Roasted Cauliflower Redux

the humble cauliflower

One of my favorite dishes at my favorite Mediterranean Restaurant is the fried cauliflower that comes with the meze plate.  Obviously fried anything isn’t the best dish to keep in your regular rotation, so I began roasting my cauliflower, which is pretty close in flavor, and a lot healthier!  I’ve seen a few different variations to roasted cauliflower recently, so I’ve combined bits and pieces of each into one really spectacular dish!  Roasted onions, capers, and Spanish olives add great flavor, and garbanzos pack a punch of protein.  A dressing of lemon juice, cumin, and olive oil coat all of the vegetables to help them to get nice and brown while roasting.  The real unique flavor in this dish comes from the figs…thanks to One Happy Table for the great idea!  Hope you enjoy!

look at all those colors!

**I added sliced lemons to this before roasting but I found that the lemon rinds got really bitter…I should have followed my instinct!  Ignore the lemons in the photos….they would make a pretty garnish after roasting though!

Roasted Cauliflower Redux
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
8 figs, sliced thickly
1 tsp  capers
½ cup green olives, sliced
½ red onion, sliced thinly
1 ½ cups garbanzo beans

Dressing:
2 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

fresh parsley to garnish

Preheat your oven to 400.   Put all vegetables into a large casserole dish.

Aren’t figs a beautiful fruit? I’m not the hugest fan of them fresh, but when cooked their flavor intensifies and they are so yummy!

Whisk all dressing ingredients together.  Pour on top of vegetables and toss well.  Place in oven and roast, tossing occasionally, until cauliflower can be pierced easily with a fork.  Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

A delicious meal with so many healthy flavors!

I served this tonight with my kale salad and a yummy baguette dipped in olive oil that we purchased on our recent visit to Benziger Winery in Sonoma Valley.