I mentioned this in my meal planning post over the weekend, and I received so many questions about how to make it! When I made it again, I wrote down the recipe so that I could share it with you guys! To make this recipe, you’ll need to make a cashew cheese sauce. I really like the one from Paleo Gluten Free Eats. I also love her 5 minute blender bread, just fyi. If you aren’t used to eating dairy free, this will not be the same as a truly cheesy sauce, but it is a delicious substitute. This dairy free creamy buffalo cauliflower is a great, healthy side dish with plenty of flavor. I also included the recipe for the pan-roasted chicken breasts we had with this meal!
Because the sun goes down so early these days, I wasn’t able to get any pretty pictures of this, so bear with me with this one!
A couple of notes:
- For the cashew cheese sauce, buy raw cashews, then toast them in a pan on the stove. I stirred them frequently, and removed from the heat when they are just starting to brown. If you are toasting any kind of nut and you begin to smell them, they’re probably done.
- The directions in the cheese sauce recipe say you can use either stock or water. I used some bone broth I had in the fridge, but I would recommend stock or broth over water for extra flavor.
- To make this a vegan dish, use vegetable stock.
- If you are having this as a vegetarian meal, add some hemp seeds for extra protein.
- I buy nutritional yeast at Trader Joe’s.
- For raw cashews, try Trader Joe’s and Costco.
- I didn’t use a food processor, because I just always reach for my Vitamix.
- I served this to my kids, so I didn’t want to make it too spicy. To kick it up a notch, add a dash of cayenne pepper when you season the cauliflower with salt and pepper. Or add some extra hot sauce.
- If you leave the pan on heat when you add the cheese sauce, it will stick. Make sure to follow that part of the recipe directions.
- I have another recipe coming with a second way to use this cheese sauce. Stay tuned!
This recipe is half one I came up with, and half from another blogger, as I said above. Make this sauce first!
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- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 3 Tbsp water
- salt and pepper
- 5 Tbsp cashew cheese sauce Recipe from Paleo Gluten Free Eats
- 1-2 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot sauce
Ingredients
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- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let heat for a minute or two.
- Add the cauliflower and saute until starting to brown. Toss a couple of times, but do not stir constantly. Add the water, just a tablespoon at a time and cook until the cauliflower is cooked through and brown on the edges. (The water helps it steam a bit and cook through, but you don't have to use it).
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat off and quickly stir in the cheese sauce and the hot sauce. Serve immediately.
Here is the recipe for the pan-roasted chicken breasts. As I noted within the recipe, this cooking method can be used for any flavors! You can adjust the seasonings to fit the type of meal you are having.
You’ll want a digital meat thermometer. It is one of my absolute kitchen must-haves. I use mine ALL the time so that I don’t overcook meat and fish. And burgers. And chicken. You get the point. It is a very worth-while $12 investment. 😉 I have a different brand, but this one looks almost identical to mine.
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- Preheat the oven to 350 and make sure the racks are adjusted in a way that you can fit the sauté pans in the oven.
- Season the chicken breasts with the seasoning salt (use slightly more than you would if you were doing just salt and pepper). Sprinkle with the dried herbs - not too much. Add some of the black pepper. Pat the seasonings onto the chicken with the back of a fork so that they will stick to it.
- Heat two medium to large oven-safe, stainless sauté pans over medium high heat. (Tip when cooking meat on the stove - do not over crowd your pans. If your chicken breasts are small, you may be able to fit them all into one pan, but they cook better if they are spread out a bit).
- Once the pan is starting to heat, add the avocado oil. Once that is hot, add the chicken breasts, top side down (the prettier side). If you lay the chicken in the pan and it doesn't sizzle, the oil is not hot enough.
- Cook until the chicken is browned on one side, then flip and brown on the other side. This will take a few minutes on each side.
- Add the lemon juice to the pan. Turn off the stove.
- Place the sauté pans in the oven as-is. Cook for about 11-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees. It took mine about 13 minutes, but it will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken.
- We sliced the chicken and served it with the cauliflower. You can use the pan drippings as a sauce!
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