Curried Cauliflower and Butternut Squash

Recently, I had some friends over for dinner, one of which is a vegetarian. As you probably have noticed by reading this blog, I love meat. The challenge: create a vegetarian meal that is enjoyable and satisfying to all, even the meat lovers.

I made palak paneer which is a favorite comfort food in my house but I wanted to offer a few sides for a little variety. I ended up making this roast cauliflower and squash dish along with a salad and the palak paneer. My friend Anna tasted this dish and immediately exclaimed, 'This cauliflower is delicious!' I love Anna's enthusiasm!

It was good and definitely a 'make again' dish.

Curried Cauliflower and Butternut Squash
1 head of cauliflower
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons madras curry powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of honey

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a sheet pan.

Peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler. Butternut squash can be a tough nut to crack. The skin is tough but very easy to peel if you have a sharp blade on your peeler. If you have any trouble you may be trying to use a peeler that's been in your utensil drawer for ten years and it may be just plain dull. If this is the case, go out and get yourself a new peeler. If you love butternut squash as much as I do you'll definitely want a peeler that can handle the job. I love finger food so one of my go to sides is Butternut Squash Fries.

Once you have the squash peeled, cut it into 3/4 inch cubes. Place the cubes on the alumnium foiled sheet pan

Cut the head of cauliflower into bite size pieces. Toss the cauliflower with the cubes of butternut squash.

In a bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Drizzle the mixture over the squash and cauliflower.

With your hands, toss the squash and cauliflower to evenly distribute the spice mixture. This won't be entirely possible because of the crevices in the cauliflower. The spices will distribute even more while cooking.

Place in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Flip once during cooking. Starting at about 25 minutes, check for doneness by pricking the cauliflower and squash with a fork. Cooking times may vary depending on your oven. Both the squash and cauliflower should be tender when pricked.