WFPB) recipes. This post was originally published on January 11, 2018. It was updated on June 20, 2019.