Cauliflower Popcorn

Hubby found this recipe in one of his magazines and we thought we'd give it a try. If you have some cauliflower around you might give it a try. I made the pieces much smaller than in the recipe, more the size of popcorn and we didn't salt until after putting it in paper towel lined bowls. With the size change it only took about 25 minutes to bake and I watched it a lot to keep from burning. We were trying to think of an advantage to using this over the real popcorn and couldn't really come up with a good reason. Cauliflower is a healthy choice of fiber as is corn... anyway give it a try you might like it.



Cauliflower Popcorn (yields 12 bites)

1 head cauliflower
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 movie-popcorn container or empty Jiffy Pop container

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut out and discard cauliflower core and thick stems. Trim remaining cauliflower into florets the size of golf balls. In a large bowl, add cauliflower, olive oil and salt. Toss thoroughly.

Spread cauliflower on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, if available, for easy cleanup. Roast for one hour or until much of each floret has become golden brown. That’s the caramelization process converting the dormant natural sugars into sweetness. The browner the florets, the sweeter they’ll taste. Turn three or four times during roasting.

Use crumpled-up aluminum foil or paper towels to create a false bottom in your popcorn container. Fill it with cauliflower and serve immediately.