Roasted Spiced Cauliflower

I, like a lot of young, employed singles who enjoy cooking but frequently lack the time, have a refrigerator full of rotting food.

Oh, that is so gross. No, I don’t! (It’s only half-full.)

Deny it if you want, but if you’re a single soul shopping in a world designed for 4 person families, you occasionally end up overbuying. 5 lb of zucchini for $5? I’ll make a tart! Buy two get one free? This week only? Who wants chocolate cake?!

And then there are the pantry items. The hollow Greek noodles that you saw at Surfas and swore you’d find something to make with, spices that you needed for a recipe that you only made once. The list of less used, but not useless, pantry items continues to lengthen and the shelves clutter up with tiny bottles and decorative jars.

And that’s how recipes like this come about. The cauliflower was on sale, and the turmeric left over from an old recipe that I made once and never again. There have recently been several studies stating that turmeric is a wonder-spice in regards to preventing Alzheimer’s. I just like the color. And once again, please excuse the miserable camera phone photos. This one makes the whole dish (which really is delicious!) look like monkey brains.



Roasted Spiced Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon turmeric
1 ½ teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
large pinch of cayenne
Salt and pepper
¼ - ½ cup olive oil

Note: As always, these amounts are mostly guesstimated and depend upon your own personal tastes. This is especially true with curry powder. Curry powders all differ in flavor and the brand that I use has a lot of cinnamon in it, which is why I add the cayenne.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cauliflower and olive oil in a re-sealable plastic bag and shake. Add a good amount of salt and black pepper, then the spices and shake again. Pour the contents of the plastic bag into a baking dish and cover. Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until tender.