Description
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas tossed together with maple lime marinated onions. A great nutrient packed sheet pan meal easy to make during the work week.
Ingredients
Smoky Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1–2 tbsp avocado oil
Chickpeas
- 1, 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Marinated Onions
- 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1–2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to preference)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup cilantro, stems removed and minced
- 1/4 cup medjool dates, chopped
- Kosher salt to taste
For Assembling
- Cooked quinoa or rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F then line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure to pat the chickpeas dry in a clean kitchen towel before using.
- To one tray add the cauliflower along with paprika, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder and a generous pinch of salt. Drizzle with a tablespoon or more of oil then toss together to evenly coat the cauliflower. Spread the cauliflower pieces out, placing pieces cut side down on the tray. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 30 minutes, flipping the cauliflower after 20 minutes.
- To the second tray, add the chickpeas and the oil. Toss to coat and bake in the oven for 20 minutes on the middle rack. Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. To the same tray, add the walnuts and spices along with a pinch of salt then toss to coat. Place back in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- While everything bakes, prepare the marinated onions. Add the onions, garlic, lime zest and juice , maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, dates, and a generous pinch of salt. Using clean hands, toss the onions together until fully coated then cover and place in the fridge until everything is done baking.
- Transfer the onion mixture to the tray of cauliflower and toss together to coat.
- To assemble, serve the roasted cauliflower over your grain or starch of choice then top with the crispy chickpeas and walnuts. Use any of the dressing left in the bowl of marinated onions to drizzle over top then enjoy.
Notes
Roast the cut cauliflower florets cut side down. This will help the cauliflower to evenly sear when roasting, which will give you those wonderful charred edges.
Mellow out the flavor of the onion by soaking it in water. Add the sliced onion to some cold water to soak for 10 minutes. This will draw out some of the super sharp astringent flavors out. As a raw onion hater, this has increased my raw onion consumption significantly.
Double roast your chickpeas. This will help them get crispier. To do this just do an initial roast of the chickpeas. Remove from the oven and allow the chickpeas to cool before adding the walnuts. Toss together with the spices and then place back in the oven to roast for an extra 10 minutes to crisp up. Allowing the chickpeas to cool a second time will get you more of that crispiness.
Adjust sweetness to your preference. This recipe uses both dates and maple syrup. If you feel it is too sweet, use less of either of those components. For more sweet, add a little extra maple syrup to the marinated onions to help make this more to your liking.
