Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Bittersweet Slaw

The seasonal superstars of this recipe are cauliflower, navel oranges, and purple top turnip. This recipe has an awesome balance of flavors, textures, and temperatures. It’s a perfect snack, side dish, or, if you’re a veggie fiend like me, an entire dinner.

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First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Next, break down the cauliflower into florets. Don’t stress too much about making them the same size because while they roast the little ones will get more charred, which adds a super tasty smoky element to the dish.

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Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you like, depending on how hot & spicy you want your hot & spicy cauliflower to be.

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Lay those babies out on a baking sheet like so:

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Pop the cauliflower in the oven. While the florets are roasting, prepare the slaw.

Behold: TURNIP

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Behold: PEELED TURNIP

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With a sharp knife, julienne the turnip. Let me tell you guys, I watch A LOT of Food Network and if there is anything I’ve learned from Worst Cooks in America it’s that there is nothing more important than Consistent. Knife. Cuts. (Well, maybe not nothing but stick with me here…hey stick!…get it?…cause julienne…no?…anyway).

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Pit stop: if you just tasted one of those pieces of raw turnip you’re probably thinking, “Ew, Bug. This tastes like armpit.” Never fear! Marinating the turnip in orange juice and vinegar will cut so much of that bitterness and leave just a bit and plenty of crunch in the slaw.

Speaking of which, time for orange!

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Spoiler alert: peel the orange

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With a paring knife, segment the orange into the same bowl as the julienned turnip. Then squeeze the…bones…body…remaining orange blob? Anywhooo, add some orange juice to the turnip orange mixture.

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Season the slaw with a salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar, and a drizzle of olive oil. Apple cider vinegar is a staple in a lot of my recipes. It improves the alkalinity of the stomach, which helps digestion and keeps things regular 😉

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After about 20 minutes (stirring halfway through) the cauliflower is done roasting. Transfer the florets to a bowl.

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Portion the cauliflower into a bowl, depending on what serving size you desire, and put a proportional amount of slaw on top. In my case, that was just over half the quantity of cauliflower and slaw. See About Me for the low down on my portion sizes.

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Top with chopped parsley and enjoy this hot & cold, sweet & spicy, crunchy & juicy meal!

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