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Smoky Cauliflower Steaks With Orange and Herb Quinoa

Food, Grains, Healthy, Meal Ideas, Veggie Based, Weekday Approved
By Emma Chapman

Smoky Cauliflower Steaks with Oranges and Herbs Quinoa (via abeautifulmess.com)Have you guys had cauliflower steaks yet? There’s a great restaurant near our new house that sometimes has this cauliflower steak and bean dish on the menu, and it’s awesome! I have no idea what their recipe is. And this isn’t exactly modeled after theirs, mainly because it’s been a while now since I had it. BUT, it is cauliflower steaks. And it is delicious. Actually I can’t decide which I like better in this dish: the cauliflower or the quinoa.

Smoky Cauliflower Steaks with Oranges and Herbs Quinoa (via abeautifulmess.com) We’re gonna roast our cauliflower in a smoky, slightly sweet sauce. It’s kind of like a quick homemade BBQ sauce. Kind of. And then the quinoa gets sautéed with butter, olive oil, orange zest, garlic and parsley. I don’t know what it is but something about the orange and kind-of-sort-of BBQ sauce just works for me! But you could also serve this quinoa alongside all sorts of other main dishes and it would be plenty fun.

Now I must admit that this particular meal takes a bit of prep and uses 2-3 pots/pan along the way. It’s not a one-pot dinner, but I think you’ll find that it’s totally worth the extra 2 minutes of clean up. 🙂

How to make baked cauliflower steaksSmoky Cauliflower Steaks With Orange and Herb Quinoa, serves two.

1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
zest from one orange (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper

For the cauliflower steaks, first cut the head so that you have 2-3 “steaks” from the center. You will have extra cauliflower florets from both sides, which you can either cook alongside the steaks now or save for another meal. I usually save them for another meal and just cook the two steaks if my cauliflower head was fairly large to begin with, but this is up to you. Not all cauliflower heads are going to be the same size, so just think about how much you want to serve per serving here.

Blanch the cauliflower in boiling, salted water for 8-10 minutes until softened. Drain and pat dry. In a small glass bowl stir together the ketchup, soy, molasses, liquid smoke, vinegar and cayenne. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Brush 2/3 of this mixture over the cauliflower and bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes. The cauliflower will release moisture (from the vegetable but also from the blanching process). So at this stage carefully dab some of that up with a paper towel, then brush with the rest of the sauce and bake for another 5-6 minutes.

Best way to prepare quinoaWhile all of that is going on, make your quinoa. Lately I’ve been cooking my quinoa in a rice cooker as it just makes everything super easy. But if you don’t have a rice cooker, just follow the directions on your quinoa package.

Once cooked, sauté in a pan over medium/high heat with the butter, olive oil and chopped garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the orange zest. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Smoky Cauliflower Steaks with Oranges and Herbs Quinoa (via abeautifulmess.com) Once it’s all ready, plate it up and enjoy! In this photo I really have more like two servings on one plate as I was eating this for lunch one day and didn’t bother saving Trey any. Ha! But I wasn’t able to finish it all, not even close. So I’d stick to the two servings here.

Am I over explaining my photos? Yes, yes I am. OK. I’ll stop now. Enjoy! xo. Emma

Note: If you are enjoying this as part of the Weekday Weekend Challenge and you can’t find a compliant ketchup feel free to substitute with tomato paste. The mixture may be slightly thicker but the results will be basically the same.

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

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