Today I want to write about a beautiful orange variety of cauliflower that I recently stumbled upon. There I was minding my business in the produce aisle looking for my usual head of white cauliflower when I suddenly notice Fiestaflower right next to my old standby. It was so lush and gorgeous in all of its orange glory. How could I not purchase it? I think about cauliflower and I have to smile. When I was growing up I don't remember my mother making cauliflower and if she ever did, it was probably boiled to hell and served up next to the broiled steak. But now that I'm a big girl, I've discovered the joy of roasting veggies. Simply take a handful of your favorites, toss them in olive oil, season them with garlic, sea salt and pepper and toss them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The flavors are amazing and no veggies were killed in the submersion of boiling water. Yesterday I roasted my Fiestaflower with some asparagus and cherry tomatoes and served it with some barbecued tofu for lunch. The Fiestaflower got even deeper in its color as it was roasted.
If you're curious, like I was, about how the cauliflower got its color, I've done the Google search for you. There is no trick of the dye here. It's naturally orange, more healthy for you than its white counterpart AND it looks pretty on your plate during this time of the year! So go ahead and try it if you should happen to find it at your local supermarket or Farmers Market.
Orange cauliflower voluntarily showed up in a Canadian farmer's field nearly 30 years ago. Fiestaflower™ has 25 times more vitamin A than white cauliflower and contains so much beta-carotene it actually causes the cauliflower to take on the orange color. Orange cauliflower contains approximately 320 micrograms of beta-carotene per 100 grams making it much more nutritious than the traditional white cauliflower.
