Cauliflower Steaks |Cooking With Amanda

Are you anti-cauliflower? Well, believe me when I tell you that roasted cauliflower is a whole other story. Cauliflower steaks are made of roasted slices of a cauliflower head. They're often served as a side dish, but I've made them with a curried lentil sauce to give it a little protein boost and make a meal out of it. It's still a dish that's on the lighter side. However, it might be just what you're looking for if, like me, you've spent the day eating too many holiday cookies!

Cauliflower has never been appealing to me. Maybe it was just the way I had it growing up. I never really liked the way my mom made it - steamed and stir fried with peas. (No offense Mom! I usually like your cooking.)

It also has an unpleasant odor when steamed. Usually, I mix cauliflower with a bunch of other vegetables to make soups and stews, making it completely unnoticeable. Can you tell I don't really like the taste of it? Or, more accurately, didn't like the taste of it.

This was my first attempt at roasting cauliflower. Roasting truly gives it a whole new flavor. This might sound weird, but the taste reminded me of eating hash browns. So I googled cauliflower hash browns and guess what? It's a thing! Ok, given the number of recipes I saw, maybe it's not so new, but it was new to me! I love hash browns but I feel guilty eating too much of them. So I was thrilled to find something that tasted similar.

I think I will be buying more cauliflower now that I've discovered that roasting it can be so awesome. I loved it with this curried lentil sauce. It gave the dish a nice Indian flair while adding some protein for balance. I'm sure I won't stop there. The flavor possibilities are endless. You can make it with all kinds of other sauces! I'm betting my cilantro chutney heated up would be fantastic.

If you haven't tried cauliflower steaks, I highly recommend it. It's the perfect for a side dish or a light supper.

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Cauliflower Steaks Recipe

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Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 clove garlic, large
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In small pot add 1 1/2 cups of water and the lentils. Boil and then reduce to a rolling boil on medium to low heat. Let them cook until soft. (There will be water remaining- do not drain)
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the cauliflower. Remove the leaves and cut off the bottom stem so it sits upright.
Divide the cauliflower in half and make 3/4 inch slices from each half. You should get two from each half. Save the remaining florets for another use.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook the cauliflower steaks for about 2 minutes on each side or until they are slightly browned.
Transfer the steaks to a large sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned and soft.
In the same pan, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Sautee the onions until soft. Add the tomato paste and all the spices. Stir until the paste and spices are well combined.
Add the paste mixture to the lentils and mix.
Using an immersion blender, blend the lentils until smooth.
Drizzle the sauce over the cauliflower steaks.