Hold the Corned Beef this year and serve up this fun and beautiful green recipe to celebrate St Patty’s Day. Right? This fun holiday is celebrated the world over. You’ll have to trust me on this one – It sounds really “interesting” with ingredients like unsweetened chocolate and almonds… But it’s also Roasty-Toasty Cauliflower and Peppers with a zesty sauce. I promise – you’ll love it!

Parsley is more than just the green in this recipe – it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. Did you know that parsley’s volatile oils can help inhibit tumor formation and can neutralize carcinogens? And the parsley leaves themselves are an excellent source of Vitamin C and a good source of Vitamin A.

Roasted Cauliflower and Peppers with Picada – A Spanish/Portuguese style sauce.

• 1 Head Cauliflower, in small florets
• 1 Cup Olive Oil, divided
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• 8 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 – 4 Mild Peppers like Red Bells or Anchos, sliced
• 1 Cup Almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 Cup Roughly Chopped Parsley
• 1 TB Grated Unsweetened Chocolate
• 2 Tsp Dry Sherry or Apple Juice

Step One

Preheat the oven to 400F. On one sheet pan, toss the cauliflower with about a TB of olive oil, seasoning well with sea salt and freshly ground peppers Slide into the oven and roast for about 25 – 30 minutes or until edges are nicely browned. On another sheet pan, do the same with your peppers. (Your peppers may be done quicker – check them after 15 minutes.)

Step Two

While the cauliflower and peppers are cooking, heat the remaining olive oil and the garlic in a 12″ skillet over medium. Simmer over medium low heat until garlic is golden about 8 – 10 minutes, let cool. Scoop out the garlicTo make the Picada, mix the almonds, parsley, sherry and dark chocolate together with the garlic oil and set aside.

Step Three

Toss the cauliflower and peppers together and drizzle with the Picada sauce.