Marinated Cauliflower Steaks on a Bed of Bean Pesto

When we got the dog, she was my first dog ever, so I was in a kind of panic.  I had only had cats before, and all I really knew about dogs was that they were very, very different from cats.

I quickly found out that there was both good news and bad news in the whole dogs vs. cats scenario.

Bad News:

Dogs need to go out to potty. And ours has certain potty rules that she enforces like the warden at the state penn.   It doesn’t matter if it is 100 degrees or -20 degrees, we go sauntering around the yard searching for just the right blade of grass to pee on. Heaven forbid we would just go to the first patch of grass we saw and do our business.  Oh no.  We have to investigate, analyze and map out a game plan.  There was less thought and fewer computations involved with putting a man on the moon than in where my little princess goes number one. Meanwhile, I am standing over her chanting, “Hurry, hurry potty,” like some demented cheerleader.  And if it is number 2, she bolts away from it like it is radioactive, practically pulling my arm from the socket while I try to scoop it up in a biodegradable bag that is thinner than a piece of tissue paper.

Good News:

Dogs are easier to train.  In some things. Obviously not to potty in a timely fashion, but she can shake hands, roll over and perform various other tricks if the price is right.  And that price is food.  Our girl loves to eat.  All it takes is me holding a high value treat like a piece of meat for her to run through her bag of tricks.  Before I can even give the command for a particular trick, she is rolling, jumping, hopping, skipping, dancing and doing the foxtrot all in order to get the meat into her mouth as fast as possible.  If I am cooking any kind of meat at all, she follows me around the kitchen, guilting me with her big brown eyes, trying to pretend she is ready to pass out from malnutrition.  I am convinced she would literally do anything in order to get some meat.

So I kinda feel a little mean when I start talking about cauliflower steaks around her because, although I love them, she is always disappointed when she realizes that the only steak being offered is made from vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into steaks (depending on the size, I usually get anywhere from 2 – 4)
• 1 batch of my Onion Garlic Marinade
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• juice of one lemon
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste
• pine nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Marinate the cauliflower steaks in the marinade for several hours. (You can also marinate the leftover cauliflower pieces at the same time and cook those as well.  They won’t be as pretty as the steaks, but they will taste just as good)
2. Preheat the oven to 400.  Put the marinated steaks on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes per side, or till golden.
3. While the steaks are cooking, combine the beans, olive oil, basil, lemon, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper in a high speed blender and puree.  The mixture will be room temperature, which is fine to put the steaks on top of when they are done, or you can gently heat it up a bit.  I usually eat it at room temperature.  Your choice.
4. Put a handful of pine nuts into a dry skillet and cook over medium heat until golden.  You want them to get toasty and fragrant, but not burned, so you will need to keep an eye on them, and stir them every so often.
5. To serve, put some of the bean pesto onto a plate, top with a cauliflower steak, sprinkle with pine nuts (and some chives if you want to get really fancy with the presentation), and

Enjoy!