Cauliflower Popcorn

  • CAULIFLOWER "POPCORN"
    1 pound fresh cauliflower
    2 tablespoons oil
    4 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Table Blend seasoning
    Salt, to taste
    Pinch granular Splenda, to taste, optional

    Cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Put in a large plastic storage bag or a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the oil over the cauliflower then sprinkle with Mrs. Dash and a little salt. Close bag and shake until florets are coated as evenly as possible or toss well in bowl. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet (I lined mine with nonstick foil). Bake at 400º 50-60 minutes, turning them over every 15 minutes. Bake until very dark brown, but not completely burnt. Taste and sprinkle with more salt, if needed, and a very light dusting of granular Splenda, if desired. The Splenda helps cut the bitterness of the charred cauliflower.

    Makes about 4 servings
    Do not freeze

    Per Serving: 97 Cal; 7g Fat; 3g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber

    Original Poster's Notes:
    This recipe came from the Mrs. Dash website, but I had to make a few adjustments. The first time I made these, I used the oven temperature as posted in the recipe, which was 450º. After only 30 minutes they were nearly burnt so I took them out of the oven. The second time, I lowered the temperature to 400º and that helped quite a bit. I was able to bake them about 50 minutes. Next time I may try 350º and bake them a full hour. You do want them to get very dark brown for the best flavor and turning them is important because the bottoms will get too browned otherwise. This makes a very ugly-looking snack, but you'll find that they're kind of addictive. Mrs. Dash Table Blend has a lot of heat so if you don't care for hot food, you may want to use a different seasoning. If you use a seasoning that has salt in it, omit the extra salt. I was tempted to try some other seasoning with my second batch, but my husband loved it so much, that I stuck with the Mrs. Dash.
  • I made this today as a snack. I cooked it for 47 minutes, ate a few pieces but though it lacked some more crunch so I put it in for another 5 and it was good.

    I liked it WITH the Splenda than without (the other recipe I found in the forum made no remark of it). Reminded me of Kettle Corn flavoring.

    Just a note: I had never cut a fresh cauliflower before. It was harder than I thought and tedious. So my florettes were bigger towards the end. I think the perfect size somewhere in between where I had most of them. Might try to keep the size more uniform for better crunch and cooking.
  • I bought some cauliflower and making this tomorrow, can't wait to try it!