Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Foolproof Lemon Tahini Sauce and Pistachios
I grew up going to a huge Christian church. I never liked it. I hated having to sit in a huge auditorium and listen to someone talk (whether it was during college or even having to sit and watch a movie for 2 hours I’ve always had a hard time with that). I hated having to dress up, to sing songs that everyone else was singing, to watch an offering plate go around and see people whip out their wallets.
I did get something out of going to church though.
When I’m out in surfing and the water is crystal clear, and the sun is shining on my face I know who deserves the credit for that. When I’m running on the beach with my dog I can think to myself how blessed I am to have legs. When I’m hiking in the redwoods amongst those trees that are thousands of years old, I can’t help but think about who created the whole forest. Being in nature has kind of become my church, and when I’m surfing on Sunday morning I’ll always thinking to myself, “I’d rather be in the ocean thinking about God that in a church thinking about being in the ocean.”
I’ve seen some pretty awesome things in nature, having been able to travel quite a bit. None of these have been topped by the amazing purple cauliflower. I’m kidding (This has been some pretty intense buildup to just make it all about purple cauliflower). But seriously, when I hold one of these amazingly colored veggies I can’t help but think about how awesome nature is that something like this could come from it! It’s pretty rad.
In this recipe I’ve kept the cauliflower pretty simple (it’s gorgeous how it is). Just a simple roast in a hot oven, followed by my favorite tahini sauce with fresh lemon and a sprinkle of chopped pistachios. This is a great side dish or perfect addition to any veggie bowl.
Have fun!
- 3 Tbsp tahini paste
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon
- pinch of cayenne
- pinch of kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 clove of garlic, grated on a microplane (optional)
- 2-3 Tbsp water depending on consistency of tahini, and how stiff or runny you would like it
- 1 head purple cauliflower, cut into medium florets
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp chopped pistachio nuts (just the meats)
- Whisk together all ingredients besides the water. Paste will get really thick (see picture).
- Add water slowly and combine with whisk (or fork, if paste is too thick) until it is a smooth consistency.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss with hands to combine and lay out in a single layer.
- Bake cauliflower (I like the middle-low part of the oven) for 10 minutes on one side. Rotate pieces and bake another 8-10 minutes until tender but not mushy, and a little golden brown but not burnt.
- Sprinkle pistachios on top and serve with tahini sauce.
- Tahini sauce will stay good in the fridge for about a week if it is in a sealed container. I use it as a salad dressing, dip or on sandwiches.
