It’s funny that I’m gushing over a plant-based recipe today considering I refused to eat a single vegetable until I was 19 yrs old.
That’s right. Not a single vegetable.
And it’s not because they weren’t available to me. I’m lucky - my mother cooked beautiful, healthy, home-cooked meals for us every single night… I just simply *refused* to eat the vegetable part.
Maybe it was growing up in the 90s and watching a lot of television that portrayed vegetables as icky.
Maybe it was because I loved spaghetti so much.
Maybe it was a control thing where it gave me power to determine what I would put in my body and NOBODY could force me otherwise!
Either way, it wasn’t until I got to college that I started eating vegetables…
I wish I could say I had some health awakening. But in reality, I was fiercely afraid of the mythological “Freshman 15” and knew that hitting the pizza bar followed by the cereal bar every night for dinner was not going to work in my favor.
I’ll never forget my first vegetable experience - it was an iceberg lettuce salad with tomatoes and topped with a glorious amount of Hidden Valley blue cheese dressing. BTW - Hidden Valley blue cheese dressing is the gateway drug of vegetables.
I took my first bite of tomato. It juiced into my mouth. It was somehow sweet and tangy and tart. And I thought - WOW. TOMATOES ARE KINDA DELICIOUS! (Don’t @ me - I know a tomato is technically a fruit…but…you know what I mean..)
I realized all this time it wasn’t that I “didn’t like veggies” is was that I hadn’t even tried them. My world was rocked. What other vegetables were delicious, I wondered…
12 yrs later…..
Lord knows I love me some good meat, cheese and bread (finishing up a slice of pizza as I write this tbh), but I do have a fondness for vegetables - especially once I started cooking more. I love the range of flavors. I love the beautiful colors. I love how generally easy and affordable they are to cook. I love the sustainability.
And it’s actually been so fun to get creative with plant-based cooking.
Which brings me to this Spiced Cauli Hummus Bowl.
One thing about plant-based eating that bugs me out is people trying to make these gorgeous vegetables into something they are just *not*. And cauliflower is the biggest stunter in the game.
There’s Cauliflower pizza, cauliflower mash… freaking cauliflower buffalo wings.
Can’t we just enjoy them for what they are?? Why do we insist on dressing them up for a party that I’m pretty sure they do not want to go to? Just leave them ALONE!
That’s why I love this recipe. It shows the cauliflower off in all of her AU-NATURAL glory with her BFF, chickpeas!
Tonight, these two gorgeous gals are simply wearing a blend of spices, olive oil, parsley, and dill and served on a bowl of hummus :) And they are here for it.
Oh, and it’s plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free… but FULL OF SASS!
Spiced Cauli Hummus Bowl
Makes 2-4 servings
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 can chick peas, rinsed
3 cloves grated garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon turmeric
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
Dill
Hummus
Celery + Carrots or pita, for serving
Let’s do it!
Preheat your oven to 425 F
Add your cauliflower and chickpeas to a rimmed baking sheet
Grate garlic directly onto the pan
Add spices, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil. Go ahead and add some red pepper flakes if you want it a little spicy :)
Toss gently
Roast for about 30 mins, tossing once or twice while it roasts, until the veggies are crispy
Set up your bowl with hummus
Add the spiced cauli / chick peas on top
Add sprigs of parsley + dill
Top with extra lemon juice, olive oil, and salt
Serve with either carrots / celery if you want to stay plant-based OR a slice of pita :)
Guaranteed to make you shake your booty.
Enjoy!
Happy cooking.
Love ya mucho
Tessa