Cauliflower with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Preparing the Cauliflower, Olives, and Cherry Tomatoes

You could live just with the oven-roasted cauliflower, which brings out all the natural juices, combined with the tomatoes and the light lemon vinaigrette.

Choose a cauliflower with no bruising or dark spots; the stem is dry and has no dark spots.

• During the roasting process of the cauliflower, stir halfway through baking. This will allow for a perfect golden color and prevent burning one side.
• Make sure that your olives are pitted. You do not want to bite into a pit and have issues. Plus, the dressing gets inside the olive hollow, and it tastes so good.
• Warm olives are one of my favorites, and combined with the vinaigrette, they reach a new level of deliciousness.
• Cherry tomatoes are perfectly savory and juicy once they are slightly roasted. You will love to bite into it. They are easy to find and used in cuisines worldwide. The cherry tomato plants are also easy to grow.

Perfectly juicy, sweet, and have a thinner outer skin.

Lemon Dressing

I have a serious love affair with lemons; whenever I can incorporate them into my cooking, I do so with pleasure and love.

If you want to add a bit more lemon flavor to this recipe, add some lemon zest to the dressing.

With this roasted cauliflower recipe, the lemon complements all the ingredients. The flavor has been brought to a new level, light, fresh, and mixed with the fresh oregano leaves. Fresh and clean.

Garlic

I love to grate it versus chopping it with this recipe. The reason is that the flavor is more intensified with the natural oils of the garlic.

Therefore, mixed with the lemon and olive oil, it almost dissolves, giving out all the flavor.

Cooking tips on how to make this recipe of cauliflower, olives, and cherry tomatoes to perfection. 

With all my recipes, please assemble all the ingredients before starting cooking and baking.

• Start by washing the cauliflower by submerging it in salted water to remove any chemical residue or insects. Do not skip this step. I have found little crawlers on my cutting board, which are unpleasant. Once this step is done, proceed to the below:

• Place the cauliflower on a sheet pan and drizzle olive oil over it. Toss to have them all covered with the olive oil.

• Roast for 20 minutes or until they start to brown.

• When the cauliflower is almost done, add the cherry tomatoes and olives to the pan and continue roasting for 5 minutes until the tomatoes burst.

• Place the roasted vegetables in a serving bowl. Season with salt and add the lemon vinaigrette. Gently mix well.

• Add the arugula at the last minute so it will not wilt.

Variations

Broccoli can be added or used instead of the cauliflower. They will roast faster and tend to burn, thus ensuring you keep a keen eye on the roasting process.

A friend has added a pinch of red pepper flakes to the lemon vinaigrette. Everyone loved it, and I must admit I enjoyed the kick. I am not a hot food person; thus, I will leave the amount to be added up to you.

Want to add some protein to the dish?

For a non-vegetarian meal, you may want to add some protein in the form of fish.

• Oven-roasted salmon would work well as you already have the oven going, and it takes 15 minutes to roast in the oven.

• It is a great combination, quickly sauteed with butter shrimp or roasted.

• Leftover roasted chicken cut up in small pieces is a great addition.

• Adding short strips of tip or flat iron steak that you quickly sear brings an elevated savory taste to this dish.

• Lastly, some bacon for a fun spin.