Zero Waste Cooking – Crispy Roasted Cauliflower Leaves
My journey towards a minimalist and environmentally conscious lifestyle has given me – the itch.
This itch stops me from buying eggs that come from caged hens. This itch forces me to carry reusable cloth bags in my purse each time I head out to the shops. And this itch bugs me to no end if ever I throw a tin can in the recyclable bin without rinsing it first.
Oh, how annoying this itch can be!
But none of the above scenarios gives me a worse itch than throwing away cauliflower leaves does.
Cauliflower’s ‘flower’ comes surrounded in a cage of rib-like leaves which make up about a third of this vegetable. Every time I threw away the leaves, I hated myself for throwing away a perfectly good-to-eat chunk of this vegetable.
This was before I knew this easy trick to cook and enjoy cauliflower leaves.
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower Leaves
You’ll be surprised to know that you can easily roast cauliflower leaves with the seasoning of your choice for a quick snack or side dish.
Once roasted, these leaves turn out to be crispy and their stalks chewy. The crispy bits taste like kale crisps and the chewy stalk tastes like roasted pak choi.
And once roasted, these leaves look spectacular.
Roasted cauliflower leaves have got the looks and the flavour and are effortless to prepare – what else do you need in a show-stopping side dish!
Roasted Cauliflower Leaves Recipe
What You Will Need
Cauliflower leaves (detached from a cauliflower head)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper (add in seasonings like pepper flakes or oregano for added flavour)
How to Go About It
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (or 180 degrees C in fan-assisted ovens)
Wash the leaves and pat them dry.
If the stalks of the leaves are thick, slice the leaves into two parts lengthwise. If not, there’s no need for slicing.
Coat the leaves generously with olive oil.
Sprinkle salt and pepper (or seasoning of your choice) on top.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until leaves are crisp and slightly charred.
I love nibbling the crispy bits off of these roasted cauliflower leaves and then eating the fibrous stalk with a dip like hummus or pesto.
I would recommend using these leaves especially if you follow the LCHF/low-carb/keto lifestyle and you love having cauliflower steaks or cauli rice regularly.
Every time you are cooking cauliflower, you can quickly toss the leaves in the oven and get a side-dish ready in no time.
Some Tips for Cauliflower Leaves
- For added crisp, the cauliflower leaves can be sliced and then roasted with the above method.
- Cauliflower leaves can also be used for making vegetable stock. Just wash them and freeze them in the refrigerator in a ziplock, ready to be used the next time you are making stock.
- I’ve tried using the leaves in gobhi ki sabzi (stir-fried cauliflower and potato, cooked with Indian spices) but have never liked the overall flavour of the dish. And hence, I try using the cauliflower leaves as a roast or in stock.
Have a look at some of my other recipes here –