Chou-Fleur, Don’t Bother Me: Roasted Cauliflower

Let’s just put this on the table:  my children are weird.  The Girl, as I mentioned in her profile on our Meet the Family page, has loved spinach from a very early age.  And Mr. Picky, though he refuses to eat many things–most things, truth be told–really, really loves cauliflower.

Of all things. Chou-fleur.  The humble cabbage flower.

He doesn’t like it with ranch dressing on the side, nor blanketed under cheese sauce.  No, Mr. Picky is a cauliflower purist.  That, of course, is no surprise to anyone who knows his eating habits.  I don’t mind raw veggies, and the truth is that they’re most nutritious in their native form–but every once in awhile, I feel the need to jazz up the cauliflower just a little.  Like this.
 

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of half a lemon (Zest that lemon!)
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl. Toss in the minced garlic. Sprinkle the lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat all the florets with oil.

Spread the florets in a single layer on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Roast, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Baked for 5 minutes more, then serve immediately.