Roasted cauliflower with spicy peanut sauce

A delicious, healthy meal or side dish!

I will forever be disappointed in myself for all the time I wasted before I embraced cauliflower. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the taste; I just found it always looked so plain and pale and sad on the plate. Recently, however, I’ve learned  just how versatile cauliflower truly is. I mean, roasted cauliflower is just about the tastiest thing ever, whether it’s been tossed with a few spices like in this Moroccan-inspired dish or gets treated to a delicious sweet and spicy sauce. This Thai-inspired cauliflower dish is fabulously flavourful and super easy to make. If allergies are an issue, you can use another nut or soy butter instead of peanut butter to make the scrumptious sauce.

Ingredients

Cauliflower:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) peanut butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free version)
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) white sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) very finely minced ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 to 2.5 mL) sriracha (Asian hot sauce), or to taste
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) hot water

Garnish:

• lime wedges and slivered green onions

Method

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
• With a sharp knife, trim away outer leaves of the cauliflower then cut the head into small florets (about one inch/2.5 cm) in size.
• Put cauliflower florets in a bowl and drizzle with sesame and olive oils. Toss with two forks (or your fingers) so the florets are evenly coated.
• Spread the cauliflower out on the parchment-lined pans and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the largest florets feel tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
• While cauliflower roasts, combine sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Add a bit more water if needed to make it a ‘pourable’ consistency.
• When cauliflower is tender, transfer to a serving dish and drizzle peanut sauce over top. Garnish with slivered green onions and lime wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6 as a side dish or 3 – 4 as a main (depending upon the size of cauliflower).