When Jill Nussinow first told me about her book, Nutrition CHAMPS, I was intrigued by the idea of a cookbook dedicated to looking at food groups in a new way. As Jill explains in the Foreword to her book, the acronym “CHAMPS” is derived from the first letter of six plant-based food groups: Cruciferous, Herbs, Alliums, Mushrooms, Pulses, Seeds (and Nuts). Within these groups are nutritional powerhouses that, when eaten regularly, go a long way to promote good health and vitality.
In addition to being filled with Jill’s nutritional wisdom and dietary guidance, Nutrition CHAMPS is jam-packed with recipes created by a stellar group of vegan culinary “champs” — more than 40 cooks, chefs, and authors. I’m proud to count myself among those who contributed recipes to this important book. Below is one my recipes that is included in Nutrition CHAMPS – you’ll find it in the section devoted to Cruciferous Vegetables featuring my favorite crucifer, cauliflower. (Be sure to read on after the recipe to enter the giveaway to win a copy of this book.)
Roasted Cauliflower with Arugula Pesto
Roasting gives cauliflower a deep, almost nutty, flavor that is enhanced by the bold arugula pesto.
Serves 4
Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower, trimmed, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- Olive oil or cooking spray
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pesto
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups coarsely chopped arugula
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Warm water, as needed
For the cauliflower: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or spray it with cooking spray. Arrange the cauliflower slices on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the cauliflower lightly with cooking spray or brush with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast until just tender, 12–14 minutes, turning once halfway through.
For the pesto: While the cauliflower is roasting, make the pesto. In a food processor, combine the garlic, walnuts, and salt and process to a paste. Add the arugula, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper, and process to a paste. Add a little warm water, if desired, a tablespoon at a time, to reach the desired consistency.
To serve: Remove the cauliflower from the oven and transfer to a shallow serving platter. Serve hot, topped with the pesto.
I have a copy of Nutrition CHAMPS for one person. (Anywhere in the world!) To enter, leave a comment below telling me what your favorite nutrition “CHAMP” is, and how you like to eat it. (roasted cauliflower, anyone?) For extra chances to win, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and leave a separate comment for each one to let me know. This Giveaway ends Monday, March 23, 2015 at midnight, EST. A winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 24th.
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I like sauteed kale with tahini sauce best, but I eat a vinegar-based (cabbage and broccoli stem) coleslaw nearly every day for lunch.
I do love me some roasted cauliflower, but just to say something original, I will also eat any mushroom prepared any way. Or just raw, on the way home from the grocery store like candy… don’t judge.
I love roasted cauliflower, but I have to say that steamed greens are my favorite crucifer. I love it in place of steamed rice under curries, chili and other similar foods. So colorful and tasty!
I love cruciferous veggies- especially roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar! They’re also great finely chopped in salads.
I eat a lot of roasted cauliflower. Sometimes with a tahini sauce and other times with garam masala (indian spiced). Roasted brussels sprouts with a bit of maple syrup is another favorite of mine.
I love cauliflower baked with sweet potatoes, lentils, garlic, onion and lots of curry and coriander. We had that for lunch today.
Brussels Sprouts! roasted with balsamic vinegar, but steamed, shredded and cooked, even raw is just fine.
Parsnip rice, raw and used in nori rolls, delicious
so tough, sriracha brussel sprouts or sweet and sour kale.
Lentil Soup!
I was going to say Brussels Sprouts with Dill because it is such a wonderful combination but since brussels sprouts have already gotten a bunch of comments I’ll go with pinto beans instead. Lately, I’ve been enjoying a lot of simple bean burritos made with pinto beans, salsa and a little chili powder inside a whole wheat wrap. If I have some cooked rice on hand, I’ll add that along with a little lime juice.
I love roasted broccoli. Recently I found this recipe for vegan broccoli gribbiche and it’s so very good!
I do like roasted cauliflower, but my absolute fave is mushroom – prepared in any way,:)
I love cauliflower in any way but I have recently discovered that broccoli stalks are amazingly delicious raw! I simply prep them by cutting off the hard skin and eat the heart like that on its own, it almost tastes like artichoke, such a complex flavour!
