Fall is here!
As much as this summer-loving babe would love to pretend otherwise, fall is here in her golden glory. To celebrate the beginning of Autumn, I decided to devise a dish featuring the perfect fall superfood: turmeric. With it’s bright marigold color and pungent flavor, it is a perfect compliment to this season of changing leaves and cooler temps.
Turmeric has been used for millennia as part of Aryuveda in Southeast Asia. This potent spice–which is rich in the bioactive compound curcumin–has been touted as an aid for fighting for ailments ranging from depression to cancer. Curcumin is also packed with antioxidants and becomes bioavailable when combined with black pepper, which enhances the body’s ability to absorb it. Combining curcumin with fats also helps to optimize absorption.
My first impulse was to create a turmeric version of that perennial classic: the Pumpkin Spice Latte (or “PSL”). While a turmeric PSL would no doubt be delicious, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself a bit more. My mind turned to savorier pursuits (To check out a delish-looking turmeric PSL recipe, click here).
The Inspiration: Cauliflower
I still had a cauliflower in my refrigerator left over from an unfortunate attempt at making cauliflower pizza (ifyky, for those who follow my Instagram Stories). I settled on the idea of making tasty cauliflower steaks, which are basically roasted slabs of cauliflower. To top off the steaks, I would cover them in a delicious turmeric cashew cream. The mild flavor of the cauliflower made a great base for the zesty sauce.
The day before I made the cauliflower steaks, I went to the Union Square Greenmarket. As you will likely remember from my Feta-Stuffed Roasted Pepper post, I like to check out the greenmarket to become inspired by whatever is ripe and in-season at that moment. During this visit, the summer tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers at the Union Square Greenmarket were slowly giving way to the apples, gourds, and root vegetables of fall.
To accompany the cauliflower steaks, I bought a bunch of gorgeous rainbow chard. I also grabbed a ruby-red nardello pepper, which is somewhat sweet and mild in flavor. I sliced thin rounds of the pepper as garnish for the cauliflower steaks. The red of the pepper slices picked up on the reds in the sautéed chard.
The Recipe
This dish is pretty simple to cook, and is really visually fun, as there are lots of elements of yellow and red on the plate. The turmeric cashew cream contains black pepper and healthy fat to facilitate the bioaviailibity of the curcumin. In the future, I would add about 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice for a delicious nutty flavor and some additional protein.
AuthorAzeezah GoodwinCategoryDinner RecipesDifficultyBeginnerSpice up cauliflower "steaks" with antioxidant-packed turmeric cashew cream for a flavorful, fall-themed dish.
Soak the cashews in water overnight or at least 5 hours before.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice the cauliflower into "steaks" approximately 1 inch thick. Coat each side with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Red pepper flakes optional for additional spice.
Place "steaks" on oven-safe roasting pan and cook on each side, flipping after approximately 10-15 minutes.
Rise the cashews and put them in a high-powered blender or food processor. Add turmeric and the rest of the ingredients for the cashew cream. Blend on high until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add water slowly and gradually if a thinner consistency is desired.
Heat EVOO in a pan at medium heat. Add chopped rainbow chard and sauté until soft. Salt to taste.
Slice Nardello pepper or another mild pepper for garnish to add a pop of fall color. Top steaks with cashew cream and slice peppers. Plate with sautéed chard and enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the cashews in water overnight or at least 5 hours before.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice the cauliflower into "steaks" approximately 1 inch thick. Coat each side with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Red pepper flakes optional for additional spice.
Place "steaks" on oven-safe roasting pan and cook on each side, flipping after approximately 10-15 minutes.
Rise the cashews and put them in a high-powered blender or food processor. Add turmeric and the rest of the ingredients for the cashew cream. Blend on high until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add water slowly and gradually if a thinner consistency is desired.
Heat EVOO in a pan at medium heat. Add chopped rainbow chard and sauté until soft. Salt to taste.
Slice Nardello pepper or another mild pepper for garnish to add a pop of fall color. Top steaks with cashew cream and slice peppers. Plate with sautéed chard and enjoy!
If you try it out, please let me know what you think! Drop a comment below.
I also love to see pics. Tag me (@azeezahgoodwin)!
You literally combined several of my favorite foods and spices: Cauliflower, Rainbow Chard and tumerick! A trifecta for me for sure. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Amazing! I hope you like it!