Breaded Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

A medium sized head of cauliflower cut into small florets, washed and dried
5 garlic gloves mashed
8 lemons squeezed
Half a bunch of parsley finely minced
1/2 cup chickpea flour mixed with some water to make a thick paste
Wheat germ (Red Mill) mixed with some whole wheat breadcrumbs for coating. You can use 1 cup of wheat germ and a quarter cup whole wheat breadcrumbs and mix them together
Salt to taste

Directions:

Mix the cauliflower florets with the garlic, lemon juice, parsley, a bit of salt and let them marinate for about 20 minutes (If you are in a hurry, you can skip the marinating).
Take a floret and dip it in the chickpea flour paste until it is fully covered.
Coat the floret with the wheat germ and breadcrumb mix.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all the florets.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Line the florets up in a baking dish and place them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until they turn brownish and crispy.

I like them extra crispy, and I like to have them with some extra lemon juice on the side. Yum!

Note: Wheat Germ is the part of the wheat that sprouts and grows into a plant and it is usually left out when wheat is processed into flour. It's extremely nutritious and is a great substitute for breadcrumbs.

Servings: 2-3

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. Growing up, I was introduced to cauliflowers in the traditional homemade Makloube (translated from Arabic literally means upside down) and the cauliflowers were fried and placed at the bottom of the cooking pot and were topped with minced meat and rice. I could not stand the taste of the cauliflowers and I always piled them on the side of my plate and refused to eat them. I’m happy to share with you that over time, my taste buds have changed, because I now love cauliflower and I have them at least twice a week. This recipe was inspired by my mama, who used to make the breaded and fried version, but I prefer my grilled healthier concoction, it tastes just as good, if not better! Sorry Mom!