Cauliflower & Chickpea Enchiladas

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We have seen a lot of New Year’s resolution posts on our social media accounts, and one of the most common food goals people are talking about is the desire to eat more plant based. Eating plant based has a number of benefits for our bodies and the environment; including a reduced carbon footprint and greenhouse emissions. Our mom eats mostly plant based and we will never forget when she ordered the surprise vegetarian dinner at a steak house only to have a bowl of pasta served to her. We view cooking plant based meals as a fun challenge; we like to experiment with new ingredients and flavors and not just replace meat with pasta or other empty carbs. When we have a successful dish like these enchiladas, we don’t even miss the meat.

Cauliflower & Chickpea Enchiladas

  • Servings: 4
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A plant based recipe that everyone will love. These enchiladas are so delicious we promise you won’t be distracted they are vegetarian.

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower, stem removed and florets chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 4 tbs olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 chipotles in adobo, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (we love Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 large burrito-sized torillas
  • enchilada sauce (anywhere from 10 – 16 oz)
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tbs olive and season well with salt and pepper. Lay the cauliflower in an even layer and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is roasted and fork tender. Leave the oven on and reduce the head to 350 degrees, as you will need to bake the enchiladas after they are assembled.
  3. While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil and onion to the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the onion starts to caramelize. Add the chipotles in adobo, cumin, coriander to the pan; mix to combine and let the spices toast on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the chickpeas, sour cream, and water to the pan. Stir to combine and cover. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes to soften the chickpeas. Remove the lid and mash half the chickpeas with a potato masher or a large fork. Add the corn and gently fold in the with a spatula to combine. If the cauliflower has not finished cooking by this point, remove the pan from the heat until the cauliflower is cooked. When the cauliflower is roasted and tender, to the pan and mix everything well to combine.
  5. Lay the four tortillas onto your counter top or cooking space. Divide the cauliflower mix amongst the four tortillas. Do the best you can to roll them into burritos.
  6. Spray a pyrex baking dish with cooking spray. Use a spoon to layer about 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Add the four burritos to the pan in an even layer. Top the burritos with the remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the baking dish. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, the first 15 minutes covered in foil and the last 5 minutes uncovered to let the cheese get melty and bubbly. Top with green onions, cilantro, or avocado if you wish and serve immediately.

Cauliflower Steaks with Herby Caper Sauce

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We. Love. Cauliflower. Can you tell by the crazy number of recipes we have posted using it?! It is a hearty and versatile versatile vegetable that combines well with just about any flavor combination. Lately we have used it in our Semi-Homemade Cauliflower Bowls, and as the base for a sauce in our Cauliflower Mac & Cheese. For this version we have cut the cauliflower into thick steaks and serve it with a lemony, herby caper sauce. They could easily be a main course for a vegetarian meal or can be served as a robust side dish. We love this simple sauce drizzled over the top to give the cauliflower a salty, citrusy punch of flavor. 

Cauliflower Steaks with Herby Caper Sauce 
Makes: 4 side dish servings; 2 main course servings 
Prep Time: 40 minutes    Total Time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower 
  • 1/3 cup + 2 tbs olive oil 
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon 
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard 
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced 
  • 2/3 cup packed flat leaf parsley, finely chopped 
  • 1/4 cup capers, drained 
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
  • salt and pepper to taste  

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
  2. Remove the leaves from the head of cauliflower and carefully remove the excess stem that is not connected to the cauliflower florets. You want to leave some of the stem so that the “steaks” remain intact when you slice the cauliflower. Slice the cauliflower into 4 thick slices and lay on a baking sheet. 
  3. Drizzle the 2 tbs of olive oil over the cauliflower and toss well to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper and put into the oven. Bake the cauliflower for 20 minutes; remove from the oven, carefully flip it with and spatula, and bake another 15-20 minutes. The cauliflower should be dark golden brown on the outsides. 
  4. While the cauliflower is roasting, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, Dijon mustard, and garlic together in a small bowl. Add the parsley, capers, and red pepper flakes, whisking well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. 
  5. When the cauliflower has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and use a spatula to transfer it to a serving dish. Serve with a generous pour of the caper sauce and serve immediately. 

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

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We love mac & cheese more than most things in life. It’s our favorite accompaniment for any bbq menu and most family gatherings. In the spirit of keeping ourselves “bikini ready” this summer, we wanted to create our version of a healthier mac & cheese recipe. Our goal was to create an alternative that is healthier than most recipes without sacrificing taste. 

To do this we used cauliflower as the base of our cheese sauce! It might sound like an odd choice, but steamed cauliflower is a delicious, mostly neutral, creamy base and often used for similar vegan recipes. Our mac is hardly vegan, and to help cut having a strong cauliflower taste, we used sharp white cheddar and gruyere to cheese up our macaroni. We chose to steam the cauliflower to preserve most of the vegetable’s nutrients, but you can save some time by boiling the cauliflower or buying frozen cauliflower florets. As long as the cauliflower is fork-tender, it is ready to be made into sauce. The results are pretty darn excellent and we don’t feel bad about digging in all summer long! 

