I laughed out loud the other day when I saw a vegetarian restaurant promotion on the food network channel featuring roasted cauliflower. I laughed because the commentator was making a big deal about “massaging” the head with olive oil mixed with fresh herbs and spices. If you weren’t looking and only listening, you’d think he was waxing poetic about getting a massage himself! Something so simple as roasting cauliflower was made into a huge deal with a matching huge restaurant price tag!

After I got over the initial hilarity I thought, “OK, I’ll give some easy step by step instructions to make what’s become the next foodie favorite!”

1. Pick out a white head. Discoloration indicates that it’s not at its peak of freshness.

2. Remove the outer leaves and cut off the stump so that it sits straight on your cutting board.

3. Using a large sharp knife, cut the cauliflower in half-inch disc-like slices slicing through the whole head from top to bottom resting on the cutting board.

4. Lay the slices on a foil-covered baking sheet. One large head fills up one sheet. 

5. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, fresh ground pepper, and dried oregano.

6. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes till golden brown and fork-tender.

7. Serve as a side dish or as an entree. In the summer, I like to serve roasted cauliflower with a cool yoghurt Lebanese tzatziki like sauce.

You might want to go ahead and roast 2 heads because it’s guaranteed to be your family’s newest favorite summer dish!

Are you ready to try a new and improved twist to the much-maligned cauliflower?