Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins & Pine Nuts

While in Portland last week we went to a restaurant called Lovely's Fifty Fifty.  It's not a vegan restaurant, but the chef prepared for us a vegan pizza that was out of this world.  The pizza was wood fired and was covered with chanterelle mushrooms, grilled winter squash, radicchio/escarole and a red sauce that brought it all together.  The flavors were amazing and I was so glad that they didn't use any fake cheese products on the pizza.  The food was fresh, seasonal, organic and even though they are not a vegan restaurant, they had no problem creating a special dish for us--that's what I love so much at Portland.  You can basically eat anywhere and find vegan options on the menu, or the chef/cooks will create something delicious for you.
 

 
In addition to the pizza, we ordered a wonderful appetizer made with roasted cauliflower, currants, golden raisins and pine nuts.  Cauliflower, raisins, pine nuts/almonds are a match made in heaven and I thought that it would be a great side dish (not to mention super easy to make) to serve at Thanksgiving. 

Ingredients:
(Serves 6)

2 heads of cauliflower, broken or cut into florets
1 tbsp fresh minced thyme
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup currants or regular raisins
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, tossing half-way through the cooking time.
• Remove from oven and place in a large bowl, along with currants, golden raisins and pine nuts.
• Add warmed sauce, parsley and toss to coat.
• Serve immediately.

Sauce:

2/3 cup good quality, low-sodium vegetable stock, reduced to 1/4 cup
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp fresh minced thyme
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Method:

• While cauliflower is roasting, add vegetable stock, garlic and thyme to a small sauce pan and reduce to a 1/4 cup.
• Add lemon juice to taste and whisk in olive oil.
• Season with salt and pepper and keep warm until ready to use.