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese 
Makes: 8 servings 
Prep Time: 40 minutes     Total Time: 60 minutes 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lb pasta 
  • 1 large head cauliflower 
  • 12 oz milk or vegetable stock 
  • 2 tbs butter 
  • 1 tsp garlic powder 
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard 
  • 6 oz block sharp white cheddar cheese, grated 
  • 6 oz block Gruyere cheese, grated 
  • salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
  2. Remove the leaves and excess stem from the cauliflower. Chop the cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Fill a large steamer pot with about 2 inches of water and heat on high. Put the cauliflower florets into the steamer basket, cover, and cook the cauliflower for 20-30 minutes, or until the cauliflower can easily be pierced with a fork. 
  3. While the cauliflower is steaming, heat a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside. 
  4. When the cauliflower is fork-tender, remove it from the steamer and place it directly into a large food processor or blender. Pulse the cauliflower so that it starts to break down. Add the liquid- the milk or vegetable stock- to the blender 1/4 cup at a time, until the cauliflower forms a thick and smooth sauce. Reserve any extra liquid that you did not use in case you need to thin the sauce after adding the cheese. 
  5. Heat the pot you used to cook the pasta over medium heat. Add the butter to the pot and give it a quick stir until it is melted. Add the cauliflower puree, garlic powder, and ground mustard to the pot and stir. Add about 3/4 of each of the cheeses to the cauliflower and continue to stir until the cheese is completely melted. If at any point you think the sauce is too thick, add more of the liquid to the sauce. When the sauce is completely melted and has a thick but smooth texture, give it a taste and season it with salt and pepper. 
  6. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir thoroughly to combine. Spray a large pyrex baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the mac and cheese from the pasta pot to the pyrex. Use a spatula to spread the mac and cheese into an even layer in the dish and top with the remaining cheeses. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly, before serving. 

Air Fried Buffalo Cauliflower

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Substituting chicken for cauliflower is one of those swaps that, when done right, makes you forget the original. Don’t get us wrong, we are not trying to pretend that we don’t love good chicken wings, but when we need a healthier swap, we turn to cauliflower. This recipe is super simple and can be used in a ton of different ways. You can serve the cauliflower as an appetizer with ranch or blue cheese dip, put it in a wrap or tacos as a substitute for protein, or on top of a salad.

Air Fried Buffalo Cauliflower

Makes: 4 – 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower or 16 oz cauliflower florets
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 1 cup of hot sauce (we used Franks)
  • ranch or blue cheese for dipping, optional

Directions:

  1. If you did not buy prepackaged cauliflower, prepare the cauliflower by removing the stem and cutting the florets into bite sized pieces.
  2. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the butter and stir in the hot sauce. You don’t need to bring the mixture to a boil, you just want to make sure that everything is evenly blended.
  3. Turn the heat off and add the cauliflower. Stir until all of the cauliflower is coated with the hot sauce. Place the cauliflower on the baking sheet for your air fryer. Set the temperature to 400 degrees and air fry for 10-15 minutes until the cauliflower is browned and crispy.
  4. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, in a wrap, on a salad or straight up!

Semi-Homemade Creamy Cauliflower Rice Bowls

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One of our favorite food trends of the last few years is the transformation of cauliflower into the ultimate substitute for carbs. Pizza crust, gnocchi, rice – you name it and you can find it on the shelf. We are fully on board with this movement and have used cauliflower rice as the base ingredient for this week’s recipe. Our semi-homemade creamy cauliflower chicken bowls take items that you can find at pretty much any grocery (riced cauliflower, pre-shredded kale and chicken sausage) and combines these ingredients through a quick cook to make an easy and healthy dinner. This recipe makes GREAT leftovers or can be used to meal prep for the week. Just cool the ingredients after cooking and reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.

Semi-Homemade Creamy Cauliflower Rice Chicken Bowls

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb riced cauliflower (we used fresh but you can easily use frozen too)
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups pre-shredded kale
  • 1 package (12-16 oz) pre-cooked chicken sausage links, sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a pot, add the butter, cream cheese and milk over medium heat. Stir until the cream cheese is melted into the milk. Add the cauliflower rice and cook on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the kale and cook the kale for 5 minutes until it is reduced. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  3. Re-use the same pan you used to cook the kale, and saute the chicken sausage on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until browned on both sides. You don’t need to clean the pan between use. Let the chicken sausage soak up any extra garlic and oil while it browns. 4. Put it all together by adding the creamy cauliflower rice to the base of your bowl. Top with the garlicky greens and chicken sausage and enjoy!

Lemon & Caper Roasted Cauliflower

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f you are the type of person who likes to entertain or have people over for dinner often, it’s nice to have a catalog of “go to” recipes in your back pocket. These are recipes that pair well with most dinner options and are easy to prepare, like our Fall Kale Salad. If you don’t have a dish like this already in your repertoire, this roasted cauliflower should be bookmarked asap. It pairs well with so many dishes: anything Italian, roasted chicken, fish, seafood, even steak…. your options are far and wide. It takes just a few ingredients in the oven to make this cauliflower go from something ordinary to something pretty special.

Lemon and Caper Roasted Cauliflower
Serving Size: 4 side servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 tbp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Lemon Caper Dressing:

  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 2 tbs capers
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parsley for garnish, optional

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower florets into large, bite-sized pieces.
  • Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 15 minutes
  • While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the lemon caper dressing. Whisk together all of the ingredients (lemon zest – salt and pepper) in a medium sized bowl.
  • Remove cauliflower from the oven, toss with dressing and place the cauliflower back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Serve warm, with parsley for garnish if desired.