Fact: I love vegetables. When I go to a restaurant, I usually order something meatless like a portabella mushroom sandwich, a spinach salad, or a broccoli and pepper sandwich. I get carried away buying all kinds of produce at the farmer’s markets. However, as much as I love vegetables, I could never be a vegetarian. Sorry to disappoint, but I blame the bacon.

What carnivores don’t realize is vegetarian meals are not boring. Take these cauliflower steaks for example. After taking a bite, I kept asking myself why don’t I eat cauliflower more often? This recipe intrigued me when I saw it in Bon Appetit’s magazine, and based on comments from Twitter, others are intrigued by it too.

I always feel bad for vegetarians who eat away from home because their options are always boring. What are your options at big events? Rigatoni with meatless sauce? A side salad? Some green beans and potatoes? At work, we have a caterer who cooks for our training schools. Every meal is centered around meat (I’m not kidding – I’ve kept track for awhile for amusement). If he does get a vegetarian request, he makes them pasta. How…exciting.

These steaks are easy to prepare and actually fill you up. You cut your slices, brown them for a few minutes, then roast for about 15 minutes. This particular recipe has an olive relish on top and a simple tomato puree underneath. Technically, the relish also has sun-dried tomatoes, but next time, I’m going to use fresh chopped tomato.

Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Tomato Sauce

Yield: 2

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Ingredients

• Half a head of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced (either drained or rehydrated)
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tomato, cored and quartered

Instructions

2. Remove leaves from the cauliflower and leave the core intact. Slice two 1/2" "steaks" of cauliflower; set aside. Reserve any loose florets. For the relish, finely chop the florets then combine them in a small bowl with the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 Tbsp oil, parsley, and lemon juice. Season the relish with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook one cauliflower steak until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a baking sheet. Add 1/2 Tbsp oil to skillet and repeat with the second steak.
4. Using the same skillet, add garlic cloves and tomatoes, one cut side down. Cook until tomatoes are browned; turn tomatoes over and transfer garlic and tomatoes to another baking sheet. Roast both baking sheets for 15 minutes or until tender.
5. After cooling for a few minutes, transfer the garlic, tomatoes, and remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil to a blender; purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the sauce among two plates. Place 1 steak on each plate; spoon over relish.

Source: Bon Appetit