The holiday season is nearly upon us! This typically lazy and indulgent period is full of opportunities to feast ourselves into a serious food coma. This two-part entrée (originally created for vegan footwear brand Native Shoes) is 100 percent delicious. Skip the tryptophan this year in favor of a flavorful roasted cauliflower surrounded by a rich and creamy warm kale salad. Your guests will be impressed by your out-of-the-box choice and ooh and ah over its beauty.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Warm Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower (ideally purple!)
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- Zest from 1 large lemon
- Juice from 2 large lemons
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Juice from 2 big lemons
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 to 4 handfuls of Brussels sprouts
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 bunches of red or purple kale
- 2 small heads of cauliflower
- 1 bunch of radishes, cut in half (I used the Easter egg variety)
- 2 Meyer lemons
- 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 handful of bright purple kale leaves, torn (optional)
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories547
- protein11g
- fat46g
- carbs34g
- sugar8g
- fiber11g
- sodium309mg
Directions
01
To make whole roasted cauliflower:
Preheat oven to 425 F and line baking sheet with parchment paper and two strips of tinfoil (long enough to wrap around cauliflower). Position one piece of tinfoil vertically and the other horizontally (like a plus sign).
Slice off base of cauliflower so it can sit upright—but don’t slice too much, as you want cauliflower to stay intact.
In small container, whisk (or shake) together olive oil, rosemary, lemon zest, juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
Place cauliflower on baking sheet. Pour sauce over cauliflower, getting sauce into all the cracks—massage it in. Wrap cauliflower with tinfoil, making sure the opening is at the top (so juices don’t pour out onto pan).
Roast cauliflower for around 70 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when you can easily poke a small sharp knife into tinfoil-wrapped cauliflower. Remove tinfoil and cook for another 10 minutes—this will crisp it up. Keep an eye on cauliflower to make sure it doesn’t burn. Once done, wrap cauliflower with tinfoil to keep warm.
To make salad dressing:
Add all dressing ingredients to medium-sized bowl, and whisk together—you’ll have leftovers!
To make kale salad:
Line one large and two small baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. (If you don’t have small baking sheets, any oven-proof casserole dish or pot will do.)
Wash and trim Brussels sprouts, then cut in half. Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, then place in cold water. Once Brussels sprouts are cool, drain cold water and pat sprouts until they’re semi-dry. Toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread them onto small baking sheet. Roast in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown, flipping them once around the 8-minute mark (or wait to roast sprouts at same time as remaining vegetables). Remove from oven and cover to keep warm.
Prepare kale by washing, drying, de-stemming and tearing leaves into bite-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread onto small baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes or until crispy (keep an eye on them as they burn fast!).
Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and throw them, along with radishes, into big bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper before transferring to large baking sheet. Cut lemons in half and rub with olive oil. Place lemons cut-side down on baking sheet as well. Roast for 30 minutes or until desired tenderness. Aim to have salad ingredients in oven when your whole roasted cauliflower has 30 minutes left on timer.
Once all salad ingredients are roasted, toss together with about half of the dressing.
To serve, place roasted cauliflower at center of extra large platter. With hands or tongs, surround cauliflower with warm kale salad. Sprinkle with extra vegan parmesan cheese and garnish with rosemary sprigs, roasted Meyer lemons and purple kale leaves, if desired.
Erin Ireland
Erin Ireland is a food reporter and plant-loving home cook with a passion for sharing to-die-for recipes and restaurant recommendations on her site, itstodiefor.ca.
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