My daughter loves cauliflower – she actually asks for it ever since my mom made it for her. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of cauliflower – there are just so many other vegetables I’d rather have. But of course, my mom instinct kicks in, and the minute my daughter asks for cauliflower, I’m compelled to go buy some and incorporate it into our dinner.

I was trying to think of ideas on what to have with quinoa for dinner last night and decided to try something new with cauliflower. After sautéing the cauliflower in olive oil and a bit of sea salt, I coated it with a puree of roasted red peppers, basil, garlic and tofu. The finished result was quite flavorful and I could be easily convinced to make this again. Bonus – it was super easy to make and would be a great dish to make in advance if you were having people over.

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, prepped into small florets
• 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil to sauté cauliflower
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 red pepper, roasted and peel removed
• 3 cloves garlic
• handful of fresh basil
• pinch of chili powder or more to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 a block of water packed tofu

1. Heat oil on medium in a heavy pan (I used cast iron) – add cauliflower and sprinkle with salt. Stir occasionally.
2. Roast a red pepper and remove peel (or use jarred if you’re in a pinch.
3. Add pepper, garlic, basil, chili powder and olive oil to a blender or mini chopper. Once pureed, add tofu and mix in.
4. Pour sauce onto cauliflower once cooked – you can leave the cauliflower with a bit of crunch, or let it soften more – whatever you prefer.
5. If you’re making the dish in advance, cook the cauliflower and keep. You can heat up the sauce you made in advance and pour over cauliflower.  Another option is to complete the recipe and then heat it in the oven when ready to serve.