This vegetarian Valentine’s day option is a fun way to make cauliflower the star of the meal. Cauliflower gets cut into slabs or “steaks” and roasted until deeply charred and crispy. It gets topped with a creamy bright miso herb sauce, pickled sweet/sour cranberries, and crunchy toasted nuts. You really want to load it up with the toppings to make sure it’s satisfying and hearty enough for a meal.
Ingredient Highlight
Cauliflower! Is a great source of vitamin K and vitamin C. Like all of it’s cruciferous family members, cauliflower contains compounds, called glucosinolates, that may help prevent cancer.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, leaves trimmed off, cut lengthwise into 1-inch slabs see video
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- Black pepper
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup boiling water
- ½ cup toasted almonds chopped
- Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped for garnish
For the sauce:
- 2 cups loosely packed cilantro
- ½ cup hemp seeds
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup mellow white miso paste
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼-½ tsp kosher salt
- Note: if your cauliflower is smaller, use two “steaks” per person. If they aren’t holding together, don’t worry! Just roast them as big chunks and serve it that way. The flavor will be just as good
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cauliflower steaks on the baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil per steak. Sprinkle each with ⅛-¼ tsp salt and some black pepper. Use your fingers or a brush to coat the tops in oil and just rub the steak around in the oil to coat the bottom. Repeat with all steaks. Bake for 30 minutes, or until deeply browned and charred on the bottoms and edges. you really want to get the cauliflower charred/burnt and crispy!
- In a small bowl, add cranberries, vinegar, and boiling water. Soak for at least 2 hours (overnight is best). To quickly pickle them, add water and vinegar into a small pot and bring to a rapid simmer. Stir in the cranberries, remove from heat, and let soak for at least 10 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender, add the herbs, seeds, water, miso, lemon, oil, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Serve the cauliflower steaks smothered in the sauce (about ¼ cup per steak) and topped with pickled cranberries, nuts, and herbs.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Pickle your cranberries
- Toast ¼ cup almonds
- Make the sauce
- Cut cauliflower into slabs
Substitutions:
- If the cauliflower “steak” isn’t working out, just roast big chunks of cauliflower instead.
- Substitute any dried fruit for the cranberries or use pomegranate seeds.
- Substitute any toasted nut or seed for the almonds.
- Substitute parsley for the cilantro or use a mix
- Top with crumbled feta cheese to make it heartier
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Sauce: in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Pickled cranberries: in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover cauliflower. Let the sauce sit out for 10 minutes to soften. Drizzle all over and top with all the toppings.
- This sauce would be delicious on any roasted veggie, grain bowl, or meat.
- Add pickled cranberries to salads and bowls.
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