Roast Cauliflower with Vegan Cheese & Beans
Another recipe from our cooking show, Eat Well Be Happy. Of course you get more nutritional bang for your buck when you eat organic, and I personally won’t eat any cruciferous vegetables (the family that includes cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, radishes, etc.) unless it’s grown organically because they are so heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Roasting cauliflower yields results that are delish. When tossed with extra virgin olive oil and spices, the florets get crispy and brown where they touch the hot roasting pan. The resulting flavor is sweet and nutty, too.
Why nutritional yeast? It’s the richest source of the B-vitamins, the nerve and stress vitamins. It helps prevent the breakdown of collagen in the skin. When combined with any nut or seed and salt, it tastes, I kid you not, just like parmesan cheese! Nutritional yeast will not feed or cause candida. No, it will not!
Serves 6 Preheat oven to 425 degrees
| 1 head organic cauliflower (medium-large) | 1 tsp good salt |
| 6 garlic cloves | 4 C cooked cannellini beans (use 1 |
| ½ C extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) | large can Eden beans if using canned) |
| 1 tsp good salt | 2 C pasta sauce (try Yellow Barn!*) |
| 1 tsp black pepper or grains of paradise | 1 C panko crumbs, regular or |
| ½ tsp red chile flakes | gluten-free |
| 1 C walnuts (for vegan cheese) | ½ C walnuts, chopped (for garnish) |
| 1 C nutritional yeast | handful of chopped parsley or basil |
Preheat oven. Prepare the cauliflower thusly: remove outer leaves. Slice off the thick stem. With the head upside down and holding a knife at a 45° angle, slice into the smaller stems with a circular motion—removing the “plug” from the center of the head. Break or cut florets into bite-sized pieces. On a roasting pan (I like to use my enamel coated steel paella pan from our neighbors, the West Concord 5&10 next-door), toss cauliflower with garlic, EVOO, salt, pepper and chile flakes. Put into the hot oven and roast until cauliflower is caramelized and crisp, about 30 minutes (stir once or twice during this time).
In the meantime, make your vegan cheese by blending the 1 C walnuts, brewer’s yeast and a tsp of good salt (I use the steel blade and my food processor). Set vegan cheese aside. Drain the beans and warm them with the pasta sauce. Spoon beans onto plates. Top with roasted cauliflower, sprinkle with vegan cheese. Garnish with panko crumbs, the ½ C chopped walnuts, and a handful of torn parsley or basil leaves.
*Yellow Barn pasta sauces are not only sugar-free but are biodynamically-grown. Biodynamic means a dedication to holistically managed, self-sustaining ecosystems. Homeopathic preparations are used to nourish soil. Biodynamic is beyond organic! And you can also feel good because everyone’s going to ask for seconds!