4 Servings || Estimated Preparation Time: 45 minutes

  Curried Lime Cauliflower
      Nourish & Thrive
     
  
  
      Making vegetables satisfying can be a task of it’s own, leading us to sometimes do crazy things, like sneaking them into recipes until they’re unrecognizable. Not here. Cauliflower is the absolute star of this recipe, and there’s no need to hide anything. The slightly charred cauliflower has such a satisfying crunch, while the fresh lime juice and cilantro brightens everything right up. I’d try this with some of your biggest veggie critics! 
      
      
      4 Servings
     2 heads cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
      1 lime, zested and juiced
      1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
  1 tsp curry powder (cumin, coriander, turmeric, dry mustard)
  1/2 tsp turmeric
  1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  pinch sea salt
  2 tbsp olive oil
  3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
  Wash your veggies, and assemble the ingredients.
  Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the (1) tsp curry powder, (1/2) tsp turmeric, (1/2) tsp black pepper, pinch of sea salt, and the (2) tablespoons of olive oil, until well coated.
  Spread the cauliflower mixture on 1-2 baking sheets, avoiding overlap and roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes
  While the cauliflower is roasting, use the same mixing bowl from earlier to mix up the (3) tablespoons of vegan mayo, with the lime zest and lime juice.
  When the cauliflower florets are beginning to brown and crisp up at the edges, take them out of the oven, serve up a hearty helping, and then heartily drizzle the dressing over top. Sprinkle it with the chopped cilantro and sprinkle with a touch more sea salt.
  

Making vegetables satisfying can be a task of its own, leading us to sometimes do crazy things, like sneaking them into recipes until they’re unrecognizable. Not here. Cauliflower is the absolute star of this recipe, and there’s no need to hide anything. The slightly charred cauliflower has a satisfying crunch, while the fresh lime juice and cilantro brightens everything up. I’d try this with some of your biggest veggie critics!

Health Highlights

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that just seems to check off all the right boxes. It’s what’s called a cruciferous vegetable (like broccoli, bok choy, and cabbage, just to name a few), and this group of vegetables has intense cancer fighting phytochemicals and can even help the body eliminate excess estrogen. Not only that, but cauliflower is high in fiber and is a good source of vitamins C, E, and K, as well as folate and minerals! Combined with the spices in curry blends with an extra dose of turmeric (with black pepper to help with curcumin absorption), this recipe is the pinnacle of anti-inflammatory. Turmeric can also help stimulate your appetite, so if you’re not particularly hungry during treatments, this recipe may help give you a little hunger boost!

Tools

(2) cookie sheets
(1) large prep bowl
measuring spoons
knife with cutting board

Ingredients

(2) heads of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
(1) lime, zested and juiced
(1/2) bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
(1) tsp curry powder (cumin, coriander, turmeric, dry mustard)
(1/2) tsp turmeric
(1/2) tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sea salt
(2) tbsp olive oil
(3) tbsp vegan mayonnaise

Method

Wash your veggies, and assemble the ingredients.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the (1) tsp curry powder, (1/2) tsp turmeric, (1/2) tsp black pepper, pinch of sea salt, and the (2) tablespoons of olive oil, until well coated.
Spread the cauliflower mixture on 1-2 baking sheets, avoiding overlap and roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes
While the cauliflower is roasting, use the same mixing bowl from earlier to mix up the (3) tablespoons of vegan mayo, with the lime zest and lime juice.
When the cauliflower florets are beginning to brown and crisp up at the edges, take them out of the oven, serve up a hearty helping, and then heartily drizzle the dressing over top. Sprinkle it with the chopped cilantro and sprinkle with a touch more sea salt. (You could also toss everything together in that same large prep bowl, if you’re going to be eating everything up in one sitting with family or friends, but I like to keep the dressing and cilantro separate for reheating leftovers!)

Cancer Tips

AICR states that one of the most studied spices for its anticancer activity is turmeric and it gets its yellow color from the well-studied compound curcumin. In lab studies, curcumin reduces inflammation and limits cancer cell growth. Studies are also looking at how curcumin – in high amounts -- may help cancer survivors [More info]

Turmeric is a spice that contains the antioxidant curcumin. According to The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, researches have found in laboratory studies that curcumin interferes with some cancer development pathways, and now human studies to test these relationships are currently in the very early stages [More info]

Though human studies are thus far inconclusive, studies in animals and experiments with cells grown in the laboratory have identified several potential ways in which compounds found in cruciferous vegetables may help prevent cancer by: protecting cells from DNA damage, helping to inactivate carcinogens, possessing antiviral and antibacterial effects, having anti-inflammatory effects, inducing cell death (apoptosis), and inhibiting tumor blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and tumor cell migration (needed for metastasis) [More info]

A study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that some spices, including coriander, can prevent heterocyclic amine (HCA) from forming in meats during cooking. (The National Cancer Institute defines HCAs as chemicals formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures. A high consumption of foods containing HCAs is associated with a higher risk of cancer.) [More info]

Recipe adapted from It's All Easy