My Tri-colored roasted oriental cauliflower is a feast to the senses. By roasting in the oven with a spicy oriental seasoning mix, the cauliflower obtains lovely roasting aromas and is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The aromatic tahini lemon sauce and topping of sweet and sour pomegranate molasses and seeds, crunchy pine nuts, hot chili, and fragrant rose petals take all your senses on a journey through oriental flavors. The recipe is Vegan, Low Carb, and gluten-free and fits perfectly with the trend of Veganuary. Try to join the trend in January and enjoy a vegan diet for a month. Click on link in bio for the recipe. 

VEGANUARY

January is the month when many start to go vegan. The term Veganuary is a combination of the words vegan and January. The concept was developed by the British organization Veganuary, which promotes a plant-based diet. Many people, especially young people, are rethinking their diets and behaviors and stopping consuming animal products.

Our older children have been vegetarians since they reached adolescence and have also been vegans for years in between. As a result, I prepared vegan and vegetarian alternatives for my children. Some vegan recipes have already made it onto my blog. Meanwhile, they no longer live at home and as I like to eat meat and fish, I would call us part-time vegetarians, i.e. we often eat vegetables and occasionally meat and fish.

WHAT IS A VEGAN DIET?

The vegan diet is based on consuming only plant-based products. Vegans avoid animal products, from meat and fish to dairy products, eggs and honey. However, there is also a lifestyle behind it, i.e. vegans often abandon animal products, such as leather, silk, goose down or wool. They do so for their own health, for the animals and for the environment. Meanwhile, there are also plenty of meat and dairy alternatives in supermarkets. Among the meat alternatives, I like most the products from pea proteins.

HOW TO PRESERVE THE CAULIFLOWER COLOR DURING COOKING

I bought this beautiful Tri-colored cauliflower in purple, green, and orange at the market. Cauliflower has neutral properties in Teb-e Sonati a traditional Persian medical science. Cauliflower gets its purple color from antocytane pigments, these are water-soluble pigments found in the cell sap of the plant itself. Since they are water-soluble, purple cauliflower loses its color when cooked.

You can preserve the color by the steaming method and rinse in ice water. In the orange cauliflower, beta-carotene is responsible for the color. The green one has a high content of chlorophyll. These are all-natural ingredients that make such great colors. The colored cauliflower tastes the same as the white but is a feast for the eye.

INGREDIENTS SPICE MIX

1 1/2 tbsp coriander*

1 tablespoon Ceylon cinnamon*

1 tbsp sumac*

1 1/2 tsp. cumin*

1/2 tsp. nutmeg*

1 tsp. cardamom*

INGREDIENTS CAULIFLOWER

3 small colorful cauliflowers

120 g vegan butter*

1 lemon juice

1 clove of garlic

INGREDIENTS TAHINI LEMON SAUCE

100g tahini*

1 tbsp lemon juice

100 ml cold water

1 clove of garlic

INGREDIENTS TOPPING

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

1 1/2 tbsp pine nuts* roasted

1 green chili

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses*

1 tsp rose petals*

Olive oil

PREPARATION SPICE MIXTURE

Mix all the spices.

PREPARATION CAULIFLOWER

Preheat oven to 200°.

Wash the cauliflower and leave the leaves on, they will get crispy when roasted and taste delicious. Set up a steamer and steam the cauliflower for 10 minutes. Then rinse in ice water to preserve its color. Drain the cauliflower.

Heat the vegan butter, in the meantime peel the garlic and press it through a squeezer into the butter. Add the spice mixture and mix well, remove from the heat. Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the butter and mix it all. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and rub it with the mixture, place it in the oven and roast for 45 minutes until it is dark brown. Brush again and again with the mixture in between.

PREPARATION OF TAHINI LEMON SAUCE

In the meantime, prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a blender and blending for 1 minute.

PREPARATION TOPPING

Pit the pomegranate. Set aside.

Toast pine nuts in a pan without oil until fragrant. Set aside.

Slice the chili. Set aside.

Set aside pomegranate molasses, rose petals, and olive oil.

SERVING

Once the cauliflower is roasted remove it from the oven, place it on a plate and rub it with pomegranate molasses, and pour some tahini lemon sauce on top. Garnish with pine nuts, chili, pomegranate seeds, and rose petals. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil over the top and serve with the remaining tahini lemon sauce.

Susan

The items marked with * are affiliate links, referral links. If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price stays the same for you and you can easily support my efforts. A big thank you ♥

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Have you cooked this or maybe another delicious recipe of mine? Feel free to leave me a comment below. If you tag your picture on Instagram with @labsalliebe  and use the hashtag #labsalliebe, I won’t miss a post and will be happy to leave you a comment as well. Can’t wait to see your creations.

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