Cauliflower Fries

Wow…that was the first word out of my mouth when I sampled one of these little bits of goodness! You’re confused, aren’t you? I mean, we’re talking about cauliflower…but I’m serious when I say that these were amazing. I guess I can use a word like “amazing” when describing a veggie that most folks either sort of like, or don’t like at all because perhaps we have such low expectations of it? This will change your mind, for real.

These are a great healthy appetizer option for you and your Super Bowl guests…I bet even the pickiest of eaters will be pleasantly surprised at how yummy these are! This recipe serves 4 so you might want to make a double batch.

There are only four ingredients and most you probably already have in your pantry.

Ingredients:
1 large head of Cauliflower (okay, you probably don’t already have this, but just get some!)
1 tsp garlic salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil spray or use something similar like Pam (if you don’t already have a little EVOO spritzer, get one! You can find them at your local kitchen store and they reduce the amount of oil you use in recipes)
Ground black pepper, to taste

First things first: Preheat your oven to 425 – it needs to be good and hot!

Cut the cauliflower into large bite size pieces; they will shrink up a little so you don’t want to cut them too small. Be sure to remove the core, below:
Now, rinse and dry (I used a salad spinner) your cauliflower and place in a large bowl. Line a large baking sheet with either parchment paper or foil. If you are using foil, be sure to spray it with your olive oil spray.

Now, back to the cauliflower: spray the cauliflower generously with the olive oil spray and mix it around to be sure all of it gets some oil. If you don’t have a sprayer, just drizzle it with olive oil, but be careful not to over oil. If you do it this way, you’ll use about 2 T of oil. You want them to be just wet enough to hold the seasoning.

Turn the cauliflower out onto the baking sheet and spread it around so that it’s close to a single layer. Sprinkle ½ of the seasonings on top and then place it in the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes. At about the halfway mark, turn the cauliflower over and sprinkle the rest of the seasoning on top. The cauliflower will have begun to brown – you really want it to be browned because that’s another layer of flavor!
When done, serve with your favorite dipping sauce – any will do…I used ketchup…they taste like fries!

Serves 4 / 1 cup serving = 60 calories