Description
Maple lime roasted cauliflower and chickpeas bring zesty Caribbean-inspired flavors to vegetable side dishes. Home cooks can quickly master this simple sheet pan recipe with balanced sweet and tangy notes for memorable meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 small head cauliflower (approximately 450 g), cut into bite-sized florets
- ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced into strips
- 2 tbsps avocado oil
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup Medjool dates, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, stems removed and minced
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1–2 tbsps maple syrup
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 425°F and arrange two parchment-lined baking sheets for optimal roasting.
- Cauliflower Seasoning: Coat cauliflower florets with smoked paprika, ground coriander, onion and garlic powders, and salt. Drizzle avocado oil, ensuring even coverage, and place cut-side down for caramelization.
- Cauliflower Roasting: Position cauliflower tray on bottom oven rack, roast for 30 minutes, flipping midway to achieve golden edges.
- Chickpea and Walnut Preparation: Dab chickpeas dry, spread on second tray with avocado oil. Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes, then cool briefly. Add chopped walnuts, sprinkle with onion powder, ground coriander, and salt.
- Toasting Chickpeas and Walnuts: Return tray to oven, toast for 10 minutes until walnuts turn golden-brown and crisp.
- Marinated Onion Blend: Combine thinly sliced red onion, grated garlic, lime juice, maple syrup, olive oil, cilantro, chopped dates, and salt. Massage until well-coated, then refrigerate to meld flavors.
- Final Assembly: Once cauliflower is roasted, gently fold in marinated onion mixture. Serve over quinoa or rice, topped with crispy chickpeas and toasted walnuts.
- Finishing Touch: Drizzle remaining marinade across the dish for an extra flavor burst.
Notes
- Crisp Chickpeas Technique: Pat chickpeas completely dry to achieve maximum crunchiness and prevent steaming instead of roasting.
- Caramelization Secret: Position cauliflower cut-side down for intense browning and deeper flavor development.
- Marinating Magic: Allow onion mixture to rest in refrigerator, enabling ingredients to blend and intensify taste profiles.
- Texture Layering: Toast walnuts carefully to add crunch and nutty depth without burning, creating multiple textural elements in the final dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg