Roasted Cauliflower & Rice Bowl

Blogging Marathon# 55: Week 1/ Day 1

Theme: Healthy Family Dinners

Dish: Roasted Cauliflower with Ras el Hanout & Rice Bowl

My theme for he first week of this month's blogging marathon is 'Healthy Family Dinners'. Ever since I signed up for this theme, I have been thinking what 'healthy' actually means. It has become such a subjective matter. what I think as healthy may not be really that healthy.
For example, recently I read somewhere that broccoli has to be eaten as fresh as possible and if it is stored in the refrigerator, it loses its nutrients. So if I cook something with broccoli after about 4~5 days from buying, does that mean it's not healthy or nutritious anymore? The more articles I read on this, the more confused and clueless I keep getting. So, I've decided not to worry about it too much -- I try to cook with fresh ingredients and keep processed foods to the minimum.

So for the next 3 days, I'm going to post 'healthy' dinners that taste good and are enjoyed by the whole family. Roasted cauliflower is my newest favorite and with all the amazing health benefits it has, cauliflower is sure a superfood. Roasting makes it so much more delicious and in this recipe, cauliflower is roasted with tahini and a Moroccan spice powder called Ras el Hanout. It is a very flavorful dish and I served it with some brown rice and veggies.

Ras el Hanout is a seasoning used in Moroccan couscous. It can contain dozens of different spices and vary in heat and intensity. I bought some Ras el Hanout in Whole Foods, but I'm including the recipe to make it here.

Recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine:

Ingredients: Serves 4

For Roasted Cauliflower:
Cauliflower - 1 small, cut into 2" florets (about 4 cups)

Olive Oil - 1½tbsp
Tahini - 1tbsp
Ras el Hanout - 1~1½tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste

For the Tahini Sauce:
Tahini - 1tbsp
Lemon juice - ½tbsp
Ra el Hanout - 1tsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Other ingredients for Rice Bowl:
Brown Rice - 1cup, cooked
Carrot - 1 large, grated or thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler
Tomatoes - 1cup, chopped (halved cherry or grape tomatoes work great)
Baked tofu or Chickpeas or Paneer - as needed

Method:

• To make Roasted Cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray.
• Whisk together oil, tahini, ras el hanout, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Add cauliflower and toss to coat cauliflower with sauce. 
• Spread cauliflower on prepared baking sheet and roast 20~25 minutes or until browned and dry, stirring once or twice.
• To make Tahini Sauce: Whisk together all ingredients with ¼cup of water in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 
• To make the Rice bowl: Divide the rice among 4 serving bowls, top each bowl with roasted cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, baked tofu and drizzle with the tahini sauce. Serve immediately.

Ras El Hanout:
Ingredients:
Smoked Paprika - 2tsp
Ground Coriander - 1½tsp
Ground Cumin - 1½tsp
Ground ginger - 1tsp
Turmeric - 1tsp
Black Pepper - ½tsp
Garlic powder - ½tsp
Ground Allspice - ¼tsp
Ground Cinnamon - ¼tsp
Ground Nutmeg - ¼tsp

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

 

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 55.