cauliflower

March – Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce
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March – Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

This vegetarian entree uses thick slices of cauliflower as a stand in for the usual chicken. You can use the same technique for some thinly sliced boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Trust me though, your family might not miss the meat.

Romesco is a spanish sauce that contains roasted sweet peppers, almonds, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. You will have leftover sauce from the recipe, smear it on toasted bread or serve it with raw vegetables. It’s easy to make in a small food processor or blender and wonderful to have on hand.

Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

I am a big fan of cauliflower especially if it has crispy edges. You can find lots of recipes for it in many forms on my blog. Did you know you can search by category or major ingredient? Unfortunately it doesn’t show unless you are on your computer. But, you will find it on the rights side of the post. Cauliflower has its own category.

This recipe came from the cookbook The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach. She says that the recipe serves 4, only 2 in our house with leftover sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
  • 1 large head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed, sliced from top to bottom through the core into 6 or 8 (3/4 inch) slices or “steaks”. Keep any florets that break off to cook separately.
  • Fresh chopped chives or parsley for serving

Romesco Sauce:

  • 1 (12-ounce) jar of roasted sweet red peppers, drained
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of blanched almonds
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Make the Romesco Sauce:

  1. In a blender or small food processor combine the roasted peppers, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, almonds and olive oil. Blend until emulsified. The sauce should be spreadable but on the thicker side. You can make the sauce ahead, it will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Cauliflower:

  1. Set up three dredging stations in wide bowls or rimmed plates: one for the flour, one for the eggs, and one for the panko. Season the panko with salt, pepper and the nutritional yeast.
  2. Prepare a large sheet pan or baking sheet by lining it with paper towels.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Using your fingers, dredge the cauliflower steaks first in the flour, then the egg, then finally in the panko. Place the steak in the hot skillet, repeat with as many steaks that will fit in the pan without crowding or overlapping. You will probably need to do this in batches. Fry each steak until golden brown and crispy on one side, then carefully turn to brown the second. I used two wide metal spatulas to do this without breaking the steaks.
  5. Transfer the steaks onto the paper towel lined baking sheet to drain.
  6. Repeat until all the cauliflower has been breaded and fried. I dredges the leftover florets the same way and fried them as well. You may need to use additional olive oil. They never made it to the dinner table.
  7. To serve, spread 1/2 cup of the Romesco sauce on each warmed plate. Place one or two cauliflower steaks on top and garnish with the chives or parsley.
Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

You can easily use the same recipe for thin chicken cutlets. Instead of the Romesco sauce, Chicken Milanese is often served with an arugula salad, cherry tomatoes and a lemon wedge. To make this gluten free, use gluten free flour and panko.

Or try this one for cauliflower cutlets with arugula salad.

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Cauliflower is an extremely versatile vegetable.

 

February – Sheet Pan Roasted Cauliflower with Chick Peas
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February – Sheet Pan Roasted Cauliflower with Chick Peas

Chickpeas (also called garbanzos or ceci beans) have been popular in the Middle East for many years, and are a staple ingredient in many of the region’s most well-known dishes like hummus and falafel. They are an excellent source of carbohydrate, protein, fiber, B vitamins (especially folate), and some minerals.

We frequently enjoy them tossed into a salad, a few cans are always on the pantry shelf. Have you tried them roasted? You can roast them to a crispness that will rival any nut. Simply toss them with olive oil, salt and any combination of spices you fancy. Then roast them in a 350 degree oven until crisp. Served that way they are excellent as a snack before dinner with your 5pm cocktail.

Lately I have been adding them to the sheet pan when I roast vegetables. The ones on the edge end up toasty and crunchy while the ones in the middle are softer and creamy.

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

This is an excellent side dish or vegetarian main with the addition of rice or flatbread.

I don’t really have a recipe for this, it’s a ‘no recipe’ recipe.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Cut or break a head of cauliflower into pieces about 1-2 inches in size. If the stem is thick, consider peeling it as you would broccoli. Then cut into manageable pieces. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Spread the cauliflower and chickpeas on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You could add any spices at this time…cumin or baharat or zaatar. Mix it all up and spread everything out evenly. Roast for about 40 minutes until you see the edges turning toasty brown.

Serve with a scattering of chopped scallions, or cilantro, or parsley, or celery leaves, or anything green that is in your fridge or garden. Squeeze some lemon over the top.

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

 

November – Kimchi Fried Riced Cauliflower
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November – Kimchi Fried Riced Cauliflower

Fried Riced Cauliflower with Kimchi

Fried Riced Cauliflower with Kimchi

The New York Times has many interesting recipes. I especially like the ones from Melissa Clark and Sam Sifton. This one from Grace Lee (adapted by Francis Lam…and further by me) caught my eye. It was titled Kimchi Fried Rice and suggested the option of adding Spam, which would reflect many Koreans’ love of food that was introduced by the American military. It would not be my personal choice but I haven’t tried it. You could certainly add leftover turkey to the dish.

