Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Vinaigrette ♥

How to roast a whole head of cauliflower in the oven. Yes, I really did say a "whole head" of cauliflower! It comes out all brown and nutty and dramatic looking, easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for your mother-in-law.

Real Food, Fresh & Impressive Looking. Just Two Ingredients! Not Just Easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Little Effort, Big Taste. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly. Rave Reviews.

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So Isn't It Gorgeous?!

There's just something so spectacular about cooking a whole head of cauliflower. I am my mother's daughter after all, she loved to cook a head of cauliflower and top it with cheese sauce. (Who remembers Whole Cauliflower with Homemade Cheese Sauce?!)

But this is even more dramatic looking, thanks to how the florets get all toasty brown in the oven. It's like a cross between the comfort food of Mom's cauliflower and ease of Roasted Cauliflower, which was the very first – first! – recipe published on Day One of A Veggie Venture back Before the Internet in 2005.

COMPLIMENTS!
"IT WAS SOOO GOOOD!" ~ Unknown
"... it was great! ... Very tasty." ~ Karen
"... it was absolutely delicious." ~ Unknown
"... it was the best I've ever had." ~ Anonymous
"This has become my family's favorite way to eat cauliflower ..." ~ Michelle

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RECIPE for
WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER with LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours
Serves about 6, depending on size of cauliflower

Just two ingredients! (plus oil, salt & pepper)

CAULIFLOWER
1 head cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

LEMON VINAIGRETTE
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of a lemon, about 2 tablespoons
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon small capers

Heat oven to 450F/230C.

CAULIFLOWER Wash the head of cauliflower under running water. (Why? Always wash fruits and vegetables!.) Trim off the outer leaves. With a sharp knife, remove a cone-shaped piece from the core, keeping the head intact. (Need an illustration? How to clean and trim a cauliflower.) With your fingers, rub a little olive oil into the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish, rub the remainder on all over the cauliflower, working the oil into the crevasses as best you can. Sprinkle with salt and place core-side down in the baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour or 1-1/4 hours (or longer for very large cauliflower heads), until the exterior is brown and crusty and the center soft. If you like, transfer to a serving dish.

VINAIGRETTE Meanwhile, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients. With a spoon, drizzle the vinaigrette over the top of the cauliflower, slowly-slowly to let it soak in as much as it will.

SERVE Serve hot and savor ...

LEFTOVERS The cauliflower still tastes good for another day or two but obviously doesn't look so pretty, once it's been cut into.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
The inspiring recipe called for 2 tablespoons of oil for the head of cauliflower, I actually tried to use this much, it just didn't soak in.
The inspiring recipe calls for 4 tablespoon oil to a tablespoon of lemon juice. Certainly, this is the proportions of a classic vinaigrette. Trouble is, only so much vinaigrette actually soaks in.
For a Boxing Day Dinner one year, I served this dramatic cauliflower with Steak Diane (using this great recipe from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook), Yorkshire Pudding and of course, Christmas Trifle for dessert! The Yorkshire Pudding paired well with the Whole Roasted Cauliflower: same oven temperature! Twas a feast, to be sure!

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from the much-missed Gourmet, sniff, November 2006 via Epicurious

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 8 servings): 59 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 74mg Sodium; 6g Carb; 3g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 2 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1

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More Favorite Cauliflower Recipes

~ Cauliflower Steaks with Warm Corn & Poblano Salsa ~
~ Mexican Cauliflower "Rice" ~
~ Raw Mexican Street Corn Salad with Cauliflower Rice ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
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~ Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs ~
~ Quick Cauliflower Soup ~
~ Cauliflower Risotto ~
~ Spiced Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower Tagine ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

Seasonal Cooking During Late Summer Across the Years

Quick Tomato Sauce Tomato & Rice Salad (< I crave this!) Zucchini Bread with Pumpkin (< lovely for early fall!) Swiss Chard Gratin Broccoli Parmesan Casserole Green Beans with Mayo-Soy Sauce (< totally easy, so good!) Farmgirl's Swiss Chard Tuna Salad Grilled Cheese BLT Homemade Onion Dip Julia Child's Lentil Salad Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Vinaigrette (< this week's dramatic favorite!) Raw Butternut Squash Salad Slow Cooker Butternut Squash with Ginger & Dried Fruit Easy Steamed Bok Choy Salad Roasted Salmon with Garden Hash & Creamy Avocado Sauce Warm Lentil Salad with Spinach & Goat Cheese

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Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

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