Three cheers for cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that can sometimes feel like “also-ran” on the plate. But don’t let its pale colour and slightly vanish-into-the-background appearance fool you.

Cauliflower is a member of the cruciate family of plants, which also includes Brussels sprouts and broccoli, and it is packed with minerals, vitamin C and other naturally occurring plant compounds called phytochemicals.

A recent study by researchers in Egypt compared cooking methods and found that blanching or boiling cauliflower in water resulted in relatively large loss of nutrients. The good news is that steaming, stir-frying, and microwaving resulted in more of the good stuff staying in the cauliflower during cooking.

So why not add it to your repertoire of vegetables? Just go easy on the creamy cauliflower cheese!