Emeril's Oven-Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower. There. I said it.

It's sort of like ripping a Band-aid off.  Let's just get it out there so we can start the conversation.

If you're anything like me, your experience with cauliflower has probably been limited.  Relegated to the last thing left on a party veggie platter.  Sitting there, steamed, in the way of a few baby carrots and perhaps a piece of broccoli on the side of a plate at a wedding reception.   It has some strong disadvantages to overcome - bland color, its resemblance to broccoli, sort of stinky.  Truth be told, I've always just assumed I wouldn't like cauliflower.

Turns out, I LOVE it.  Well, at least one very specific version of it.  Thank you, Mr. Emeril Lagasse for opening my eyes to cauliflower's potential.  Admittedly, it helps that the veggie in question is paired with olive oil and parmesan cheese, but still.  Don't we all need friends sometimes?

I'm obsessed with this recipe.  It's crunchy and nutty and lemony and even a little decadent.  Again, this could be the starvation talking.  You'll have to try it and report back!

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Emeril's Oven-Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Chopped chives, for garnish


Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

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Julie's Notes:

If you've never dealt with a whole cauliflower before, be prepared for it to be a little feisty.  I'll admit I've never dealt with one before, I'm not proud.  I expected it to behave like a head of broccoli but it's denser and tighter.  So, have a good, small knife to get in there.  The plus side?  It's less messy than a head of broccoli.

I'm not sure what sort of oven situation Mr. Lagasse has happening at his house, but in mine, I don't use my oven at 500 degrees.  First of all, it seems like overkill.  Second of all, it's the temperature at which my oven CLEANS ITSELF.  I'm not sure I want to put my food in there at that temp and risk spontaneous combustion.  Player's choice.  *I* kept it down to a nice, calm 450 degrees and it turned out just fine.

Another thing that I'm not sure of is what the heck constitutes a "large saute pan or a roasting pan".  So, I used a metal baking sheet.  And all was fine.

Fresh garlic and chives.  Go for it if you feel you must.  I just used powdered garlic and no chives.  It was still delish and no one came to arrest me for food abuse, so I think you're safe if you follow in my footsteps on that one.

In terms of points, well, here's where it's tricky.  When I ran the whole recipe through the WW site, it came out to about 3 points a cup.  If I break it down to 1 cup cauliflower, 1 tsp oil, and 1 TBSP cheese (which is what the recipe serving essentially is!),  I get 2.5 points a cup.  And yes, that .5 point is important to me.  Especially since I plan to eat at least two cups of it.  Don't judge.

I promise you this one's worth trying.  Even if you think you don't like cauliflower.  Even if it still looks a little yucky to you when it comes out of the oven.  Even if it smells a little funny to you once it's all assembled.  All of those things happened to me at first too, and now I have an addiction to this stuff.