I’m having weekend withdrawal. No, thankfully not a hangover. Although I did do a bottomless brunch AND a wine tasting this weekend. Birthday shenanigans. We do them UP with my friends around here. Let’s just say I drank mimosas, laughed my face off and danced my a** off the entire weekend. Not literally, that would be really ugly and potentially really awkward at a bar. Or anywhere. AND I got to see one of my closest and oldest friends who lives pretty far away (aka I never see her) who just got engaged. YAY!
And when I was too exhausted to move on Sunday night (because I’m getting old and my system cannot handle whole weekend shenanigans like that anymore) I binge re-watched season 3 of homeland. (Haven’t started season 4 yet so DON’T. SPOIL. IT. I will find you.) Talk about INTENSE. I definitely forgot a good number of MAJOR plot twists. Not my fault I have the attention span/memory of Dory from Finding Nemo. Pretty sure my brother and I share in that quality. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
How am I supposed to get excited about the week after that?! it’s not really a case of the Mondays either, seeing as I don’t have anything particularly (or really any kind of) awful this week. It’s just when you have a particularly awesome weekend, no matter what Monday just feels kinda blah.
So I made this super fancy looking whole roasted purple cauliflower for you. Definitely impressed my family and it’s super easy to make. Just that pop of color and fun you need to spice up your week, with a sauce you can put on EVERYTHING. Drink it if you want, I won’t judge.
- For the Cauliflower
- 1 whole head cauliflower, leaves trimmed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper (AIP omit)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 lemon, sliced
- For the Chimichurri
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 cup fresh mint (spearmint) leaves
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper, to taste (AIP omit)
- ¼c olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Trim off the outer leaves of the cauliflower, and cut out a small part of the core at the base, just so it can sit upright without falling over. You don’t want the branches (is that what you call cauliflower parts?) to fall off!
- Get out a large cast iron pan and brush the bottom with a little olive oil. You could also use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the cauliflower, stem side down, into the pan and drizzle the remaining olive oil all over the top. Try and get it in the crevices if you can.
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic evenly over the whole head.
- Pop it in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of your cauliflower, until the outside is browned and the middle is soft and forkable.
- While it’s roasting away, make the chimichurri. Blend all ingredients in a food processor, and season with extra salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the roasted cauliflower - either drizzle it on top, or use it as a dipping sauce.
This looks SO good! Cauliflower, especially roasted, is one of my favorites. Love the idea of serving with chimichurri!
Thanks Caitlin! Roasted cauliflower is one of my favorites too. Dipping it in chimichurri brings it to a whole other level of BOOM. taste bud explosion!