Submitted by apprentice Cheryl Kastanowski

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish.
2. Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix.
3. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.

From Eating Well magazine

Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 lbs), trimmed and broken into small florets
5 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 large egg whites, whisked until frothy
3/4 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs (panko)
Canola or olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add cauliflower and boil until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain in a colander, shaking to remove excess water. Return the cauliflower to the pot and dry over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a potato masher, mash the cauliflower until it resembles clumpy rice. Transfer to a large bowl to cool, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir flour and cheese into the cooled cauliflower. Season with pepper and salt. Stir in egg whites. Line an 8 inch square baking dish with plastic wrap, allowing the wrap to hang over the edges. Spread the cauliflower mixture into the pan, compacting it into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer until very cold, 1 to 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Spread breadcrumbs on a plate. Gently turn the cauliflower mixture out onto a cutting board, removing the plastic wrap. Cut it into 36 evenly sized pieces. Roll the pieces in the breadcrumbs, turning to coat all sides. Place on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
5. Coat the tots with cooking spray. Bake, turning once halfway through, until browned, 35 to 45 minutes.

Serves 6, 6 tots each.

From each head of cauliflower, you can cut two thick steaks, slicing from top to bottom near the center to yield a pair of slices each held together by the core. This might seem wasteful if it weren’t for the many uses for the remaining florets. The resulting steaks seared on the grill, make a head-turning presentation with a creamy tahini sauce. Use any leftover sauce on grilled vegetables, fish or roasted beets.

Ingredients:
Tahini Sauce:
1/4 cup tahini, stirred well to blend
1/4 cup water
2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs minced fresh cilantro
Kosher or sea salt

2 medium cauliflowers
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare a moderate charcoal fire for indirect grilling or preheat a gas grill to medium, leaving one burner unlit.
2. To make the tahini sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, 1/4 cup water, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice until smooth. Whisk in the garlic, cilantro, and salt to taste. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, if desired.
3. Trim each cauliflower, removing any leaves and cutting the stem flush with the base. Set a cauliflower, cut side down, on a cutting board. With a chef’s knife, cut 2 steaks, each about ¾ inch thick, from the center of the cauliflower, so that the core holds each slice together. Repeat with the second cauliflower. Reserve the remaining cauliflower for another use.
4. Put the 4 cauliflower steaks on a tray and brush one side with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the steaks over, brush the second side, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Place the steaks over indirect heat, cover the grill, and cook, turning once, until tender when pierced, about 15 minutes total. For the final minute or so of cooking, uncover the grill and move the cauliflower directly over the coals or flame to char it slightly.
6. Transfer the steaks to a platter and drizzle with the tahini sauce; you may not need it all. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot or warm.

From Food Network

Everyone loves a hearty mac and cheese! Slip those veggies into a cheesy disguise and your kids will never know. (Well, they’ll know but hopefully they’ll be happy about it).

Ingredients:
Salt
1 small head or bundle broccoli, trimmed into florets
1 small head cauliflower or half a large head, trimmed and cut into florets
1 pound whole-wheat macaroni or penne or other short cut pasta
2 cups sour cream or reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup finely chopped chives
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or crushed into paste
A few drops hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water and add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Boil the vegetables for 5 minutes, then remove them with a spider or a strainer and drain. Add the pasta to the water and undercook by about 2 minutes, drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine the sour cream in a large bowl along with the mustard, chives, garlic, hot sauce and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pasta and cauliflower and 2/3 of the cheese. Stir to combine, then transfer it to a casserole or baking dish and cover with the remaining cheese. Cool and chill for a make-ahead meal.
3. To heat and eat, put the casserole on baking sheet and bake it in the middle of a preheated 375 degree F oven until deeply golden and bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes.

From Tina Marinaccio

I think romanesco may be the most obviously beautiful vegetable - it deserves the utmost attention when put on the dinner table. Make this vegetable its own side dish by sweetening it up and cooking it on a stovetop. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 head of romanesco cut into florets
1 tbsp good vegetable oil
1 head of garlic peeled
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maguey sweet sap or good maple syrup
Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan, sauté romanesco and garlic cloves in oil over medium heat until garlic begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add water, cover, and steam over medium heat until water absorbs, about 5 minutes. Romanesco will begin to soften, but will still be crisp.
3. Stir in balsamic, maguey, and salt, tossing Romanesco to coat evenly.
4. Simmer uncovered until all liquid is absorbed and romanesco caramelizes, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
10 eggs
Sauteed Romanesco or broccoli (hopefully with lemon!)
Sauteed brussel sprouts
Tomatoes (if you have ‘em!)
Greens!
Your favorite shredded cheese!
Chili pepper
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
3. Put sauteed veggies and tomatoes and greens in the casserole dish.
4. Whisk eggs and put them in dish.
5. Stir together ingredients so completely coated.
6. Bake 35- 45 minutes.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil for 5 minutes! Enjoy!