Baked Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

This is a side dish that everyone should be able to get behind.  Oven baked garlic parmesan cauliflower.  There is not a single word in that title that doesn't sound delicious! I could eat an entire head of cauliflower prepared this way, it is just that good.

 I've been seeing a lot of cauliflower on Pinterest, and I really hadn't eaten it much since living at home with my parents about 6 years ago. [Yup, don't worry I feel pretty old right now thinking about that].  My mom used to cook a whole head of it in the microwave then put a mixture of melted butter and bread crumbs on top.  It was a pretty darn tasty dish. 

I guess that's where I was inspired to make my creation, that and an oven baked cauliflower recipe I found on Pinterest [but that's the gist of what I borrowed from that recipe- the fact that I baked it in the oven- the seasonings and everything else was all me with a little inspiration from mom].

I wanted the texture and flavor of the breadcrumbs, but not the calories of the melted butter.  And I figured oven baking them with a little bit of olive oil would do the trick. 

The rest was just flavors I thought would be good together- garlic [of course, it is me after all, can you think of a recipe I've posted on here that didn't involve garlic? Oh cupcakes good point. But I can work on that!], red chilli flakes, whatever sounded good at the time.  Pretty much the way I season all my food- what sounds good in the moment and smells good when I mix it together.

This is definitely not your same old, boring, steamed cauliflower.  This is a great flavorful side dish that packs a lot of flavor.

You will need:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite size florets
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs [seasoned- either Italian or garlic and herb]
1/4 parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil
pinch of red chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. After you have prepared your cauliflower, toss it in a bowl with the olive oil, bread crumbs, parmesan, and seasonings.  The pieces should be all lightly coated.
2. Spread the mixture on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. You can sprinkle with a little extra breadcrumbs and garlic if you wish.
3.  Bake in the oven at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
4.  When removed from the oven the cauliflower should be tender.
5. Enjoy!

Oh and PS- I hear you can mash cauliflower in place of potatoes, make pizza crusts, and various other things with it... Let's just say I'm obsessed with it at the moment so you may be seeing some of those creations on here soon...