Nutmeg & Thyme Roasted Cauliflower with Vegan Lemon Garlic Aioli
Beautifully whole roasted cauliflower gets an earthy, sweet flavor from the nutmeg. It’s tender, easy to make, and perfect to share. Also vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, leaves pulled off and stem trimmed so the cauliflower can sit flat
- 2 heads garlic, tops sliced off
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 3 tbsp nutmeg or more depending on size
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- fresh cracked black pepper
For the Aioli
- 1/2 cup cashews (see recipe notes)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 heads roasted garlic, bulbs squeezed out
Instructions
- Fill a pan large enough to fit the cauliflower with water. Salt the water generously and bring to a boil. Carefully, lower in the cauliflower (stem side up) and cook for 6 minutes. Allow to drain in a collander (stem side up) for 10 minutes.
- Put the cauliflower stem side down in a medium baking tray and using your hands, spread butter all over the flower.
- Sprinkle first a heaping teaspoon of salt, then the thyme leaves and then the nutmeg. The head of the flower should be visibly brown from the nutmeg.
- Leaving the skin on, cut the bottoms of your garlic heads off, exposing the tips of the bulbs. Rub 1 tsp of olive oil into each, using your fingers and making sure you really work it into the garlic. Add these to the baking tray.
- Preheat the oven to 350F, add a few more thyme sprigs to the baking tray, and roast for 1h. It's done when super tender and a dark golden brown.
- Remove the roasted garlic from the pan and use your fingers to squeeze the bulbs into a high powered blender.
- Add cashews, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend until super creamy not at all grainy.
- Serve on the side topped with some freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
If you are not using a high powered blender, soak the cashews in water for 2 hours or overnight. Drain soaking liquid before blending.
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