Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has been enjoying this Halloween weekend! I don't know about you, but after indulging quite a bit this weekend, all I want is a plate full of vegetables today.  But to keep things fun and festive, I decided to make a Halloween-themed vegetable dish. I picked up some orange (yes, orange) cauliflower from Weber's Cider Mill Farm in Baltimore County last week (the same place I got my pumpkin!) and I thought, what better day to make orange cauliflower than on Halloween??  Okay, okay, so I know orange cauliflower is slightly creepy, but I promise it's totally safe and tastes the same as normal white cauliflower.. it's just a different variety and color, which actually comes from the extra beta-carotene (think carrots, sweet potatoes, etc) naturally stored in its florets.  And guess what? The extra beta-carotene gives this cauliflower nearly 25% more vitamin A than the white variety. So not only is it a alien-like, creepy orange vegetable that is perfect for a Halloween meal, but it is also PACKED with nutrients, so it's the perfect dish for a day of recovery :-) 

I decided to roast the cauliflower with some red onions for the purple contrast to the orange (keeping the Halloween theme going, of course). Roasting the cauliflower in some fragrant spices creates not only a fantastic aroma and bold flavor, but it also adds hints of black to complete the Halloween color scheme :-). 

HALLOWEEN-THEMED ROASTED ORANGE CAULIFLOWER 

Ingredients:

1 head of orange cauliflower

1/2 large red onion (or 1 small/med onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5-2 tblsp olive oil

salt/pepper

1/2 tsp each of cumin, coriander & cardamon (indian-like spices)

lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Wash the cauliflower head and cut into bite-size florets. 

3. Chop the red onion into thin slices. Spread the cauliflower and onions onto a cookie sheet.

4. Top with the minced garlic, olive oil and spices, and toss until the cauliflower and onions are well-coated.

5. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring a couple times, until the cauliflower is toasty and brown.

6. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice over the mixture before serving. ENJOY!