Tandoori Cauliflower

I guess I will continue the cabbage and cauliflower theme this week. Cauliflower is everywhere right now- big, snowy white, beautiful!

We were in town and a local restaurant was selling farm fresh vegetables. The cauliflower was calling my husband from a mile away. We bought the biggest one we could find and brought it home.

We were having some people over and I was making vegetarian food- what does one make for an appetizer??? Well, grilled or tandoori cauliflower, of course!!

I mixed up a tandoori paste which included ginger, garlic, cilantro and Greek yogurt. I blanched the cauliflower and marinated the florets in the delicious paste. I had time and marinated them overnight. If you don’t have the luxury, marinate them for at least 2 to 3 hours..

Try this next time you are stumped on what to make for a vegetarian appetizer…

• 3 cups cauliflower florets

Bring some water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the florets and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes. Take the pan to the sink and top it off with cold water to shock the cauliflower. Take out and pat dry.

Tandoori Sauce

• 2-inch fresh ginger, cut up
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ajwain
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to high broil.

Process the ginger, garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Add the mixture to a small bowl. Add the yogurt, half and half, salt, ajwain and lemon juice to the bowl. Mix well. Add the sauce and cauliflower to a ziplock bag. Mix well making sure not to break the florets. Marinate in the fridge over night or at least 3 hours.
Place the marinated florets on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and some salt if needed. Broil on high till the florets are golden brown on both sides- about 5 minutes on each side. Serve hot with a drizzle of lemon juice.