Turmeric Cauliflower Bake

Cauliflower is not normally something you may turn to for cooking. It's not something we normally would try out either, to be honest. But after Pinch of Yum posted her Cauliflower E-Cookbook, I became intrigued to try some cauliflower recipes before investing in my first e-cookbook. I gave Will the challenge of helping be on the lookout for enticing cauliflower recipes. He wasn't exactly thrilled by my proposition, but he wasn't overly against it either. I think deep down inside he was interested in trying out cauliflower as a main ingredient, too. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. So when he stumbled upon an article on Buzzfeed and saw the turmeric cauliflower recipe, it didn't take much convincing on our part to give it a shot. There are plenty of other fantastic recipes on there to try, but we were on a cauliflower mission at the time, so the idea of cooking cauliflower in turmeric seemed great.

Luckily for us, the recipe was pretty good! Turmeric not only adds a lot of color to whatever you add it to, but it also adds a good amount of flavor along with the other spices. The cooking instructions themselves are straightforward enough and the ingredient list is plain and simple. I think what also appealed about this recipe was that it involved testing out whole cauliflower, instead of altering it in any weird ways. Speaking for myself, I know I prefer to try new fruits or veggies in their "original" state or as close to that as I can get in a recipe. That way I can learn the true taste before altering it! Anyways, if you're feeling adventurous and don't eat a lot of cauliflower, this is a pretty good way to break the ice and give it a shot!


Cooking Notes: The original recipe calls for nigella seeds, but seeing as how we didn't know what those were or where to find them, we skipped on them. Also, we chose to serve this with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and it was divine! The dinner itself is pretty good, but the creaminess of the yogurt brought out the flavors and is highly recommended!

Turmeric Cauliflower Bake (adapted from The Cook Who Knew Nothing; serves 4 as a meal)
1 medium head of cauliflower, out leaves removed and cut into florets
6 medium shallots, peeled and left whole
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup EV olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
S&P, to taste
1/4 cup parsley, chopped finely
Plain Greek yogurt, to serve

Preheat oven to 330 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, place all the veggies and bay leaves. In a separate bowl, mix the water, oil, lemon juice, turmeric, sweet paprika, cumin, S&P together and combine thoroughly. Pour over veggies, mixing to ensure they are evenly coated in the sauce. Place in the oven and roast for at least 1 hour or until cauliflower florets are golden (not from turmeric but from baking). Sprinkle with parsley and serve with plain Greek yogurt.

Recipe: The Cook Who Knew Nothing: Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower with Cherry Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans