Let me say right off the bat that this is more of an idea than a recipe. Lately, cauliflower steaks are everywhere. I can’t seem to pick up a food magazine or check out a blog without running into them. They’re the new “other white meat.” So I figured I needed to try them. And why not, while I’m at it, do something weird like coat them in hummus?
Before I get to that, I’m going to impose another video on you. After years of refusing to learn how to post a video, I’ve discovered that I actually like making videos–as long as I don’t have to be in them. (This same stipulation applies to photos in general.) Today’s video has nothing to do with food but is about a subject even dearer to my heart: Animals.
My daughter volunteers a few Saturdays a month at CARA, one of the local no-kill animal shelters. She’s been doing it for a couple of years now, and when I pick her up, I sometimes take a look around the front rooms where a few of the cats and the small dogs are kept. This past Saturday, I came early in order to take photos for a presentation that E was making at our church the next day. After taking photos and a little video in the front rooms, I asked permission to visit the dogs in the back. And I was stunned. Nothing about the front of the shelter prepared me for the vastness of the warehouse in the back, where the large dogs are kept row upon row in immaculately clean cages. E says that CARA is currently over their capacity of 300 dogs, and I believe it. Until someone adopts these dogs, others will have to be turned away. The situation is the same in shelters across the country.
So I’m asking you to watch the video and think about adopting your next companion. No matter where you adopt, you are making room for another animal in that shelter. And if you can’t adopt, consider volunteering your time or contributing money or supplies. Here’s a link where you can find out how to help the animals in this video, but I’m sure that your local shelter also needs your contribution. (Quick thank you to Jenny Mayhem for the beautiful music.)
Now, about these “steaks.” They were actually a bit of an afterthought. I decided I wanted to bake tofu in a hummus crust, and since I had the oven going, I decided to try the hummus idea on cauliflower, too. And, as these spur of the moment things go, I actually preferred the hummus on the cauliflower to the tofu because it had more flavor. It probably would have made a huge difference if I’d marinated the tofu, so if you want to try, I suggest soaking slabs of frozen-then-thawed tofu in a marinade for at least an hour before coating them with hummus. Also, no matter what you’re baking with hummus, try increasing or even doubling the seasonings (garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, etc.) in the hummus because baking seems to suck some of the flavor out of it.
I served both the cauliflower and the tofu with Spiced Lentils and Rice, which you can see in the top photo. For more delicious-looking ways to season cauliflower steaks, check out the links at the bottom of this post.
Hummus-Crusted Cauliflower Steaks
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (you will use only half)
- salt and pepper
- about 1/3 cup hummus, such as Blender Hummus
- fresh rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Wash the cauliflower and trim off all the leaves and the bottom of the stem. Place it stem-down on your cutting board. Cut it in half straight down through the middle. Take each half and make another parallel cut so that you have two “steaks,” about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick. Make one more parallel cut on each half, to try to get a total of 4 steaks. Don’t worry if your final cut results in your cauliflower falling to pieces! How many steaks you get depends on the size and shape of your cauliflower. Reserve the individual florets for another use, or toss them with some hummus and roast them, too. (Individual florets will take less time, so be careful not to burn them.)
- Sprinkle one side of each cauliflower steak with salt and pepper and place it pepper-side down on a non-stick or silicone-coated baking sheet. Spread hummus lightly on the top of each cauliflower piece and sprinkle with fresh rosemary, if you want. Bake until cauliflower is just tender and hummus is beginning to lightly brown, about 30 minutes.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 3
Nutrition (per serving): 103 calories, 12 calories from fat, 1.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 76.5mg sodium, 813mg potassium, 19.2g carbohydrates, 7.8g fiber, 6.9g sugar, 6.9g protein. (Nutrition info uses my low-fat Hummus in the Blender.)
Cauliflower Steaks Take Over the World:
- Piri Piri Cauliflower Steak from JL Goes Vegan
- Cauliflower Sous Vide at What the hell does a vegan eat anyway?
- Cauliflower Steaks with Charred Red Pepper Sauce and Lentils at Coffee & Quinoa
- Cauliflower Steaks with Ginger-Soy Sauce from Two Peas & Their Pod
- Cauliflower Steaks with Creamy Siracha Aoili (use vegan yogurt) from LaaLoosh
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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
so many dogs…. there’s an issue too if they stay in a shelter like this too long, no matter how good the shelter is. if they don’t get enough individualized human attention, it really changes and hurts them.
This sounds so yummy! Ive never heard of cauliflower steaks, I can only imagine the variation possibilities. Thank you susan for another awesome recipe!
Wow. This looks great, Susan. I had no idea cauliflower was the “new white (not) meat.” Cool. I am going to try this out. Thanks so much!!
And, as you know, I love the video, it’s beautifully done, and I certainly agree with you that it’s so important these animals find loving homes. And so grateful there are folks doing such good work to keep them alive and healthy in the meantime. My son and girlfriend have given a happy home to two such wonderful critters.
xo
moonwatcher
Can wait to try this clever idea! Thank you for all you great recipes.
Congrats on video posting and I am in agreement with you on being in them or photos.
Great subject even if off of food. I’m a firm believer in adoption and have two cats that I picked up from two different shelters.
I haven’t ever heard of cauliflower steaks and am not a fan of this cruciferous plant but I will keep trying different ways of making cauliflower just because the benefits outweigh my palate’s general displeasure of its taste.
I am trying to access my recipe box for the first time but have already forgotten my password. As instructed, I entered what I thought was my user name and when that didn’t work, I entered my email address. This was all to no avail. Is it possible to start all over with both a new user name and password? Thank you.
Judy, I couldn’t find you listed under the email you used to post this. If I were you, I would sign up again. Is it possible you were registered over on the main fatfreevegan.com? We are separate sites, so you have to register separately for each one.
beautiful video. gorgeous animals. thank you.
I LOVE this idea! I must try it!
This is a nice recipe glad I tried it.
Love the addition of hummus. Thanks for linking to our post!
now that’s my kind of steak! yum!
Hello, Susan -
Since my partner and I started eating more consciously about a year and a half ago, I’ve enjoyed searching for and finding new recipes that support us in our changes – and your “Fat-free vegan” ones have been fabulous! I like to read your commentary with the entries and feel like I’m getting to know you – so I was almost not even surprised when your “our church” link took me to the UU church of Jackson MS. So from a fellow Unitarian (First Unitarian, Portland OR) I thank you for your good work and great enthusiasm for ethical, healthy food. Best wishes!
Helena
Another good recipe
and thank you for this site which I appreciate 
Wow…love this idea! I’ve not seen this concept before but love roasted cauliflower. Now I want to make a roasted cauliflower ‘sandwhich’ and use it as my burger bun. That’s one for the weekend I think! Thank you.
I will not buy a dog or cat as long as there are animals to be adopted.
I enjoy your recipes and make several of them routinely. But don’t refer to vegetables as “steak.” I’ve never seen a meat eater take a steak and shape it into a broccoli and say it’s a recipe for broccoli (or another vegetable).
Steak is more the type of cut. You can have fish steaks and not just beef steaks. I wouldn’t say the word steak bothers me even as a vegan.
I think it’s neat to do a thick cut vegetable such as cauliflower for a main focus of a vegan meal.
Yes, steak is a cut of meat or fish. Too many vegan dishes use meat references such as burgers, hot dogs, tofurky. No need for the above recipe to use the word steak – how about cauliflower slices.
Thanks, Veronica. I totally agree. As a vegan, I try to eliminate the use of animals in my life, but I have more important things to worry about than linguistic purity. I prefer to appropriate words like “steak” and give them new meanings.
[ Smiles ] Susan, I would like to thank you for sharing this delicious vegan recipe.
Wow…great (and healthy) recipe! I use cauliflower a lot and this is a perfect way to highlight it! If your readers are looking for a way to enhance their cooking skills that help make following recipes much easier, check out this new course from the online cooking school, Rouxbe. I think you’ll be impressed! Cheers Everyone!
http://rouxbe.com/cooking-courses/plant-based-cooking-level-1/details
So sad that so many dogs don’t have homes
Kudos to your daughter for volunteering.
This is a really interesting, I’d never thought of coating cauliflower in hummus. Sounds delish!
I’ve made a lot of the recipes from the FatFree Vegan kitchen over the past year or so, but recently I’ve been focusing on the Dr. Furhman way of eating, I’m becoming a vegan Nija and cooking up a storm on the weekends. The FatFee Vegan Kitchen recipes are perfect.
Today I made the Hummus-Crusted Cauliflower Steaks, I wasn’t real excited about the recipe, but I had a head of cauliflower and some left over hummus I made, I added some smoked paprika to the top. OMG, how delicious. I served for lunch with messaged green and red kale,
I also made the baked beans (the ones in the pig pot) they are delicious.
I’m posting pictures on my Facebook page!
Keep up the incredible creativity in the kitchen.
