Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Greetings, friends... I realized that many of my recent posts have been about breakfast foods. How did that happen? Not sure! You might be asking, "where are the desserts?" I thought that's what the Barbershop was all about! Well, I am sorry to disappoint, but they're not in this post. I don't know anyone who would consider roasted cauliflower a dessert...not even close. :)

On our trip to the Dominican a couple weeks ago, I re-discovered my enjoyment for the vegetable cauliflower. I am guessing that it's not exactly one of the most popular veggies out there, but hey, someone's gotta like it! It does have some great health benefits...check them out here. Some of the highlights are its Vitamin C, folate, fiber, and low-calorie qualities. Gooo cauliflower!!

Okay, I'm a dork. I know. On to the recipe I go! This was really a super simple recipe, and now that I think about it, it's very close to my favorite roasted sweet potatoes recipe. After washing and patting dry the cauliflower florets, I simply put them in a glass baking dish, drizzled them with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil :)), and then sprinkled with some of my favorite herbs! This time around I used thyme, garlic powder, and basil. That is all! I baked them in a 425 degree oven for roughly 23 or 25 minutes, moving the florets around once in the pan half-way through that time. I was a good girl and ate these without any other additions, but I was thinking that a bit of parmesan cheese would be a tasty ingredient to try too! As for the herbs, the possibilities are endless...try whatever your favorites are! I was inspired by this particular recipe from Cooking Light, although I didn't follow it exactly. Below is a picture of some roasted cauliflower, among many other tasty veggies, on a salad I made for myself. Mmmmm...

Now, if you do happen to be one of those lucky few who does enjoy cauliflower, here are a few other tasty recipes that look tempting too....

-Mashed Cauliflower (a nice, low-carb alternative to mashed taters!)

-Cauliflower Soup (sound delicious to me!)

-Creamed Cauliflower (it's a Cooking Light recipe!)

I'll let you know if I try any of them! Oh, and one of these days I'll blog about a tasty dessert. I promise! Apparently the Barbershop is on a breakfast and/or veggie kick lately. ;-)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This fall I have become obsessed with sweet potatoes... Now, don't get me wrong, this is not a new obsession; I've always loved them, but I got into the habit this fall (and now this winter) of roasting them at least a couple times a week! They're such an easy, delicious, and healthy veggie to add to a meal.

Since I am so used to blogging about the desserts I bake, it didn't really occur to me right away that I could really blog about anything I bake, dessert or not! I only took a couple pictures tonight as I roasted some sweet potatoes...a routine that has become rather regular for me. Sweet potatoes can be a pain to cut up, but I've gotten pretty used to it and it doesn't bother me too much.

Here is a picture of the potatoes I made tonight, just before I put them in the oven.

I like to experiment with how I season the potatoes and in which form I bake them as well... For instance, sometimes I bake the sweet potatoes whole (with some holes poked in them, of course!). Other times I may cut them up into smaller cubes (maybe 1/2 to 1 inch in size), and I've also made sweet potato fries too. Some of my favorite seasonings include garlic, chili powder, and rosemary. The possibilities are endless really! ;-) Tonight I baked them in what I think is the simplest way...cut into the smaller cubes, drizzled with some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, of course!), and sprinkled with chili powder and garlic powder. Every now and then I just make sweet potatoes as my meal! I've also taken a liking to adding roasted SP's :) as another yummy veggie on my salads.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I generally bake them anywhere between 400 and 450 degrees...and for the whole potatoes, depending on the size, they may take 45 - 60 minutes. The smaller pieces usually take 20 - 25 minutes until they're just the right texture. Deeeelish and healthful! Enjoy! :)