If you’ve come through to this page and you’re thinking: WHERE IS THE LOADED CAULIFLOWER RECIPE, watch the video at the end! It’s all part of my presentation on Cauliflower and my 4 favourite ways to eat it! Cauliflower is my favourite vegetable. It’s loaded with fibre, low in calories and rich in nutrients, essential for good health! A lot of people have a problem with chickpeas, so this is a great alternative for your antipasto platter! Goes really well with vege crudites and my low carb crackers.
Preparing the cauliflower
- 1/2 a large cauliflower, cut into florets – yes you can include the stalks
- water for steaming
- 2 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- salt and pepper to season
With this recipe you can work with either steamed or roasted cauliflower. The only difference is that the taste may be slightly sweeter if it’s roasted and the colour will change, becoming a little deeper.
Steam the cauliflower first – even if you’re roasting it. I find it produces a better product. You can steam cauliflower over a pan of boiling water or in the microwave. If you’re doing it on the stovetop, wait until the colour changes and the cauliflower is easy to pierce. I would also include the garlic as it then softens it and is less likely to repeat on you in the same way that raw garlic often does.
If you’re steaming in the microwave, use a proper microwave safe steamer. Add about 1/2 – 1 cup of water in the bottom. I would also drizzle a little oil over top of the cauliflower, add the garlic and salt and pepper. Microwave cooking needs moisture to cook so the oil helps the cooking process. I normally steam for 4 minutes at a time and in between time I remove the container from the microwave and give it a quick shake to allow a little water to pop up into the cauliflower to help the cooking process. I usually need 3 X 4 minute sessions of steaming to get the cauliflower to the right level of softness.
If you then want to increase the flavour and sweetness of the cauliflower, roast the whole lot for around 20 minutes, or until golden, in an oven set to around 180 / 200 degrees celsius. It’s delicious!
Making the hummus
- 1.5 Tbsp Tahini paste
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp additional extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- smoked paprika and extra olive oil for serving – or Italian parsley or coriander to make it look pretty.
In a blender, add your steamed or roasted cauliflower, tahini, lemon juice and some salt. Blitz until smooth. It actually is that easy!! Serve in a bowl topped with paprika and a little extra olive oil and enjoy!
Hi I'm Monique Bradley.