This Spicy Tahini Roasted Cauliflower is the perfect side dish for any occasion.
I wish I could take more credit for this recipe, but I can’t. We went to lunch recently and a particular item on the menu caught my attention that would quickly become one of my favorite recipes to make at home. In the words of Oscar Wilde, “Imitation is the best form of flattery” and with that, we couldn’t be happier that this recipe exists.
Spicy Tahini Roasted Cauliflower
The new pantry staple
Odds are that you probably have most the ingredients for this recipe already in your fridge or pantry.
Harissa may sound a little obscure to some, but you may be surprised that this delicious and complex chili pepper paste is found in most supermarkets. We found ours at Trader Joes, and keep it in constant rotation in our home cooking.
Here’s a little trick: try adding a little harissa to your favorite bbq sauce for a spicy and flavorful kick.
A twist on tahini
Balance is key, and this couldn’t be truer when it comes to cooking. My favorite dishes have a combination of many wonderful flavors and textures, that come together in perfect unison to make something more than just the sum of its parts. This Spicy Tahini Roasted Cauliflower is the perfect example of this.
The sauce in this recipe is also a wonderful example of personal taste. If you prefer your tahini sauce to be less spicy and maybe a bit more tart, just use less harissa and a little more lemon. The trick is to taste as you go, you can always add more of an ingredient, but it’s pretty hard to take something out.
Stripped
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a great source of several important vitamins and minerals. Each serving is low in cauliflower calories, yet loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K, and many B-vitamins.
One cup of raw cauliflower contains these key nutrients (1):
- 25 calories
- Carbohydrates: 5.3 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Fiber: 2.5 grams
- Vitamin C: 77% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 20% of the DV
- Folate: 14% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 11% of the DV
- Potassium: 9% of the DV
- Manganese: 8% of the DV
- Pantothenic acid: 7% of the DV
- Magnesium: 4% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 4% of the DV
- Thiamine: 4% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 4% of the DV
- Niacin: 3% of the DV
- Zinc: 2% of the DV
- Copper: 2% of the DV
- Calcium: 2% of the DV
- Iron: 2% of the DV
Cauliflower also contains a small amount of selenium, along with a mix of both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.