Baked & Breaded Cauliflower

I hope that all my fellow Canadian parents are enjoying March Break with their beloved offspring. My spawn and I have enjoyed bike rides, basketball and two movies so far this week. Some of my mini humans have also planned sleepovers with my parents (yay for grandparents!) and some playdates. Gotta keep busy or anarchy will ensue!

Thankfully, Ontario has been hit with a wave of warmer air and lots of sun making our household get Spring Fever! The snow is starting to melt and we can see spots of grass!! We (ok, I) have visions of garden planning & planting as well as day hikes with my family! Yes, spring is in the air. When Canadians can see an end to winter we start to think of warmer weather and all that it entails.

For me, warmer weather makes me remember that the season that involves showcasing my body in a bathing suit will be upon me sooner than I think. That mental image leads me to think of all of my jiggly bits that I've amassed over the winter in order to keep myself warm against the biting cold. Well, that's what I tell myself but really it's because I've been spending too much time reading a book while nibbling on 'bad for me' treats in the evenings instead of working out. Some people may say I need to get my butt in shape. You say Po-tay-to, I say might as well fry that spud up and call it a fry! --perhaps this is where my issue lies. Huh.

Nevertheless, a boat load of sins can be hidden in winter clothing but the bathing suit shows all kinds of imperfections and dimply flaws! It's times like this that I jump on the old 'gotta eat better and tone up' bandwagon to show off my ultimate bod whilst I sit by my parents' pool this summer.

Enter in ... cauliflower. Yup. I normally really enjoy cauliflower but it's usually covered in a homemade cheesy sauce or in one of my favourite side dishes EVER! This recipe tones down on the fat but still gives the mighty cauliflower flavour and even some crunch! Even people who have previously snubbed the cauliflower may be persuaded to give this recipe a try.

1 small cauliflower - cut into small florets
1 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp Club House 'La Grille' Vegetable Seasoning (or other dried herbs of your choice)
olive oil or grapeseed oil

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Set aside.

Place florets in a large bowl; drizzle with enough oil to just coat the florets.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and seasoning. Mix well.

Spoon 1/3 of the cauliflower florets into a large Ziploc bag. Pour 1/2 cup of the bread crumb mixture into the bag. Seal and shake until the florets are coated. With a slotted spoon, spoon out the florets and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining florets. Don't try to do it all in one shot because the bread crumb mixture will clump and you'll have a hard time coating all of the florets well.

Place cauliflower into the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 servings
From: The Baking Bookworm