Grilling season has come early to my house. Grilled Radicchio last week and Grilled Cauliflower Steaks this week. That’s partly because I’m putting an effort into eating less meat these days. I’m not saying that I’d ever give up on meat entirely, but I’ve been reading the new book from Sam Kass, the Obama’s White House chef, Eat a Little Better and some of its lessons have really rubbed off on me. Especially his philosophy on how to enjoy eating meat in a manner that’s good for your body and mindful of the planet. I’m sure you’ll see some of his opinions about eating meat parroted back on these pages soon.
But lately, I’ve been concentrating on ways to take vegetables to the center of the plate. Because (as paraphrased from Kass) the one single thing we can do to “eat a little better” is to eat more fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t matter what kind, where they’re from, or how they’re grown either. Idealists will claim that the answer to our health woes lies in the organic, seasonal, and local produce we buy at our farmer’s markets. But the truth is that most folks are like me, we do most of our shopping at the supermarket. There are plenty of reasons for this, the convenience not being the least of them. So it’s easy (again if you’re like me) to stand in the produce aisle and worry over every purchase you make. Certain that you’re ruining the world as well as your health if you buy the asparagus from Peru that may or may not have been grown with pesticides and fertilizers. As Kass says, “In the quest to do better and stress out less, let’s acknowledge this encouraging truth: as long as you’re eating more vegetables – yes, even if they’re not organic or are flown in from far away – you’re doing better for your health and the planet’s.”
So eat more vegetables. Make them the center of your meal more than you used to. And while you’re at it forget all that worry about GMO’s, in true Obama style Kass relies on science to put all those fears to rest. In the most succinct explanation I’ve come across he plainly says that GMO technology “sounds like the plot of a sci-fi thriller, but there isn’t a single credible study that shows that GMO’s are dangerous to eat”. Which isn’t to say that GMO’s are the perfect answer. There are still issues with seed diversity and soil health (among others) that need to be worked out. We should address these issues rather than dismiss the process entirely. Kass says, “As climate change accelerates, food will become much more difficult to grow. Gene-editing technology might help with that, so I think it’s wise to keep it as a tool in the toolbox.”
But that’s a post for another day. Today the subject is cauliflower. Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Grapefruit, Watercress, and Pecans. GREG
I received a review copy of Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World by Sam Kass, all opinions are my own.
Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Grapefruit, Watercress, and Pecans
Print This Recipe Yield 4Source Eat a Little Better by Sam KassPublished
Ingredients
- ¼ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil (plus more for the grill)
- 2 small heads cauliflower (bottoms trimmed flat)
- kosher salt
- 2 large grapefruit
- 1 tablespoon white blasamic veinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 bunch (6‑oz) watercress or arugula (thick stems trimmed)
- ½ cup toasted pecans (crumbled if large)
Directions
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat. Pour a little oil on a rag, grab the rag with tongs, and rub the oil onto the grill grates to prevent sticking.
One by one, stand each cauliflower head, florets up, on a cutting board and cut the cauliflower into thirds, making sure each piece includes some of the stem so the pieces hold together. Rub the pieces on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season generously with salt.
Grill over direct heat, flipping once, until crisp-tender and charred on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter.
Meanwhile, trim the tops and bottoms of the grapefruit with a sharp knife. Working from top to bottom and following the curve of the fruit, carve off the peel and pith to expose the flesh. Working over a bowl, cut each grapefruit segment from the membrane and drop it in the bowl. When you’re done, squeeze any juice from the membranes into the bowl, then discard the membranes. Pour the juices into a smaller bowl, whisk together with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt to taste to make the dressing.
In a big bowl, gently toss the watercress with some of the grapefruit dressing. Drizzle the rest of the dressing onto the cauliflower steaks, sprinkle with pecans, then top with the grapefruit segments and watercress.
My niece studied biology in her undergrad (now she’s a lawyer) and told us that GMO fruits and veggies have no consequence on humans, the science is there, it’s just difficult to believe. I guess we’ll find out 500 years from now when we’ve grown another eyeball! Just kidding.
I’m all over eating less meat, our rule of thumb is generally to eat a plant-based diet at home and meat (if we feel like it) when we eat out! The cauliflower steaks look wonderful, they must caramelize beautifully. And the grapefruit and dressing sound delectable. I’ve got two heads of cauliflower right now, I think I’ll make this for dinner! Thanks Greg.
Can vegetables get anymore beautiful and spring-perfect? Love grilled cauliflower and how you’ve prepared it here.
Sam Kass is cute. I’d believe anything he says. GMOs scare me, but whenever I’ve talked with a scientist (and I’m an academic, so I actually run into scientists regularly), they always dismiss the entire things and make it sound like there’s no scientific question at all about their safety. I don’t want to believe that, but I have to admit that I have no rational reason for disagreeing. Except that I don’t believe in aliens. You see, I think that “aliens” are humans from the distant future who discovered that they destroyed themselves with genetic manipulation, and now have to travel to the past to find pre-edited versions of humans that are good breeding candidates in order to save the human race.
This is one gorgeous vegetarian dish of such a unique pairing. Go veggies! And fruits! 🙂
I really agree with Kass’ philosophy about eating more veggies, regardless of how they a grown or from where they come… but I also like eating in season and locally. There are both taste issues and environmental, but I digress. We have been working on eating more vegetables lately, only to discover that vegetarian doesn’t always equal healthy. (Think: cream, butter, cheese…) Now we can start working on that by eating these cauliflower steaks!
Sounds like a terrific book! And much as I love meat, as I get older I’m eating less and less. Using it more as an accent to a meal, kind of Asian-style. Unless I’m fixing a big steak or mess of BBQ or some Mexican carnitas, that is. 🙂 Anyway, cauliflower steaks grill so nicely — always a favorite. With or without meat to accompany them. 🙂 Thanks!
I’m going to try this recipe Greg — I love cauliflower but get in a rut and make it the same way all the time. Bring on grilling season!
That looks like the perfect side dish to a nice juicy steak. LOL. I agree with Sam’s philosophy as well and I usually save eating meat for the weekends. I can’t imagine what grapefruit and cauliflower tastes like together, but I will have to make it and find out. Beautiful plating as always.
This is DELICIOUS! Always happy to try new Vegan recipes and this one is fantastic. Thank you for sharing, Greg!
Sorry, Greg. This isn’t doing much for me. And not because I don’t like vegetables or, specifically, cauliflower. I would be really bummed out if someone served this to me! And I’m one who prefers all of the sides at Thanksgiving more than the turkey. But I do like the chef’s philosophy.
I think Sam has some good ideas that I totally concur with. We do need to eat more veggies and this caulilflower steak looks like the most beautiful place to start!
My husband is the grillmeister in my family. I have to show him this recipe. It looks delicious. I will do the rest of the prep work as long as he does the grilling.