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Bite Of Minnesota: Roasted Cauliflower with Greens and Peanut Sauce

Although May isn't quite over yet, it feels like it's gone by in a flash. Three family birthdays, a work presentation, and a long weekend in Seattle has me feeling a bit disorganized. For the first time in a while, I let meal prep go out the window and ate more pizza than I care to admit. Luckily, my go-to pizza spot, Pizza Luce, offers a great selection of salads to I can add some greens to my pizza dinner and feel a little less guilty.

Another thing that makes me feel less guilty about my intake of cheese and carbs, is putting together a meal where veggies are the star. My staple grocery list includes kale and cauliflower and while I rarely know exactly how I'm going to use those staple ingredients when I'm buying them, I know they are versatile enough to be used a few different ways and heck, I can even make cauliflower crust pizza if I want to stay on the pizza train!

Roasted Cauliflower and Peanut Sauce - Crystal Grobe
(credit: Crystal Grobe)

This time I was going for something a little healthier so I put together a roasted cauliflower bowl with sautéed kale, tri-color quinoa and a delicious peanut sauce. Perfect for dinner and even better for lunch the next day. If you haven't tried roasted cauliflower yet, you should. It adds a depth of flavor not found in steamed cauliflower and it works equally well with broccoli. So good! And peanut sauce with just about anything makes me smile.

Roasted Cauliflower with Greens and Peanut Sauce
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of ground ginger
1 cup tri-color quinoa (regular quinoa will work too)
1 large bunch of lacinto/dino kale, leaves chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

For peanut sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp freshly minced ginger
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp sriracha, to taste
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, ground ginger and a pinch of salt. Add cauliflower and toss to combine. Transfer to a large sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender but not mushy.

While cauliflower roasts, rinse the quinoa well with water, drain, and add to a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes to absorb remaining liquid.

For the kale, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chopped kale and a pinch of salt and toss to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and cook for a couple of minutes until greens are just wilted.

For the peanut sauce, add all sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend well and taste, adjusting flavors if needed.

To serve, arrange cauliflower, kale, and quinoa in a bowl and drizzle with peanut sauce. Top with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds to garnish.

To prep ahead of time:

Chop cauliflower into florets
Stem and chop kale
Prepare quinoa and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use
Make peanut sauce and store in a jar in the fridge

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