Vegan Cauliflower Three Ways
This Moroccan-inspired cauliflower tagine uses a whole cauliflower in three deliciously different ways. The fragrant spices in the tagine pair perfectly with the nutty flavour of the cauliflower rice, and the fritters make a great side dish.
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Ahh, the good old cauliflower. Once simply a soggy side dish in a Sunday roast, the cauliflower has risen to stardom of late and is now used to make everything from ‘rice’ and tacos to pizza crusts and ‘wings’.
This creative dish makes cauliflower the star of the show in three genius ways. Firstly comes the cauliflower tagine with its fragrant spices. Served alongside is a cauliflower ‘rice’ which is a healthy alternative to traditional, starchy rice. And then there’s the fritters, which add a lovely crunch on the side.
What are the health benefits of cauliflower?
When it comes to fruit and veg, it’s easy to believe that the more colourful it is, the better. But despite its palid colour, cauliflower is in fact extremely good for us.
First of all, cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable which means it’s rich in a host of vitamins and minerals that fight inflammation and diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
Cauliflower is high in fibre, B vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients and choline. Choline is essential for learning and memory. Cauliflower is also a good source of vitamin K, which is beneficial for bone health.
What is a tagine?
The word tagine refers to the vessel in which this traditional North African stew is cooked. The earthenware pot has a round base and cone-shaped lid which traps steam as the dish cooks.
A tagine is a fragrant dish, containing herbs and spices such as cinnamon, paprika, cumin, turmeric and ginger. Dried fruit such as apricots and raisins are sometimes added, along with slivers of almond.
Top tip: If you don’t want to use cauliflower in this dish, you could include chickpeas, peppers or butternut squash instead.
The great thing about a tagine is that you can add as much veg as you like!
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the tagine
- 1/4 of a head of cauliflower, broken into florets
- 0.25 0.25 onion, finely diced
- 0.5 0.5 cloves garlic, puréed
- 0.5 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.5 0.5 tsp ground ginger
- 0.25 0.25 tsp chilli flakes
- 0.5 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.25 0.25 tin of cooked chickpeas, drained
- 0.25 0.25 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 60 60 ml Bouillon or vegetable stock
- For the fritters
- 37.5 37.5 g gram flour
- 30 30 ml water
- 0.25 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.25 0.25 tsp ground ginger
- 0.25 0.25 tsp ground cumin
- 0.25 0.25 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
- For the 'rice'
- 0.25 0.25 large head of cauliflower, grated
- 18.75 18.75 g raw cashews, chopped
- a handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/355°F/Gas Mark 4. For the tagine, place the cauliflower on a tray and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
- In a large non-stick pan, over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Next add the ginger, cumin, chilli, cinnamon and coriander, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and stock and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened.
- For the fritters, whisk together the gram flour, water, cinnamon, ginger, cumin and coriander in a large bowl, before adding the cauliflower florets.
- Add tablespoons of the fritter mix to a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Let each fritter cook for 1-2 minutes until browned then flip over and repeat.
- Once browned, transfer the fritters to the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking.
- Finally, for the ‘rice’, add the grated cauliflower and cashews to a frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Keep stirring the ingredients for 3-4 minutes – the cauliflower should start to colour slightly and soften.
- Add the coriander just before serving, and enjoy!
Nutritional Information:
For the tagine: Per serving (304g) Calories 199, Fat 4.1g, Saturates 0.4g, Carbohydrate 35.2g, Sugars 11g, Fibre 10.3g, Protein 10.8g, Salt 1.8g
For the fritters: Per serving (107g) Calories 150, Fat 2.4g, Saturates 0.3g, Carbohydrate 23.8g, Sugars 2.1g, Fibre 5.5g, Protein 10g, Salt 0.06g
For the ‘rice’: Per serving (75g) Calories 125, Fat 9.2g, Saturates 1.8g, Carbohydrate 6.5g, Sugars 2.5g, Fibre 1.8g, Protein 5g, Salt 0.04g
Ready for another challenge? Try making this delicious Moroccan-inspired vegan no-lamb tagine!
