Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Spicy Tomato Sauce(Vegetarian South Beach Diet Phase 1 Recipe of the Month)

One thing I have learnt with my recent healthy eating, is that it doesn't have to be boring or monotonous. You can have healthy meals that are worthy to be served at a five star restaurant, at home. This Valentine's day, I wanted to do just that. To serve a healthy meal that would be like one served by a Master Chef at his/her restaurant. I wanted to make three courses: an appetizer, a main course and a dessert - all fitting my dietary constraints, but to also serve it to my husband who is not on a diet - and being Valentine's day I obviously wanted to make the meal to his liking.

South Beach Diet Friendly - Valentine's Day MenuAppetizer: Tandoori Tofu/Tofu Tikka(recipe coming soon)

Main course: Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Spicy Tomato Sauce(featured here today)

Dessert:Red Velvet Cheesecake Squares

These were all made in the duration of a couple of hours. I had the grocery shopping done in advance and very little prep work done a day before(like marinating the tofu), but other than that this was a super easy meal to put together.

Here is the main course recipe, that I have adapted to be SBD friendly from Bon Appetit Magazine.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Remove the leaves and trim the stem end of the cauliflower, leaving core intact. Place cauliflower core side down on a work surface. Using a large knife, slice cauliflower into four 1/2" 'steaks' from center of cauliflower (some florets will break loose; reserve). Finely chop enough loose florets to measure 1/2 cup. Set aside.

Mix the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, and lemon juice. Season relish with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook cauliflower steaks until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, adding 1 tsp oil to pan between batches. Transfer steaks to a large rimmed baking sheet. Reserve skillet. Roast cauliflower until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the same skillet add 1 tsp oil. Add red pepper flakes and garlic cloves. Add the chopped tomatoes and the reserved chopped cauliflower. Cook for about 4 minutes, until garlic and cauliflower are tender and tomatoes are soft. Let this cool completely. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon this tomato sauce onto plates. Place the cauliflower steak over it and top it with the olive relish. Serve warm!

I served it with Parmesan Roasted Asparagus on the side to make it a complete meal.

Verdict: This was such a fancy meal - even my real 'steak' eating husband loved it. He said 'very professional' - which I interpret as very good. The cauliflower was perfectly cooked and the roasting gave it a rich flavor. Combined with the spicy tomato sauce and olive relish gave it a very complex flavor. Adding the cauliflower in the sauce gives it thickness and makes it creamy.