Cauliflower consists of a medium to large head, and is surrounded by many elongated, dark green leaves that bear a thick, fibrous midrib. The heads are comprised of tightly closed, branching florets that are firm and slightly crumbly. The clustered floret tops also give the Cauliflower head a textured and bumpy, tree-like appearance. Underneath the surface, the white flesh has a crisp and dense, snap-like consistency. Cauliflower contains a light, vegetal scent and has a mild, sweet, and subtly nutty flavor. When cooked, the heads develop a chewy, semi-firm, and tender texture and readily absorb accompanying flavors.

Health Benefits

Cauliflower is an extremely healthy vegetable that’s a significant source of nutrients.  It also contains unique plant compounds and provides antioxidants and phytonutrients that may reduce the risk of several diseases, including heart disease and cancer.  It also contains fiber to enhance weight loss and digestion, choline that is essential for learning and memory, and many other important nutrients.  Additionally, it’s weight loss friendly and incredibly easy to add to your diet.  The florets also contain vitamin K to assist in faster wound healing, folate to develop red blood cells, vitamin B6 to maintain a healthy metabolism, and provides lower amounts of potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Usage

Cauliflower has a neutral flavor well suited to raw and cooked applications, including steaming, blanching, roasting, sautéing, baking, grilling, and frying. The cruciferous vegetable can be used whole, sliced, chopped, crumbled, or pureed. When used whole, the Cauliflower’s head can be roasted and served as a centerpiece dish, or it can be sliced into thicker pieces and paired with toppings, sauces, and spices as a savory meat replacement. Cauliflower can also be divided into smaller parts, and the florets can be tossed into salads, displayed on appetizer plates with creamy dips, stir-fried with other vegetables, baked into casseroles and gratins, or steamed and served as a simple side dish. Beyond cutting the heads into florets, Cauliflower can be crumbled and incorporated as a simple carb substitute for rice, pasta, and other grains, or it can be mixed with binding ingredients to make pizza crust. It can also be pureed and blended into soups, curries, and sauces, used as a thickener in smoothies, baked goods, and puddings, cooked and mashed, or pickled for extended use.  Cauliflower pairs well with spices such as saffron, curry, cardamom, and cumin, meats such as poultry, beef, and turkey, tofu, legumes, mushrooms, asparagus, red peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, lemons, and olives.

Storage

Whole Cauliflower heads can be loosely wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for 4 to 7 days.  Individual florets can be stored for up to 4 days when kept in a sealed container in the fridge or blanched and frozen for extended use.