Cauliflower and Chestnut Mushrooms with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Here are two delicious, healthy and easy to prepare vegetable courses, that can save the mid week dinners. They would also be a great side dish for grilled meat, fish or pasta.

Cauliflower can be a little bland on its own, and cooking them with mushrooms in this recipe works really well; I love the crunchiness of the cauliflower along with the juicy, meaty texture of mushrooms. And once they’re dressed with olive oil&lemon; juice, they are simply irresistible. Few sprinkles of red pepper flakes (or paprika) spice it up really nicely too.

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
225gr/8oz chestnut mushrooms (or any kind of your choice)
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
30-45ml/2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of I lemon
5-10ml/ 1-2 teaspoons ref pepper flakes (or paprika/chili flakes)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut into quarters. Steam or microwave the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper (salt really helps the mushrooms to release the moisture). Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms soften up. Add the steamed/microwaved cauliflower florets and lemon juice, mix well. Let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, if you are using (mushroom and parsley do really well), and give a good stir. Sprinkle the red pepper (or paprika or chilli flakes) over, mix well. Check the Seasoning and add more salt or ground pepper if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish to pasta, grilled meat or fish.

Afiyet Olsun!