Dinner for One: Roasted Cauliflower and Garbanzo Beans

Not only is Z. out of town for work, again, leaving me to my own devices, yesterday was my dad's birthday. I couldn't make dinner for my dad since he is in Wyoming, so the next best thing was to make a dinner for myself that he would have liked. When my parents made the trek out to Oregon for my college graduation a few years ago, Z. and I made an Indian feast. Not only was this the first time I had made Indian food for my dad, I think it was the first time my dad ever had curry. He loved it! I knew I wanted to use some of my Indian spices that he enjoyed so much in his/my birthday dinner. While I was pondering what to make for dinner I kept coming back to a few recipes that I had seen in the last few weeks. One recipe was Bon Appetit's Spice-Roasted Chickpeas. Another recipe I had in mind when I was planning my dinner was this recipe from Orangette. I combined these recipes with my own tastes to create Roasted Cauliflower and Garbanzo Beans. Happy birthday, Dad! I love you!!!

A portion of the chickpeas and chopped cauliflower

It was such good looking head of garlic that I thought it deserved its own picture.

Clockwise from top left: garam masala, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes

Spice covered veggies and beans waiting to be put in the oven

Dinner! I know, I need to figure out how to make food on a plate look pretty.

Roasted Cauliflower and Garbanzo Beans (for 2-3)
1/2 medium head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
garlic to taste, peeled and smashed
2 tsp garam masala *
3/4 tsp (1 tsp for me) cumin seeds *
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, optional
1/4 tsp red pepper flake (1/2 tsp for spicy)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil **

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss cauliflower, beans, garlic, and spices with olive oil in a large bowl. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Place in oven. Bake about 12 minutes then stir. Bake another 10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.Enjoy!

* I love garam masala but my spice blend for this recipe doesn't focus just on the garam masala. If you want a stronger garam masala flavor, I would reduce the amount of cumin. I love cumin seeds so I went heavy on them.
** I tossed the vegetables with two tablespoons of olive oil. When I stirred them, I thought the veggies looked a little thirsty so I drizzled approximately 1/2 tbs over them.