Spicy Mexican Cauliflower

 Spicy Mexican Cauliflower is a fantastic casserole. There are many spices and accent vegetables that blend just right. Easy to make and a healthy vegan Mexican cauliflower side dish.

Just looking at this photo makes me want to go to the kitchen and make this casserole again.

It's also a great side dish to many other recipes that are not Hispanic in nature.

Just imagine it alongside a Spicy Green Lentil Burger. The perfect foil. Or how about next to the very Best Lentil Meatloaf or this Empanada recipe?

Pretty darn good.

Let me sneak in a photo of the empanadas. I really think you'll love those.

Now for the vegan spicy cauliflower side dish , all the vegetables help make your dinner a complete meal which is a nice bonus because it's perfect for lunch on a cold or hot day.

💭 Spice combination

I remember when I was trying out the spice combination. Oh, man!

It was a bit strong in the cloves department. So way less of that and a little more of this.

You may think cinnamon isn't in the world of cooking in the Hispanic world but it is. Think Mexican hot chocolate.

• ground cloves
• chili powder
• ground cinnamon
• salt and pepper

The fresh breadcrumbs work well too because they also help soak up the flavors and give more texture. It all truly turns this dish into Mexican cauliflower.

If you've never had anything like this before you have got to try it. I have looked on the internet trying to find anything similar and I think it is truly unique.

So different and so good. Now my stomach's growling.

My husband is a 'spiceless' man. A 'condimentless' man too!

So he gets what I call cauliflower rice when I serve this. I dress it up with lots of dairy-free butter and some good ol' salt and pepper.

That's the way he likes his cauliflower casserole and now everybody is happy.

Cauliflower Rice is going to be a recipe that I put on someday.

As I said, it has lots of dairy-free butter and I'll add some things so that we'll all want a bowlful. Not spicy but flavorful.

I'll link to that recipe as soon as I get it on my blog.

So let's get back to this spicy Mexican Cauliflower recipe because it deserves our attention.

It's easy to make it and then dive in with a fork and enjoy every bite.

🍽 Helpful tools

• Steamer pot - perfect for so many things including this vegetable, broccoli, and seitan.
• You know how often you'll use these! Stainless Measuring Spoons
• 10" Skillet for sautéing the beautiful vegetables and spices.
• So that you can spread out the cauliflower with all its ingredients for baking. A sturdy Casserole dish.

I'm a little cauliflower crazy and it kind of comes to me later in life. More like when I started cooking for myself and experimenting with recipes.

It seems there isn't anything you can't do with this magic vegetable.

For instance, these Ranch Cauliflower Tacos are filled with lots of wonderful flavors and one of the stars is cauliflower.

Let me show you what it looks like. Right here below and indeed it's some good stuff.

It looks pretty tempting, heh? Well, I need to reel myself in or I'll be showing you cauliflower recipes all day.

Okay, I'm focusing. Check out the video for this casserole. It's short and sweet.

Then not too far down below here is the recipe. It's a spice bonanza.

🥘 Ingredients

• Cauliflower is a highly nutritional and filling vegetable.
• Coconut oil a nice base for sauteeing.
• Yellow onion is the best base for so many recipes. They cook up sweet and taste great.
• Green bell pepper is a classic for base flavors in so many types of nationalities.
• Canned tomatoes add to the texture and meld the veggies all together.
• Ground cloves have an intense aroma and flavor similar to allspice.
• Chili powder the king of spices for this all-around seasoning mix
• Ground cinnamon adds exactly the earthy spice that is needed.
• Salt a little bit goes a long way for this seasoning.
• Black pepper adds a bit of contrasting spice.
• Breadcrumbs are the main ingredient for the topping.
• Dairy-free cheddar cheese adds more flavor and helps the topping stick together.

🔪 Instructions

• Grease a 9" x 10" (or close to it) casserole dish.
• Steam the florets for 15 minutes. They will be done when easily pierced with a fork.
• Heat oil in a large skillet.
• Saute the bell pepper and onion for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion looks translucent.
• Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add the spices and cook 3 more minutes.
• Put the cauliflower in the prepared casserole.
• Pour the mixture from the skillet on top of the cauliflower.
• Combine the breadcrumbs and dairy-free cheese and sprinkle over the casserole.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
• Put under broiler for 1 minute to brown up the top. Watch very closely.

💭 Can you freeze spicy cauliflower

A big fat yes to that!

IF FREEZING:

Let cool to room temperature. Package in rigid sided containers.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:

Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator 6 to 8 hours before baking. To bake - cover with foil and put in a 350°oven for 35 minutes. Take off the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. Ready to serve.

If you take a photo of your spicy cauliflower casserole I would love to see it. Follow me over on Instagram and tag me on your photo @vegan_in_the_freezer.

📋 Recipe