Cauliflower Steaks with Peppers and Onions

My grandmother was from Ireland where, at the time, cuisine was, um, shall we say, basic.  Meat and potatoes and some veggies cooked within an inch of their lives. (But really good bread!)

I can remember several summers when I went “home” with her and was introduced to some interesting food like baked beans on toast (not great, but not horrible either), tongue (still having flashbacks),and a charming thing called blood pudding (not  even if Chris Pratt was hand feeding it to me with champagne and strawberries).

Fortunately, my father had an Italian friend who actually knew how to cook and he showed my mother a thing or two.

This recipe was definitely inspired by him, no offense to my grandma.

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1. Tablespoon dried Italian herbs
• 1. teaspoons salt
• dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Remove leaves and trim stem from cauliflower.  Place  cauliflower on cutting board stem side down.  Using a sharp knife, head in half.  Then cut each half into 2 steaks (about 3/4 – 1  inch thick each).  Set aside the ends which will be a crumbly mess.
3. In a jar (I wash and save old jars from pickles, diced tomatoes, etc), combine the zest, yeast, basil, herbs, salt and pepper.  Put the lid on and give it a good shake to combine.  Add the garlic and oil and shake again to combine. If you have a ninja or magic bullet, I would suggest using this instead of the jar.  You get a much better, smoother blend.
4. Place steaks on lined baking sheet and brush the side facing up with the garlic/herb mixture.  Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes (till browned)
5. Flip steaks over, brush with marinade and put back in oven for another 25-30 minutes.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the peppers and the sauce.

Sauce:

• 2 cups, chopped, of the saved cauliflower ends
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon mince garlic, depending on taste
• 1/2cup almond milk
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1. Put the cauliflower in a pot with enough water to cover and bring to a boil.  Cook till cauliflower is soft when pierced with fork (20-30 minutes)
2. Drain cauliflower and cool, then place in blender with garlic, milk and nutritional yeast. Blend till smooth.  If sauce is too thick, just add more milk.

Peppers:

• 1 small red pepper
• 1 small yellow pepper
• 1 small orange pepper or green
• 1 small onion

1. While cauliflower is cooking for sauce, cut peppers into thin strips.  Cut onion in half and cut each half into thin slices.
2. Put onions and peppers into a pan over medium  heat with a little oil and sprinkle with some salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.

When steaks are done, use a spatula to put them on plates, top with peppers and onions and drizzle with sauce

Enjoy!