Cauliflower Steaks w/ Pesto!

Is it just me or did April absolutely fly by? I mean…it’s April 25!! Where did the month go?!

Quite an exceptional dinner tonight (if I do say so myself) with an unlikely star. The humble cauliflower. Yes, the cauliflower: often overlooked, or seen as “icky.” Well let me tell you — it is neither icky or gross. It is now a superstar in my book!! High in Vitamin C, fiber, folate, and cancer-fighting compounds. And not to mention YUMMY!

gorgeous colors and textures!

With all my new food allergies, topped with the Body Ecology Diet restrictions, my food options have forced me to branch out to try new things. Enter: Cauliflower!

fantastic roasted cauliflower steak:)

I know you all are probably familiar with the “ho-hum” preparations of frozen cauliflower boiled to an inch of its life. Or as Ranch Dip’s raw crudite counterpart. Well, allow me to introduce you to the Roasted Cauliflower Steak! Strikingly dramatic, it was dinner’s shining star this evening. I served it with a pesto sauce, and cod “en papillote” with red peppers and spinach.

healthy and delish!

What a meal! Lets start with the Cauliflower Steaks.

amazing caramelization of the cauliflower!

Here’s what you need:

Head of Organic Cauliflower

Yep, that’s it! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with olive oil. After washing and removing the outer leaves from your cauliflower, turn it upside-down on your cutting board and cut 1 inch “steaks” through the stalk. Place the steaks ((and all the fallen florets)) onto your baking sheet and spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes, flipping half way through. When you flip it, spray the other side (now gorgeously caramelized and brown) with olive oil. Top with delicious pesto or eat plain and bask in its sweet, slightly nutty, caramelized goodness!

Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp EVOO
3-4 Tbsp water
salt to taste

Whirl those in the food processor until you get your gorgeous, emerald, creamy pesto!

Finally, I served this amazing cauliflower with Cod en Papillote.

We had a beautiful fillet of cod from Lobsta Bakes that was wild, ocean-caught, and fresh from that morning! I made it “en papillote,” or in little tin foil canoes. I placed the fillets on beds of julliened vegetables, and they cooked in a steam bath of white wine, lemon and dill. (Or for me, just lemon and dill — no alcohol on the BED!!)

Here’s what you need:

1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
fresh spinach
1 lemon, sliced
fresh dill
white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I portioned out my fish into 3 servings, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I laid out 3 large sheets of tin foil and laid a bed of spinach and bell peppers on each. I placed the fish on top, followed by the lemon slices and fresh dill. After folding up the sides and ends a bit, I poured a healthy splash of white wine over the fish. (This is what steams your fish and veggies!) Then fold up the sides and ends so it is all enclosed, creating a little canoe. Bake for 45 minutes, or less, depending on the thickness of your fish. Carefully open your papillote (the steam can burn!) and enjoy! Delish!

YUM!!!!

This meal was outrageous. Not only was the fish moist and tender, but the cauliflower knocked my socks off! By roasting it low and slow, it released all its natural sugars and caramelized to this gorgeous brown crust. It was tender and wonderful. The outside was just ever-so crisp and the inside was almost creamy and chewy. The flavor that was released was terrific — it was nutty and sweet. This paired so beautifully with the bright and fresh pesto!

brilliant emerald-green pesto:)

And the colors just jumped off the plate! The gorgeous emerald-green pesto against the bright red peppers was complimented perfectly by the sunny-yellow lemon! An all around a fabulous meal!

More cauliflower recipes coming soon! I have 4 mouth-watering recipes in the works!

Until Tomorrow!

My food processor was the behind-the-scenes tool that made this pesto shine! I LOVE my food processor, but then, you knew that already:) Here's the one I use: