Red palm oil. Heard of it yet?  Oh, you will. Soon enough it will be the next best thing that you must have in your kitchen. It’s about to explode because of how awesome it is nutrition-wise. You just watch!

I’ve been trying to experiment with it these days and thought it may be fun to roast cauliflower in it. Uhh, I’ll never roast cauliflower in anything else ever again. The roasted cauliflower came out a gorgeous bright yellow with a nutty, buttery taste from the oil. Amazingly good! Below is some more information from Nutiva on red palm oil. (I highly recommend their RPO!)

What is red palm oil?
Red palm oil contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant- based oil. Its dark red color comes from carotenes, such as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene (vitamin A) nutrients that provide color to fruits and vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes. Red palm also contains at least ten other carotenes, including the antioxidants, tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E).

Both palm and coconut come from the palm tree family, but they are different species. While both are considered tropical oils, the fat and nutritional profile of each differs; palm fruit oil (not to be confused with palm kernel oil), is approximately 45% saturated fat with a high percentage of monounsaturated fat and coconut oil is approximately 90% saturated fat.

Red palm oil makes an excellent cooking oil for baking, sautéing, dips and medium heat frying. In particular it’s delicious tossed with popcorn or in stews and sauces. All tropical oils, including red palm, are excellent cooking oils. The fatty acids in palm oil are very stable and are excellent for medium heat cooking temperatures. Tropical oils have also been traditionally used for body care, from massage to soaps and cosmetics.

The smoke point of red palm oil is 302° F.  It is best stored in a cool, low light location. Refrigeration is not necessary, but will extend the shelf life.

Roasted Cauliflower in Red Palm Oil

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, but into bite-size florets
3-4 tablespoons red palm oil, melted
sea salt & pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400° F.
Throw cauliflower florets into a bowl and pour melted red palm oil over them. Mix well until well coated. Generously sprinkle sea salt and fresh ground pepper into bowl and mix again. Pour into large cooking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden brown, turning halfway through cooking.  Enjoy!