Cauliflower Steaks Topped With Black Beans & Chimichurri Sauce

You heard that right. Cauliflower steaks! I've seen many great vegan chefs make these cauliflower steaks so I wanted to try it myself. It was so simple to make and I wiped my dish clean even faster because they were that good.

This recipe makes for a great vegan option and for my people who love to enjoy veggies in creative ways. Not only do you get a great source of veggies, but you get an easy source of protein from the black beans!

Now, I know that chimichurri sauce is usually parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic processed then added into a bowl of olive oil, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, and salt. But I changed it up a bit as a personal touch. Instead of oregano, I used cilantro, and I processed all of the ingredients together into one thick sauce. It was truly delicious and the best part was I made enough for the whole week. So, I used the sauce on all kinds of dishes like steak tacos and nourish bowls.

I could keep talking about this dish for days, but instead I'm going to tell you to turn your ovens on bake, grab a head of cauliflower, and let's get started!

Yields: 2

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes (depends on your oven)

This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan.

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Ingredients:

1. 1 head of cauliflower

2. Roasted tomatoes (I bought these from the olive bar at Wegman's but you can also make your own --> I'll explain down in the instructions)

3. 1 can of black beans (cooked, drained, washed)

4. Arugula

5. Extra virgin olive oil

6. Salt

7. Freshly ground black pepper

Chimichurri sauce:

1. 1 cup firmly bunched fresh parsley

2. ½ cup firmly bunched fresh cilantro 3. 4 garlic cloves

4. Extra virgin olive oil

5. 2 TBSPs red wine vinegar

6. Dash of red pepper flakes (or to your liking)

7. 1 TSP of salt (keep adding after until you like the taste)

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Instructions:

(Can we just admire this close up of the dish?)

Cauliflower steaks:

1. First, preheat your oven to 425 on bake.

2. Grab a baking sheet and line it with aluminum or parchment paper. Spray some olive oil.

3. Grab your cauliflower head and wash it. Remove the leaves at the stem and keep the core intact.

4. You are going to chop the cauliflower into thick steak-like slices. About an inch thick because they can break very easily in the oven. If you get any excess cauliflower that breaks off, you can just bake those too. No need for perfection here!

5. Now, the cauliflower steaks you just chopped, gently place them onto the baking pan in a single layer.

6. In a small bowl, pour in 2-3 TBSPs of olive oil. Use a brush to brush that olive oil onto each cauliflower. Add salt and black pepper onto each side gently without breaking them.

7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on one side and then flip them half way. Be careful don't burn yourself!

8. Bake them for another 10-15 minutes.

Chimichurri sauce:

9. While you wait for the cauliflower steaks to bake, in a small processor you're going to add in the parsley, cilantro, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt.

10. In a small pan, add in 1 TBSP of olive oil, and add in the garlic cloves. Toast them until light brown. Add the garlic cloves into the blender and add in ¼ cup of olive oil.

11. Puree. Taste for salt, and if it's dry, add more olive oil Puree until its a thinner consistency and to your liking for taste.

Roasted tomatoes:

12. If you want to make the roasted tomatoes, grab 1 beefsteak tomato and slice them into thick slices and then chop those in half.

13. In a frying pan, add 1 TBSP of olive oil, and once it simmers, add in the tomatoes. Sauté until lightly toasted.

Black beans:

14. After you've drained the black beans and washed them, you can choose to use them as is or sauté them for a bit in a small frying pan.

15. Let's put everything all together: grab a serving bowl, add in 1-2 handfuls of arugula. Gently add the cauliflower steaks on top, add on the roasted tomatoes, add ⅓ cup or so of black beans or to your liking, then pour on the chimichurri sauce to your liking as well. The amounts you make should be enough for 2 people, so evenly distribute the ingredients.

16. Enjoy!