Salsa Verde Shrimp w/ Roasted Cauliflower

Salsa Verde Shrimp w/ Roasted Cauliflower... Cauliflower is one of those great veggies that I forget about all too often. As much as I love and appreciate my greens and bright veggies, there is something hearty about the smooth meaty texture of cauliflower that makes it a great blank canvas. It holds up well when used in a heavy sauce, yet absorbs light flavors nicely and crisps up perfectly in the oven. Not to mention, at least for me, I can trick myself into feeling like having cauliflower as a side dish feels like having a starch/carbs.

Last night I decided to roast the florets and serve them up with shrimp marinated in TJ's salsa verde that I absolutely adore, and for some greenery there was sauteed asparagus on the side.

How To:

The Shrimp:

I got a bunch of fresh shrimp at the store on Sunday, big meaty guys with their light shell still on. I removed the shells and tails and deveined them, gave them a little rinse and then marinated them for about an hour in the salsa verde in the fridge. Once I was ready to cook them (they only took about 5 minutes over medium/high heat) I tossed them in a saute pan and then flipped them over so they were nice and pink on each side. 

The Cauliflower:

I chopped one large head of cauliflower into small bite sized florets and drizzled them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a couple cloves of fresh pressed garlic. I laid them evenly on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven for about 35 minutes at 425 degrees. They definitely need at least 30 minutes in the oven, and then eyeball it and if you want them more browned/crispy leave them in for another 5-10 minutes. I put mine in the oven and then set a timer so that I knew when I had about 10 minutes left on them so I could start getting my shrimp and asparagus sauteing to finish up right at the same time.

The Asparagus:

Simple simple, olive oil and a pinch of salt. A splash of water towards the end to steam them through. Voila.

This was a very simple and light meal for a Monday night and helped to start the week off feeling very healthful! Hope you think this is as Dahlicious as I do!