Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Roasted Cauliflower with Walnuts

Let me first say, yum! You need to eat this!

Many vegetarians don't get enough Omega-3 fatty acids, and tend to rely on pre-packaged convenience foods when strapped for time and ideas on a weeknight. And I don't know many people, veg or otherwise, who eat what I would consider to be an adequate amount of fiber. Add the cancer-fighting benefits of cruciferous vegetables, and you have a nutritional powerhouse on your plate.

This simple dish is good for your heart, perfect for those following an anti-inflammatory diet, and easy to throw together for a weeknight dinner. It's also very savory, filling, and just plain delicious. I served it with lentil stew (from the freezer) and brown rice, for a "30 minute meal" without all the fat, hot dogs and stupid catch-phrases.

This will serve four as a side dish if you have a reasonable appetite. The two of us ate all of it, and after dinner, I scurried back into the kitchen to scrape what was left from the sheet pan onto a spoon.

1 small head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped into florets
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients on a large sheet pan, and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower begins to brown and is cooked the way you like it. Serve hot or at room temperature.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to trying it. I can use my new Sil Pat with it.