Sweet & Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnuts, Calabrian Peppers & Golden Raisins
Say hello to another heavy-hitter in this Sides-giving Series! And by heavy, I don’t mean you will need to go down for a nap after this.
This Sweet & Spicy Roasted Cauliflower is a beautiful lower carb/gluten-free option that is light in bites and heavy in unique little flavor bombs here and there. To be honest, I thought I had enough roasted cauliflower dishes to last me a lifetime and I certainly wouldn’t normally consider bringing a cauliflower dish to the Thanksgiving Table (some may say it’s sacrilege!). However, when we ordered a variation of this little number at Clark’s Aspen recently, it revived my appreciation for this chunky white vegetable that acts like a sponge for all the flavors. So, I could not help but recreate and add some flavor high kicks here and there. Plus look at her, she’s a beaut!
To start the cauliflower is roasted to perfection, tossed in some spicy Calabrian peppers and crunchy toasted hazelnuts. Then the golden raisins and pomegranate seeds come in to sweeten up the deal followed by generous drizzles of basil oil. I am not kidding when I say these will surprise you - especially if you find yourself reaching for seconds of these over mashed potatoes (GASP! DON’T @ ME!).
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 small to medium cauliflower head (florets only, chopped into small bite sized pieces)
1/2 cup avocado oil
salt & pepper
1 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup chopped Calabrian peppers with their juices
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup golden raisins
Basil oil to taste (I love this Basil Oil recipe from Skinny Taste)
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, stemmed and washed
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon or more of water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Additional items
roasting pan
foil or parchment paper
clean dish towel
Method
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a walled baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
Toast the hazelnuts for 12-15 minutes or until fragrant and the brown skins are beginning to pull away from the hazelnuts. Allow to cool then pour into a clean dishtowel and toss until the skins have almost entirely pulled away from the hazelnuts. Pluck the hazelnuts out onto a cutting board and loosely chop some of them and set aside.
Toss the cauliflower in avocado oil until very well coated. Since cauliflower head sizes vary wildly, you may need to use more or less oil. Just make sure to coat them well so they do not burn roasting in the high heat. Add some sea salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes. Pull them out of the oven, flip and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Carefully toss the hot cauliflower with half the Calabrian peppers, taste, then add the rest if it is not too spicy for you. Next toss in the toasted hazelnuts.
Place the cauliflower in a serving bowl and sprinkle the golden raisins and pomegranate seeds on top.
Drizzle some basil oil on top to taste and enjoy every last flavor bomb this dish has to offer!