The comments after each recipe are always entertaining and often useful. They suggest further modifications to the recipe according to the commenters personal dietary needs and taste. Several caught my eye, especially one person who said they used this with riced cauliflower instead of rice. If you are a regular reader you know I am a big fan of riced cauliflower. Quite a few have been written on this blog over the years. BTW, if you are looking for a particular recipe or ingredient, click on categories on the right side. Cauliflower has one all to itself. The categories only show up on the computer version of the blog, unfortunately it won’t work on the mobile app.

The pictures do not do this dish justice, it was delicious even though mostly brown. For extra protein I would recommend putting a fried egg on top. Maybe a garnish of parsley or cilantro for color??? Or, as the NYT recommended crumbled or slivered nori and sesame seeds on top of your fried egg. None of those were immediately available but I will post more pictures when I make this again.

My holiday week included two birthdays as well as Thanksgiving. I am looking for ways to lighten our meals for a few days.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup of roughly chopped kimchi
  • 2 tablespoons of kimchi juice
  • 1 package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistency
  • 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of gojuchang
  • Fried shallots for garnish.

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the cauliflower out evenly. Place the sheet pan on the lowest shelf of your oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower on the edges is starting to brown. Remove and let cool a bit while you prepare the rest.
  3. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and gojuchang together in a small bowl. Put the sauce beside the stove. The cauliflower rice will quickly overcook so you will need to move quickly once you add it to the skillet.
  4. In a non-stick or well-seasoned skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook until the onions start to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the kimchi and the kimchi juice and bring to a boil.
  5. Add the cauliflower rice to the skillet, mix quickly, then add the sauce. Toss it all together and taste to see if you need to add any further seasoning.
  6. Turn out into a serving dish and add the shallots on top.

 

November – Celebration Salad
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November – Celebration Salad

This is a perfect salad to round out your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. Juicy roasted grapes combine with cauliflower (Romanesco if you can find it), the slight bitterness of endive, and the crunch of toasted hazelnuts. Thinly sliced parmesan adds umami at the end. Serve this salad at room temperature, you can make it several hours ahead. At the last minute combine with the dressing and shave over the parmesan with a Y-peeler.

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Ingredients:

  • I head of regular or Romanesco cauliflower
  • 1 bunch of seedless green or muscat grapes (the red ones would be nice with regular cauliflower), about 3 cups – mostly separate them but leave one or two in small clusters
  • 2 heads of endive
  • parmesan – shaved
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped if whole
  • olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons of grainy mustard
  • 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F or 220 degrees C
  2. Separate the cauliflower into florets, on a baking sheet toss them with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. On a separate baking sheet, toss the grapes with a bit more oil, salt and pepper
  4. Roast both sheets until the cauliflower is golden the the grapes are blistered, about 30 minutes. Let them cool a bit before assembling the salad.
  5. While they are roasting, make the cider vinaigrette. In a bowl or jar, whisk (or shake) the mustard, vinegar, honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Separate the endive and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces
  7. Toss the roasted cauliflower, grapes, and endive with the dressing. Scatter in a bowl or platter. Arrange the grape clusters around the platter. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and shave the parmesan on top.
Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

This recipe came from the cookbook Salad Freak by Jess Damuck. I think I have earmarked more recipes in this book than any on my shelves.

This works well with regular cauliflower, in that case use red grapes . It was garnished with pomegranate seeds (for extra color) and pickled mustard seeds. Instead of parmesan, I shave sharp white cheddar on top.

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

You can find out how to make the pickled mustard seeds here. They make a great gift and keep almost forever in the fridge.

 

This will be my contribution to the Fiesta Friday virtual blogging party. It’s Fiesta Friday #511 hosted by Angie and Co-hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

 

Two Easy Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower Dishes – September
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Two Easy Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower Dishes – September

Here are two delicious and easy sheet pan ideas for roasting riced cauliflower. The first with chopped sweet peppers and baby spinach, the second with garlic and mushrooms.

These are perfect side dishes for anything grilled or roasted. By themselves they are vegan and paleo, gluten and dairy free.

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

Ingredients:

  • I package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistancy
  • 1 lemon, zested – save the juice for the end
  • 1 whole red pepper or 5 baby peppers of various colors
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large handful of baby spinach

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine the riced cauliflower, lemon zest, sweet peppers, garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
  3. Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pan and place it on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  4. Cook for 15 minutes then take out of the oven and mix in the baby spinach, stir and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so until the spinach is wilted and the cauliflower is browning on the edges of the sheet pan.
  5. Let cool a bit, then use the parchment to turn into a serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon.
Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • I package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistancy
  • 2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
  • 4 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large handful of something green to garnish…microgreens, chopped arugula, parsley, chives, etc.

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine the riced cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
  3. Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pan and place it on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  4. Cook for 20 minutes until the cauliflower has browned on the edges of the sheet pan.
  5. Let cool a bit, then use the parchment to turn into a serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste and add something green. Mix a final time.
Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

I wonder if the folks over at Fiesta Friday would enjoy this? It is Fiesta Friday #449, a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie. Click on the link to read posts with wonderful recipes, craft or decorating ideas.