roasted | The Paleo Mom

Garlic and Lemon Roasted Cauliflower (21DSD-friendly!)

January 7, 2013 in Side Dishes, Veggies

Okay, admission time: cauliflower is not my favorite. When I make mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice, I have to season heavily with herbs and spices (and fat!) to make it tasty for me. But, cauliflower is very healthy. It’s a cruciferous veggie and it’s in season right now. So, I challenged myself to make cauliflower so that it looks like cauliflower and so that I would like it. I decided to try roasting it! What a revelation! Granted, it’s still seasoned, but something about the texture of roasted cauliflower is just awesome. Plus, this is a very simple dish, which is always a bonus! Serves 5-6.

To make this autoimmune protocol-friendly, simply omit the pepper.

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower
¼ cup of lard, butter, tallow or coconut oil (you could also use bacon fat and then omit the salt; I used lard).
8-10 coves fresh garlic, crushed
Zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tsp)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cracked pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450F.
Wash cauliflower and cut into florets. You can use the stem too. Place in a casserole dish.
Melt cooking fat (either in the microwave or on the stove top). Toss with cauliflower in the casserole dish. Next toss with lemon zest, crushed garlic, salt and pepper to coat well.
Roast for 25-35 minutes (depending on how big your florets are; mine took 30 minutes), stirring once half way.
Remove from oven and toss with fresh parsley. Serve!

Tags: 21, ancestral, baked, Broccoli, broiled, Cauliflower, day, detox, dsd, easy, garlic, lard, lemon, low-carb, paleo, Paleolithic, parsley, primal, Recipe, roasted, Sugar
4 Comments »

Roasted Butternut Squash

September 28, 2012 in Side Dishes, Starchy Staples, Veggies

This squash is so simple to prepare, it feels like cheating because it is so tasty! It gets this little bit of crisp on the outside, and sweet soft middle. And the combination of thyme and butternut squash is classic for good reason! Yum! Serves 6.

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1½” pieces
2 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or dried whole leaf thyme)

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
Melt coconut oil. Toss with butternut squash and thyme. Spread out onto prepared baking sheet.
Place squash in oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until slightly browned and tender. Shake pan (and maybe flip squash chunks) every ten minutes during baking.

Tags: baked, butternut, oven, quick, Recipe, roasted, simple, squash, Thyme
7 Comments »

Savory Roasted Taro

August 29, 2012 in Starchy Staples

Do you miss roasted potatoes? I did, until I discovered taro. Taro is a nutrient-dense tuber native to Southeast Asia. It is considered a “safe starch” and is recommended as a dense source of complex carbohydrates in Practical Paleo, The Perfect Health Diet, and by Chris Kresser. Of course, many people include peeled white potatoes in their implementation of a paleo diet (the phytic acid and glycoalkaloids are concentrated near the peel), but Prof. Lorain Cordain is firmly opposed to consumption of potatoes (see The Paleo Answer for his extensive argument against them). For the many of us who are intolerant to nightshades, taro is a delicious alternative.

Taro is a small, roundish, dark brown and hairy tuber that is often available in grocery stores and Asian food markets. It’s outer skin is easily peeled off after steaming. Many traditional Asian preparations of taro are designed to heighten its inherent sliminess (perhaps why I am not a big fan of these dishes). This preparation is designed to reduce the slime factor and the end result is a flavor and texture very similar to potato. Serves 3-6.

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh Taro (8-10 small tubers)
3 Tbsp Tallow(this is also delicious with bacon fat or substitute your favorite cooking fat)
2 tsp Dried Whole Leaf Savory (you could also substitute Rosemaryand/or Thyme)
½ tsp Garlic Powder (or substitute 2 cloves crushed Garlic)
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper

1.    Place whole unpeeled taro in a steam basket or steamer. Steam for 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your tubers) until you can pierce them easily with a knife but before they get too soft (this of the firmness of not quite cooked potatoes).
2.    Remove from heat and let cool until you can handle them.
3.    Peel off the bark-like skin (it should come off fairly easily) with a paring knife. Cut peeled taro into quarters or ½” rounds. Meanwhile, turn on oven broiler (set to hi, and with a rack 6-8” away from the element in your oven).
4.    Melt tallow (or other cooking fat). Pour over taro and toss with spices. (you can do this step in a bowl or directly on a baking sheet). Spread taro on a baking sheet.
5.    Broil taro for 10 minutes, flipping or stirring every 3-5 minutes, until browned and slightly crisp on the outside.
6.    Enjoy!