Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

This was not the recipe I intended for this week. You were supposed to be reading about a scrumptious Spanish-style patatas bravas dish. However I apparently bought a rancid [is that possible?] can of diced tomatoes and did not realize there was something wrong until it was already cooking and I tasted a spoonful. A very, very disgusting spoonful.

So I am chalking that misstep up to the trial-and-error of food blogging, but as a result, you may not get that recipe for a little while until I have recovered from the trauma and memory of that sauce disaster. Instead, you’re getting a different spicy, tomato-based recipe this week!

I have come to love cauliflower as an adult, mostly because of my ventures into eating lots of Indian food in college. Cauliflower is full of all kinds of good stuff: folate, vitamin C, fiber, and the phytochemical sulforaphone [that's the compound that prevents cancer]. I do find cauliflower on its own a little boring, even roasted cauliflower. That’s why I think Indian cuisine does it right- spicing it up a little- or a lot!

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

Creates 4 servings

1 medium cauliflower, cored and cut into pieces

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt/pepper

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can crushed tomatoes*

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garam masala OR curry powder

Small handful of parsley, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet, toss the chopped cauliflower with two tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake the cauliflower for twenty minutes, toss the cauliflower again so it does not burn, and return it to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

In a saute pan, heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Saute the diced onion and minced garlic for a few minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the can of tomatoes and spices, lowering the heat to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for about five minutes.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and add it to the tomato sauce. Serve with chopped parsley on top.

*Taste-check the tomatoes when you open the can. And double-check the expiration date on the can. Trust me.