Anna Marie
This has been sooo good¡¡¡ My only change was 15 minutes in the oven prior to spread the “steaks” with the hummus… this way I just wanted to be sure they were cooked enough (my cauliflower was a little too big…). After this, I put hummus on top (a thick layer since we do really love it) and about 20 minutes more until cauliflower was soft but not mushy and the top of hummus was little brown. Delicious¡¡¡ Thanks so much for the recipe. Best regards from Spain
[ Smiles ] Susan, you really know how to make cauliflower appealing.
Nice recipe!
I found this blog yesterday, saw this cool recipe, and just happened to have a head of cauliflower in the fridge at home! I made it last night and my husband and I LOVED it! So simple and delicious!
just wanted to let you know we LOVED your cauliflower steaks, used our homemade hummus and it was wonderfully yummy!!! Thank you so much for sharing
I’ve had a cauliflower sitting in my fridge for a couple days now just waiting to be used. This recipe looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it out.
Gonna attempt a stove-top version of this (I grill covered vegetables in a huge cast iron skillet in place of firing up the enormous energy-consuming oven I have access to these days. Seems to work out pretty well.)
And before this post, I’d never even heard of cauliflower steaks! Will have to Google to find out more
Those look really cool and unique! Definitely going in my to-cook folder
I MADE THIS FOR SUNDAY DINNER. THE “STEAKS” WERE DELICIOUS AND MY FRIENDS TRULY WERE SURPRISED. I HAD SOME SKEPTICS. IT WAS A REAL CONVERSATION STARTER. I WILL MAKE THIS DISH AGAIN AND AGAIN. KEEP THE RECIPES COMING…I THANK YOU
I made this last weekend when my non-vegan parents came to visit and it was such a hit!!! I made the cauliflower steaks with your homemade hummus (and i followed your tip about doubling the spices etc which was great!), i marinated tofu in a soy mix first and then coated it with the hummus, and i served it with the spiced lentils and rice but added cayenne pepper and diced sweet potato. Dessert was you chocolate blueberry cake topped with a healthy chocolate coconut oil glaze. Everything was a success! Thanks for your recipes! Your blog is inspirational!
Thank you so much for this ‘idea’! It was so delicious! I will definitely be making these often in the future.
Made this and we loved it and what a great idea!!! Hubby asked when we were having it again. I served it with asparagus and some white beans mixed with spinach and tomtaoes.
Made the recipe and it was simply heavenly. I happened to have some leftover home made hummus in the fridge. Thanks for the great idea!
Living in Israel we eat hummus quite often, usually as a spread on pita, but it never occurred to me to try adding a hummus crust to baked cauliflower. Sounds wonderful. I will suggest to my wife we give it a try. thanks.
Hi there,
Great idea; I think I’m going to try this one out. I really don’t care much for cauliflower, but I have to admit that this recipe makes it look so divine and sumptuous. Do you have a particular marinade recipe that goes well with this?
Alana
I made these tonight for the main course at dinner. I have been a vegetarian for two years. What a taste sensation! Even two avowed omnivores, who normally dislike cauliflower, cleaned their plates.
What a great idea! I love cauliflower and hummus!!
So simple but what a big impact…taste and texture! In trial I ate the whole head of cauliflower, it was like crack. Later managed to cook it up for the family – vegs and omnis – it’s a hit all around. And, we share our home w/ 3 amazing and devoted rescue animals. Love your recipes, your blog, your family. Thank you!!
I love cauliflower. I had some raw cauliflower steaks last year, as seen on RAWMAZING. Definitely a winner. Have you ever made cauliflower ceviche? It is quite tasty.
These were so good! My whole family loved them. I will definitely make these again & again. Thank you!
These cauliflower steaks are in the oven RIGHT NOW!! I’m so excited to try them! So simple yet so very creative! Thanks so much for the recipe! I even made the blender hummus, just now! Very quickly put together! Yay!
I don’t know about steak but I do like to bake cauliflower tofu cheese patties and they are really good
and I love simple baked cauliflower, so I guess steak would be good also 
Tried this idea this weekend, however, I totally didn’t follow the slicing directions for the head of cauliflower! Fear not! I just broke it all up into similarly sized bits, tossed in a bowl with the hummus and some finishing salt w/Tuscan spices & herbs. Took more like 20 minutes on the convection roast setting. Absolutely delicious!
I love all your recipes, I actually haven’t tried one yet that my family and I don’t love. These were great. Next time I make them I’m going to put a thicker layer of Hummus on the cauliflower. The bites we took where the hummus was thicker we enjoyed more. will be making again soon.