I consider it a huge win when I find something to make that is easy, delicious and visually very appealing. Even better, Valerie’s Roasted Cauliflower Steaks will make both meat lovers and vegans happy.

The “Valerie” in this dish is Valerie Bertinelli. Both an actress and an accomplished home cook, her recipes have proven easy to follow and reliable as well as delicious. Even though I was expecting this to be good, my husband and I were surprised at just how delicious it really was. ANd so pretty!

I made half of her original recipe and eyeballed most of the ingredients. So below is Valerie’s recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Steaks for those who feel most comfortable with exact amounts. This easy-going recipe will work either way. And while I did use the butter for the pine nuts and raisins, you could just as easily use either a buttery vegan spread or a good fruity EVOO to keep this dish vegan-friendly.

Any left-over raw cauliflower (and there will be) can be zapped in a food processor to use as cauliflower rice for Cauliflower Tabbouleh, Cauliflower Fried Rice or even a Cauliflower pizza crust.

Recipe

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 heads cauliflower (if you use larger heads you will get the 6 servings)

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/4 cup golden raisins or raisin medley

1 tablespoon unsalted butter/vegan buttery spread or EVOO

1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped or torn

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut off the cauliflower stems, then place the heads cut-side down and slice into 1/2-inch-thick steaks. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping after the first 10 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, add the pine nuts to a dry medium saute pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the raisins and butter and season with salt. Cook, tossing, until the butter has melted and coats the pine nuts and raisins. Off the heat, stir in the parsley.
   
3. Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving platter. Pour the pine nut-raisin mixture over the top. Season with salt.