Indian-Inspired Roasted Cauliflower with Almonds and Lemon

Do you pay attention to the predicted food trends? Vaishali’s post about  tapping into google trends sent my head spinning.

I pay more attention to the trends in my own kitchen. 2011 was year of the bean, but we all know that never stopped. 2012 was probably the year of curry, and that hasn’t let up, either. 2013 definitely focused on quick and easy meals and potluck-friendly foods. If I had to pick an ingredient of choice from last year, it was probably kimchi. It lends to quick and easy meals by offering a lot of flavour!

I can not claim that any of these are mainstream trends. Nor do I really care. One trend I am enjoying, though, is the “Cauliflower is the New Kale” bandwagon. Cauliflower is very versatile and I feel like I am being inundated with all.things.cauliflower (so many pins!).

Continuing with my simple recipes (2013 trend), Indian-spiced (2012 curry trend) with this year’s cauliflower love, I present to you a fun cauliflower side dish. It actually reminds me of the dish I learned to love cauliflower (and convinced my parents as well!): Roasted Cauliflower with Dukkah. However, this recipe is a bit different in that you pre-cook your cauliflower (steam it, boil it, your choice), and sear it with freshly toasted cumin and coriander with almonds. Only then do you roast it. Because you have partially cooked it already, you don’t have to worry about burning your spices. The final cauliflower is a mix of textures from the crumbly almonds and coarsely ground spices. Finish it with a squirt of lemon juice and you have a well-balanced vegetable side. Just be careful not to eat the whole recipe at once.

What do you think about food trends? Happy to see cauliflower in the spotlight?

This is my submission to this month’s Bookmarked Recipes.

PS. The winner for No Meat Athlete is Dilek.

Indian-Inspired Roasted Cauliflower with Almonds and Lemon
Adapted from Jamie Oliver

4-5 cups chopped cauliflower
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Aleppo chile flakes
1/4 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
zest and juice of half a lemon

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.

2. Get some water boiling to either boil your cauliflower or steam it. Once it is ready, steam/boil it for 4 minutes. Drain and allow it to air dry. Add to a large bowl and toss with the coconut oil (it should melt to allow good coverage).

3. Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof  skillet over medium heat, dry toast the cumin and coriander seeds until toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat and grind in a spice grinder.

4. Add chopped almonds to the large skillet and stir until lightly toasted. Add the toasted spices and Aleppo chile flakes. Stir for a few seconds, until fragrant and lightly browned. Add oil-coated cauliflower to the pan and sprinkle with salt. Stir well and allow the cauliflower to lightly brown. Squeeze in lemon juice and sprinkle zest overtop. Stir well, deglazing any browned bits, and saute for another minute. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Serves 4 as a side.