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I love to eat cauliflower soup with smoked paprika sprinkled on top – it’s so yummy, so satisfying and sooo easy! I have a lot of allergies so all I do is boil the cauliflower in some bone broth, hit it with a little pink salt, and blend it – comes our creamy and delish! Then top it off with some smoked paprika – mmm mmm good!
Great giveaway!
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Cauliflower roasted with Kale and mushrooms.
I haven’t tried roasted cauliflower yet, but want to! My current favorite foods are kale and seeds.
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Kale or spinach in smoothies, yummy! I also follow you on FB (Barbara Geving Clark)
I like any cruciferous veggie, usually with lemon juice on it. My favorite is probably kale!
I love mushrooms! I like them roasted or sauteed in broth and then tossed into whatever dish I happen to be making or just on their own as a side. Yum!
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Any veggie roasted in delicious, but cauliflower and brussels sprouts are two of my absolute favorites!
Mushrooms! Current favorite is diced & sauted with onion, lots of garlic then tossed with farro cooked in veg broth. (mushroom / farro ratio 1:1)
Kale! In smoothies, confetti chopped & tossed with everything (mushroom farro above), sauted with garlic/onions + whatever seasoning sounds good + beans & smother cubes of baked sweet potato. But all winter I’ve been eating (and sharing with friends/family) Anna Thomas’ “Green Soup”. So, so good!
Cauliflower…broccoli…brussel sprouts…cabbage (soup!)…beans/legumesof all kinds…sunflower seeds…walnuts…
Sorry…can’t choose just one. 🙂
Roasted wedges of cabbage drizzled with chive/dijon vinegarette.
I love all the categories, but I probably utilize pulses the most. I am a bean lover!
I love Brussels sprouts and love to eat them roasted.
I love any veggie roasted, especially cauliflower and cabbage — I can memory-taste the smokiness as I write. Off to the store!
Recently made roasted cauliflower with a quinoa salad and tahini dressing which was so good!
I love them all but especially broccoli and lentils.
I’m a Kale lover … especially in my morning juice. Kale, celery, cucumber, a couple of apples, some ginger and half a lemon. Love it.
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i love kale any way, but just lemon is awesome. I am looking forward to trying roasted cauliflower! 🙂
I love roasted green beans, cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes, brussel sprouts… If it’s a roasted veggies I love it! I also love sauteed lacinato kale with cherry tomatoes!
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There are so many great CHAMPs. Right now, I’m really into cabbage!
Broccoli is one of my favorites but cauliflower is so versatile!
I like pre-washed and pre-cut kale to add to soups, salads and smoothies. =)
i love roasted cauliflower! I will eat it any and every way! I can’t believe I grew up only eating it raw. I like Tess Challis’ recipe from Rosemary garlic roasted cauliflower.
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I love the walnuts in your pesto! Ever since I pinned a cauliflower crust recipe, I’ve been obsessed with trying the crust with all kinds of things. I avoided crusts for gluten reasons, so it’s now my champ recipe. The book looks exciting! Thanks for giveaway.
I don’t have Instagram but do follow you on Facebook as Deb Dianne.
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Brunoise beets with cinnamon – my healthy substitute for red hots candy!
It is hard to choose just one. But I think I will go with flax seed. It can be used on top of salads, in baked goods, smoothies and so much more.
I found a recipe on Pinterest called Kung Pao Cauliflour which I LOVE!
Hard to choose – its a toss up between broccoli and garbanzos. I guess I’ll go with garbanzos because I recently got a pressure cooker, have made them often, and there is so much I can do with them.
It is so difficult to narrow down to one favorite nutrition “Champ,” so, I’ll choose for the current season – greens! I love them in smoothies, salads, as the wrap for sandwich fillings, and, of course, homemade kale chips! Thank you for offering a copy of this book! I enjoy your material on FB and Twitter! I’m on the Virginia peninsula, too, and hope to meet you someday if you do a local signing!
I love steamed or stir-fried broccoli with a nice soy-ginger sauce! Yum!
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