Let's talk about Meatless Monday and this Roasted Cauliflower. Any veggie that gets roasted in the oven scores high points with me, I love those dark crunchy bits and the smoky caramelized flavor that appear after some high heat time. Another winner at dinnertime for my bunch at home is roasted brussels sprouts.
The inspiration for roasting my cauliflower came from some buffalo chicken wings I made for Super Bowl. Any time I've made my own chicken wings I've struggled to get a really awesome flavor onto the wings and always relied on the sauce to pick up the slack, total rookie move.
My friend Heidi from Foodiecrush, covered her wings in a blackened spice rub before baking them and they were awesome for so many reasons. I probably freaked out a tiny bit when I saw that blackened spice was a main ingredient because I'm smitten with the flavors that make up this spice. They remind me of creole cooking and spicy southern-style eats which is completely my jam.
I decided to cut the cauliflower like steaks, one large cauliflower should get you three thick pieces and you can always break them into florets after cooking.
Drizzle heavily with some good tasting extra virgin olive oil. Make sure to use a sheet pan with a lip on every side because trust me, you don't want olive oil to drip onto the base of the oven.
I'm speaking from experience, like almost 911 experience but that's a story for another day.
Next you get your fingers into the spice rub and season the oiled cauliflower as much as you like. I'm a spice freak so I didn't hold back, and that color is so cool.
Roasted veggies, it's what all the cool kids are eating.
As if all that blackened spice wasn't enough, I made a blackened ranch drizzle. I mentioned how much I liked blackened eats right? Just a teensy.
This could be a meal on its own or tear it up into florets and add it to some pasta.
I swear you'll love it.
This roasted cauliflower is seasoned with blackened spice and fresh rosemary and then roasted in a hot oven. Finish with the blackened ranch for an extra southern style kick.
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