Gluten-Free/ Kid Approved/ Mexican cuisine/ Paleo/ Sides/ Veggies/ Whole30

Mexican Roasted Cauliflower

This fantastic take on cauliflower is an ode to Mexican street style corn… except this is dairy- and grain-free, making this Whole30 compliant and paleo friendly.

Looking for a new side dish…

My son absolutely LOVES Mexican food, especially tacos! Which is why we have a Taco Tuesday almost every week. Normally, I make “party rice” (white rice with corn, Cotija, and onions) as a side for my family but I was looking to “spice” things up a bit… and make something that this paleo eating mama can eat.

I found the inspiration for this side dish from Emilie at Texas Granola Girl. While, I have changed some things, her recipe gave me the spark for this recipe and I need to give credit where credit is due. Check out her really great blog for other tasty recipes!

To dairy or not to dairy…

After doing several rounds of Whole30, I found that I become terribly congested when I eat dairy so I have pretty much eliminated it from my diet. I do allow for cheats here and there but ONLY IF ITS WORTH IT. What do I mean by worth it? It is the recognition that I will have a few days of congestion if I eat dairy but willing to deal with it if the dairy filled meal is exceptional. For instance, if we go to Pizzeria Stella in Philly, I’m going to eat an entire pie and not regret it one bit. That is food freedom, baby!

I’ve chosen to go dairy-free with this side dish simply because I really love my Whole30 and Paleo Mexican Crema. It is easy to make, delicious, and easy on my body.

If you are eating dairy, feel free to add cotija cheese and real crema to this roasted cauliflower. No crema? Just add some milk to sour cream. Then slather that stuff all over those gorgeous little florets.

Hope you enjoy this fun side dish!

Mexican Roasted Cauliflower
Print Recipe
Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 45 min

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

olive oil, enough to coat cauliflower (can use avocado oil)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

FOR THE CREMA:

1/2 cup mayo (clean/Whole30/paleo)

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp almond milk (can use more if you want a thinner crema)

2 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup Cotija cheese (optional)

Lime wedges for garnish

Cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1

Preheat oven or grill to 400°F.

2

Mix salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika together in a small bowl.

3

On a parchment lined baking sheet, toss cauliflower florets in olive oil.

4

Sprinkle mixed spices all over cauliflower and toss to coat.

5

Cook cauliflower until caramelized (anywhere from 30-45 minutes), stirring occasionally.

6

Make the crema by combining the mayo, garlic cloves, almond milk, lime juice, salt, chili powder, and cumin in a medium bowl.

7

Place cooked cauliflower on serving platter and drizzle with crema.

8

**Optional: sprinkle Cotija cheese over cauliflower.

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August 1, 2019 By egrant.salvi

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3 Comments

Jeremy Life

August 12, 2019 at 1:46 am

This roasted cauliflower looks so crispy. I didn’t expect that roasted cauliflower. I will try it for my family side dish. Thanks for the recipe.

Reply
egrant.salvi
August 12, 2019 at 11:07 am
Thanks, Jeremy! Yes, the cauliflower gets nice and caramelized (and crispy) when roasting! Soooo good! Thanks for commenting!

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Mexican Roasted Cauliflower

Looking for a new side dish…

To dairy or not to dairy…