Cauliflower “Steaks”

I’ve always loved cauliflower roasted, so around Christmas and Thanksgiving roasted cauliflower “chicken” and “turkeys” were turning up in my feed. I had to try it. I tried several whole roasted heads of cauliflower “chickens” and liked them but it left that rich umami flavour of meats out.

This weekend my husband had made ribs the previous night and we had tacos at lunch so I wanted to have a meat free dinner, but it was hot so to avoid heating the house I wanted to use the grill. I pitched the idea of cauliflower steaks and my husband was huge fan of this experiment. I looked up several recipes online but they all had a fair amount of strong flavours. With my little kids I decided to keep it simple and wanted a rich and salty flavour. It was a knock out! The rich umami palate sense and incredible texture was a winner! I couldn’t believe cauliflower could taste this fantastic!

Now for some tips! Make sure you slice the cauliflower in slices and keep the stems to keep the steaks together. Make sure the outside of the cauliflower is well coated with oil and seasoning. This is a great way to use the grill when entertaining a mixed crowd of vegans or vegetarians, and meat eaters. Throw some cauliflower steaks on with the other meats you are grilling. This recipe would also make a great side dish!

Cauliflower Steaks

• One head of cauliflower chopped vertically
• 3 Tbs oil- I used olive, but only because I was out of vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1- 3 tsp seasoning salt(depending on how much you like salt/ I used about 1.5 tsp
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Clean the cauliflower head and remove the leaves. Cut the head of the cauliflower in vertical slices. One head of cauliflower made about six whole slices and a few “mini steaks” smaller pieces that we put in our bbq basket to grill.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower in the oil and seasoning.

Heat the grill to high. Cook on high for three minutes a side, then turn to low-medium heat and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with desired sides. Veggie Noodle stir fry and lemon grilled broccoli pictured below. Enjoy!

Jess