Roasted Cauliflower

I realize it's summer and most of you don't want to turn on the oven. I can get with that; it's hot outside. I realize it's the season of salads with fresh vegetables and light dressings. I can get with that, too; there are few things better than a fresh-from-the-garden tomato, dripping with sun-ripened goodness. But sometimes I need a bit more sustenance than a salad provides. Sometimes I need something little more filling to follow me to the couch on a Friday night filled with last season's episodes of Friday Night Lights. Most of the time I can fill that need with pasta - but not a wintry, saucy, meaty pasta. I have to lighten it up; it is summer afterall.

Enter cauliflower.



I really like cauliflower, and I always have. It was my childhood veggie-tray treat of choice, dipped in the prerequisite ranch dressing. And you'll always find it on my salads. Until the last few years, however, it was always a cold accompaniment to my plate. Luckily I now know it's lovely roasted, just as so many other vegetables are. Toss it with some olive oil and crank up the oven (only for a short time, I promise), then toss it with some pasta and Parmesan and you're good to go. (But don't forget a splash of olive oil. And lemon juice.)

Roasted cauliflower and pasta, with a side of Tim Riggins. Now that's one Friday night I could get used to.



Roasted Cauliflower by Simply Recipes.

Two years ago: Home-Canned Tomato Sauce

Bonus! Deborah says cauliflower is good for us, too. So glad to hear it. Aren't you?