Grilled Indian Inspired Spicy Cauliflower and Chickpeas

This gluten free, vegetarian dish is probably the best cauliflower I have ever made.  Did you know that besides chickpeas being high in protein and fiber there are also many other nutritional benefits? Chickpeas contains what's called resistant starch.  That's a starch that isn't fully broken down and absorbed.  This is a good thing for many reasons such as: stimulating blood flow in the colon, increasing nutrient circulation and helping to prevent us from absorbing toxic/carcinogenic compounds. But, also the rate of digestion changes absorption, increasing satiety, which means it keeps us full longer.  

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture but I marinated the cauliflower in a yogurt sauce with Indian spices.  When I originally made this dish, I was thinking I could have this like a taco: a meatless taco of course. I was going to make my Naan bread but make the bread thinner and rounder so it would be taco like.  However,  as I was making it some unexpected company showed up and so this was served up with some grilled salmon kebobs instead.

I cooked the cauliflower and the chickpeas separately and made a side of mango slaw which would have been the topping on the taco. You don't have to make this cauliflower with the chickpeas, you can have the cauliflower by itself or as a side dish.  I forgot to take a picture of the grilled chickpeas after it was done cooking. You can make them as soft or as crispy as you like.



Grilled Spicy Cauliflower and Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower head
• 1/4 cup fat free yogurt
• 1 tbsp extra virgen olive oil
• 1 tsp garam marsala
• 1/2 tsp hot madras curry
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/8 tsp cumin, roasted
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 can chickpeas 15 oz

Instructions:

heat the grill to like 350 degrees,  leave one side of the grill off

Wash and cut the cauliflower into florets and set aside

mix all of the seasonings into the yogurt, up until the lime juice

In two separate bowls, add the cauliflower in one and the chickpeas in the other

add most of the sauce into the cauliflower and the rest into the chickpeas, I didn't really measure this. Just add enough to soak the cauliflower and add the rest into chickpeas

Using a vegetable pan,  cook the chick peas first then the cauliflower, I cooked them separately.

I cooked the chick peas for about 25 min, I turned them every 3 min or so. you can cook these more or less depending on how you like them

For the cauliflower,  cook on high for 3 min till charred, turn for another 3 min char the other side. Then move the cauliflower to the side of the grill that is off.  leaving one side of the grill on.  Shut the cover of the grill and let the cauliflower bake for about 25 min

Yields:  Servings: 4.5 cups,  Serving size: 1 cup,  Smart points: 6,  Calories: 211.5,  Total Fat: 5.3g, Saturated Fat: .7g,  Cholesterol: 0,  Sodium: 670mg,  Carbs: 34g,  Fiber: 8.7g,  Sugar: .7g,  Protein: 10g