Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce
Whole roasted cauliflower is quite a fabulous side dish! Basted with the Lemon Tahini Sauce and roasted until tender, it’s easy to prepare, impressive when presented and delicious when served and devoured. This will be on our Thanksgiving menu! Trust me, you will want it on yours too!
This is a great dish to serve for those who are vegan and sharing your table! The cauliflower is toothsome and with this sauce – it’s just so delicious! Leftovers are so good reheated or eaten cold, so have them as a snack, add to a salad or as a side to dinner the next night!
Cauliflower is such a healthy vegetable. It is a cousin to broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi and cabbage – all being in the cruciferous veggie family. It is similar to broccoli in its structure with the core, florets and leaves that protect it as it grows. White is the most popular and most common cauliflower colour, but look for purple, orange and even green if available! Regardless of the colour, the taste of the cauliflower will be the same mild delicious flavour and same nutritional powerhouse veggie.
Cauliflower is such a versatile veggie as you can roast it whole, as in this recipe, or in florets, boil it, steam it, once cooked you can mash it keeping some texture, puree it for a smooth consistency or grate it to use it as cauliflower rice. Because it has a mild flavour, Cauliflower lends itself to be a delight with any kind of seasonings, condiments and sauces to change up the taste sensation every time you cook it.
Is it nutritious? You bet! Cauliflower is an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-viral food. It is made up of a lot of water so it keeps you hydrated. It is loaded with VitC, fiber for digestion, it contains plant-based protein (which is more bio-available for your body) and also has (in lesser amounts) calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. Cauliflower also has VitK – NOTE: if you are on heart medications, such as statins, check with you doctor on how much VitK you can consume as research has shown that VitK can affect your medication.
The sauce is loaded with nutrition as well. The garlic (see link below), the tahini – toasted sesame seeds that are ground into a paste – contains protein, healthy fat and fiber, is rich in copper, has selenium, phosphorous, zinc, iron and calcium, the lemon juice has VitC and is good for liver detoxification and digestion and the spices each have their own healing benefits.
As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 40 minutes / Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
3 Garlic Cloves – minced
1 Medium Cauliflower
2/3 Cup Tahini
½ Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Tamari
¼ Cup Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
¼ teaspoon Cumin
¼ teaspoon Chili Powder
Pinch of Herbamare or Sea Salt
A Few Grinds of Fresh Pepper
How It’s Made
Preheat your oven to 375F.
Prepare a shallow baking sheet or baking sheet by covering it in foil.
Trim the leaves off of the cauliflower and cut the stem so the cauliflower sits flat on its bottom. Wash it, let it drip for a moment and take a tea towel and wrap it in it to ensure it is very dry. If it’s wet, the sauce won’t stick to it. Set aside.
Mince the garlic and set aside to release its nutritional magic while you prepare the rest of the sauce ingredients.
In a measuring cup or a medium bowl, add the tahini, water, tamari, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, chili powder, parsley, the pinch of Herbamare or sea salt, a few grinds of black pepper and the garlic. Whisk all these ingredients together well.
Wash your hands as you will be handling the cauliflower now. Take your cauliflower and flip it over. Keeping about a ½ cup of the sauce aside for serving, pour some of the sauce through the florets and let it sink in to the cauliflower. Carefully flip it back right-side up, place it on the baking dish and pour more sauce over the cauliflower. You want to make sure the whole head is covered, sides as well, so use a basting brush or, as I prefer to, get your hands in on the action and rub the sauce all over.
Place the baking dish in the oven and for 40 – 50 minutes. Check it after 40 minutes – it’s ready when golden brown and a sharp knife pierces the core easily.
Remove from the oven, transfer the cauliflower to a pretty cutting board or serving dish, pour the remaining sauce you put aside into a serving bowl, present your creation to the table, then cut it into 6 wedges (depending on the size of your cauliflower). Drizzle extra sauce over each piece when serving.
Enjoy!
