Roasted cauliflower, chickpeas & tomatoes

The cauliflower was the star of the show for me this week. Fast becoming the new healthy carb free alternative to the humble potato (delicious mashed) and rice (grated and steamed), I decided to roast it. Inspired by the influx of nutritionists and healthy living gurus, I cooked mine in coconut oil which is known for its immune boosting properties and can also help to control blood sugar levels.

ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large cauliflower, outer leaves removed
1 and 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, smoked sweet paprika, ground sumac, dried thyme
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tin chickpeas
Large handful of cherry tomatoes
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Chopped fresh parsley to serve
Sea salt

method

Preheat oven to aprox 180°C
 
Cut cauliflower in half a remove the tough inner stem, break it up into bite size florets and sit in a
large roasting tin.
 
Melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil and pour over cauliflower, add a generous pinch of salt. Pop in the oven for around 25 minutes.
 
Melt the remaining tbsp of coconut oil and add the spices, herbs and garlic. Pour this over the cauliflower, add the drained tin of chickpeas and the cherry tomatoes, ensuring everything has a good coating of oil and flavours. Continue to roast for a further 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked through and the tomato skins have burst.
 
Remove from oven and squeeze over the lemon juice, give it a good stir so that the cauliflower gets all the lovely juices from the bottom of the roasting tin and scatter with parsley.