Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

Did you know that you can roast the cauliflower leaves?!  Me either!  They come out crisp and delicious like kale chips after just a few minutes in the oven and make a perfect accompaniment to the other flavours and textures in this dish.

I tested this recipe from bonappetit because I want to include a cauliflower side dish in my upcoming Fall meal plan.  I used a lot less olive oil than the original recipe but otherwise followed it as written. With the roasted leaves, parsley and lemon it’s a real winner.  And, of course – quick and easy!

We already know that this is one of the best veggies nutrition-wise but did you know that the leaves are rich in calcium and iron^?  By virtue of being leaves, they are rich in fibre too.  Foods rich in calcium and iron have several health benefits ranging from healthy bones, better immunity and the high fibre content aids digestion and keeps the gut healthy. A 100 g serving of leaves has approximately 600 mg of calcium in it- wow!

A little olive oil, salt and pepper and you’re good to go.   Roast for 25 minutes, spritz your leaves with a little oil and add them to the cauliflower and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.  While it’s cooking you can put the 3 ingredient dressing together of olive oil, lemon juice and parsley.  Mix it together with the cauliflower, add a little lemon zest and it’s ready for the table.

Now I need to ask you if this is a dish you’d like to include once a month in your family’s meal rotation.  Do you roast cauliflower in your house?  Did your kids grow into cauliflower or did they take to it right away?   Would you add the parsley lemon dressing or would you just roast it plain?  I’ll let you decide whether or not it should go in the book.

If you try this recipe, take a pic and share it with me by hashtagging #simplyfreshdinners and I’ll share it with my readers on Instagram and Twitter.