So. Did you guys know that Christmas is one week away from TODAY?! I kid you not, I was walking through the house last night and just happened to look at the date in my planner and realized that very important fact. I swore up and down that the later Thanksgiving this year didn’t throw me off, but clearly it did. Christmas this year was sneaky and saddled right up without me noticing.
Not that it’s really a HUGE deal because we don’t really have to prepare a whole lot, but I was thinking I had another 2 weeks to make cookie plates and go shopping and order things online. When I mentioned that to Nate he looked at me like I had grown an extra head right in front of him. Guess that working for myself can have its downfalls 😉
Oh, P.S. look at my boy. How adorable is he? Even when he’s stealthily (or not so much stealthily) sneaking up to grab the food I’m photographing I just want to tackle him and munch on his cheeks!
The new year is right around the corner, and with it I will be writing a great big post and unveiling some great big things for this blog + my life, but for now I’m trying to ease out of this season of indulgence and into a season of indulging in healthier, cleaner eating. When it comes to anything vegetable-related I am all over it, especially when said veggies are roasted. The caramelizing and the yummy textures from roasting are kind of my favorite.
And cauliflower? Probably my favorite, even above sweet potatoes, because it just takes on such a different flavor profile from the raw stuff. I am really not a fan (at all) of anything that’s cruciferous and raw, but when you add a little olive oil and cook it right? Sweet goodness it’s divine!
One of the things I want to do more when I’m cooking is experiment with and learn to enjoy the specific flavor profiles of spices. To be totally honest I don’t really ever notice when paprika is involved unless it’s smoked; at this point it’s really only a color to me. I thought that adding it to my favorite roasted veggie would help highlight a lot of the flavor of paprika, and boy was I right. You can taste the subtle sweet peppery flavor a lot more with this cauliflower, and the paprika does a great job of highlighting the almonds too!
Also, I *think* this is paleo – do I win some cool points for that one? I sure hope so 😉
Want to know a true story? After fighting Weston off from stealing my cauliflower, after cutting it and cooking it and plating it and photographing it – after all that, homegirl was hungry. So I ate it. All of it. I don’t remember the last time my tummy and tastebuds were so happy!
As we let panic over last-minute Christmas stuff set in (and you know we all feel it, even with all the “be present” and “stress-free holiday” posts out there), let’s do a little something to bring us back to life. A good, healthy dish to keep our bodies calibrated. A subtly flavored and sensual dish to keep us satisfied. And a little extra coffee to power through the stuff + see this season for what it really is!
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup slivered raw almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Spread the cauliflower florets onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
- Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder, then toss to evenly coat it all.
- Roast at 375 for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- When there are 3 minutes left, open the oven and sprinkle the almonds on top.
- Roast for another 3-4 minutes until the almonds are just lightly toasted, then remove and serve immediately.
This looks super tasty!
Roasted cauliflower is amazing on it’s own but you went and added paprika and almonds! Yum!
The almonds – they’re so crunchy! I love it all 🙂
After a day of baking and decorating brownies and eating more than my fair share of the ones that crumbled, my body is CUH-RAVING a dish like this. Sounds delicious!
(Also, I am constantly telling Owen to “wait!” while I photograph food…he’s even started repeating it back to me, with both hands held out in the “stop” motion I always use b/c it’s such a familiar scenario in our lives 🙂 ).
Wes always says “HOT!” which is the same as “DON’T TOUCH!” as he’s going to touch it…I think the concept is still a little lost 😉
Cauliflower was my least favorite veggie….until that first glorious day I roasted it. So amazing! And paprika is seriously one of my favorite spices. It’s awesome on a sunny side up egg for breakfast too. 😉
P.s. And yes, he’s a cutie!
Roasting makes allllllllllll the difference in the world!!!
I’ve totally thought the same thing about paprika (only can really taste the smoked variety) but I’ve never roasted with it. Time to give it a try!
Yum! That sounds like a delicious way to enjoy Cauliflower!