Roasted Cauliflower with Cashew Cream Sauce

This was my dinner last night, and it was so filling. I mean I was FULL! It was my first time blending cashews with liquid to make a sauce. My husband tried it and loved it too! He doesn’t eat cheese, and it’s so wild how cashews can make a sauce that gives the richness and mouthfeel of a decadent cheese sauce. The best part; it’s Vegan and the nutritional value is off the charts!

Roasted Cauliflower with Cashew Cream Sauce 

Sauce:

1 cup dry cashews

1 cup oat milk (or use water – the milk will make it even creamier)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

pinch of salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp. white miso

1 tbsp. Harissa paste

1 – 2 cups of vegetable stock (add more stock for a thinner sauce)

2 tbsp. parsley minced

1 cup grated Parmesan (optional)

*If you want to keep it completely Vegan, use nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavor. 

Roasted Cauliflower:

1 head of cauliflower

avocado oil

salt and pepper

1. Soak dry cashews in oat milk for 2 hours. To speed up the process, put the mixture in the microwave. It will soften the cashews more quickly resulting in a creamier sauce.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and place a sheet pan in the oven to heat up.
3. Cut cauliflower into steaks. Be sure to leave the root attached. This will help the cauliflower stay together.
4. Coat the cauliflower in avocado oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
5. In a cast iron pan, add avocado oil and char each side of the cauliflower. You are not cooking it all the way though. You are just getting a nice char on each side.
6. Take the heated sheet pan out of the oven and place charred cauliflower on the sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower is baking…

1. Put cashew and milk mixture into a high speed blender along with garlic and onion power, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. In a saute pan over medium heat, add avocado oil and saute garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Add cashew cream mixture, vegetable stock, harissa, white miso, parmesan cheese, and saute for a few minutes until the mixture comes together. Add more stock if you want the sauce to be thinner. DO NOT SALT. The white miso is salty, so you will not need it.

Plate up the cauliflower from the oven, top with the cashew cream, and enjoy!