Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

For the last three weeks, I've been playing around with a few of my old favourites in order to reduce the fat content.  I used to be extremely sloppy and generous with the amount of oil I would slosh into the fry pan when stir-frying, but not anymore.  I'm unofficially following the weight watchers points plus system using a little pocket handbook a friend gave me.

In order to motivate myself and to encourage healthier eating habits, I went through the guide and wrote out every zero point food in the back of my journal.  This list includes just about every vegetable and fruit except potatoes and sweet potatoes (I think).  For those of you who know nothing about weight watchers, you can eat as many or as much of the zero point foods in a day as you want, which is pretty awesome if you like fruits and vegetables.  The zero point foods are all nutrient rich and full of fibre rich which makes sense.

Anyways, it's been really interesting planning my meals with the focus on eating as many zero point foods as possible in one day instead of thinking about what I can't eat.  I've noticed a definite increase in my vegetable intake and to satisfy my occasional sweet cravings and replace the refined sugar I've cut from my diet, I now eat a big, juicy, pink grapefruit every day which is so delicious and satisfying.  Yes, really!  It's kind of funny because I consider myself a pure comfort eater and things like cake, pasta, and other refined carbs were always my trigger foods.  I would stuff myself with huge portions and wonder why I wasn't losing weight even though the rest of my diet was fairly healthy and completely plant based.

This is a slightly revamped version of the roasted cauliflower poppers I made last year.  I cut the amount of oil in half and upped the spice quotient.  If you use the vinegar instead of lemon juice, the cauliflower comes out tasting a little bit like dill pickles for some reason.  Quite yummy in different way.  I can easily eat an entire pan of this cauliflower in one sitting and have done so twice in the last two weeks.  I jealously guarded the pan when my husband walked into the kitchen the other day.  I actually hoarded cauliflower!

Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

1 small or 1/2 large head of cauliflower 1
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
Juice from half a lemon or 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk together all ingredients (except cauliflower) in a medium sized bowl.  Chop or break the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.  Toss or mix the cauliflower with the marinade until evenly coated.  Spread the cauliflower onto a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes.

You could probably stir it once half way through but I usually don't bother and it turns out just fine.  I just set the timer and forget about it while I cook the rest of the meal.