Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

Time to tear cauliflower away from its much-loved cheese-sauce familiar surroundings and give it a new lease of life with this spicy cauliflower recipe!

If it isn't already, cauliflower is about to become your best friend. I am quite simply mad about it. It doesn't brag about how wonderful it is (even though it should) and it is so versatile. It can work with a huge variety of recipes from curries to alfredo sauces. It is dignified, proud and has stood the test of time. It is absolutely blossoming at the moment, popping up all over the place with recipes involving cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza and cauliflower steaks. Cauliflower has been given a healthy makeover and it is thriving! Not only does it have a flavour like no other but it's also a healthy food heavyweight. It's packed with good-for-you ingredients such as Vitamin A and C and has potential cancer fighting properties.

All hail cauliflower I say!

Crisp, tender and packed with so much flavour, this recipe will give you all you need for a perfect warming recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 large cauliflowers

For the sauce

800g cooked mashed sweet potato

4 tbsps coconut oil

8 garlic cloves peeled and crushed

1/2 fresh chilli finely chopped

2 x 400g peeled chopped tomatoes

200ml vegan stock

1 large onion finely chopped

2 tbsps freshly chopped oregano

1 tsp coconut sugar

For the topping

2 tbsps fennel seeds

2 tbsps sesame seeds

2 tbsps tahini

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsps flaked almonds

1-2 tbsps melted coconut oil

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.

2. First up, make the topping for the cauliflower. Heat 2 tbsps coconut oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaked almonds, fennel seeds, salt and pepper and stir for about 3 mins. Mix together the turmeric, lemon juice and tahini in a bowl and set aside.

3. Wash and trim the cauliflowers and leave them whole. Trim the base of each cauliflower and place them in a lightly greased ovenproof dish. Using a spoon, cover the cauliflower with the turmeric, lemon juice and tahini mix. Cover with a dish and roast in the oven for around 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat 2 tbsps coconut oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft for about 10 mins. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for a further minute. Next add the tomatoes, stock, oregano, mashed sweet potato, coconut sugar and salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and cook on a low heat for about 10-15 mins.

5. Remove the cauliflowers from the oven and pour the tomato sauce around the cauliflower in the ovenproof dish.

6. Sprinkle the crunchy seed topping over the cauliflower (mix with some melted coconut oil if you want it to stick on top) and return to the oven for a further 15 mins.

7. Serve and enjoy! If you have leftover sauce, mopping it up with some sourdough bread works really well.