Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro pesto

I've been dreaming about making this cauliflower all day at work. It's a perfect cool, fall day for roasting vegetables in the oven. This is a take on the traditional tandoori roasted cauliflower. I decided to not make my own tandoori spice mix because of a lack of time. Instead, I mixed a couple different spices together and slathered it on the cauliflower. On the side we had some cilantro pesto that I had made earlier and some pickled red onion.

For the Spice Rub:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp curry powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the stem of the cauliflower so it lays flat on a baking sheet. Then mix the spices with the yogurt and lemon juice. Spread the mixture generously all over the head of cauliflower.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Baking times will vary based on your oven and the size of the vegetable.
To serve: Slice and garnish with cilantro pesto and pickled red onions. Laura also made a lemon tahini (plus yogurt) dressing to go with some squash. It goes really well on the cauliflower too.

Cilantro Pesto (I found this recipe in a magazine a couple years ago and I've been making it ever since):

1/3 cup cashews (raw or toasted)
1 tsp curry
1 large bunch cilantro, just the leaves and the tender parts of the stems
salt and pepper
olive oil

Place the cashews (I've even used hazlenuts) and the curry into a food processor until chopped. Then add the leaves and process again. Add enough olive oil to form a paste. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes more than you need as a garnish. This pesto is great on some raw zucchini noodles or even cooked zucchini.