Friday 14 March 2014

Rocket & Roses Baked Cauliflower Cashew Cream Cheese Slices

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Evanescene ~ Good Enough
Santana ~ Foo Foo
Dido ~ Do You Have A Little Time
Little Big Town ~ Novocaine
Janiva Magness ~  I'm Glad You're Mine
Colbie Caillat ~ Runnin' Around
Nerina Pallot ~ The Right Side
Don Williams ~ Love Is On A Roll
Foo Fighters ~ Burn Away
Doris Day ~ Secret Love 
Norah Jones ~ Be Here To Love Me
VAST ~ Free
Sophie Ellis-Bextor ~ Murder On The Dance Floor
The Rolling Stones ~ (I Can't Get No)Satisfaction

Friday again folks..we survived another week but it went by so fast. Well for me anyway..lol. Earlier in the week I tested out a new gluten free bread recipe and I wanted a great spread for schmearing over a slice. I chose a old but great cashew cream cheese recipe and to be honest I had forgotten just how much it makes..lol. You can only eat so many open sandwiches with it before going mad! So I've been trying to think of ways to use it up. I was busy making some herbed cauliflower & carrot falafels this morning and after I had cut the amount I needed for that recipe and placed the leftover portion on the kitchen side..I was hit by inspiration. 

I used to be quite partial to Cauliflower Cheese back in the day...especially if a mature and very tangy cheese was used in the sauce. This cashew cream cheese is both of these things and so I suddenly had visions of enjoying an old favourite. But I didn't want the fuss that used to come with making Cauli/Cheese of old. On the veggie blogasphere I have watched many new recipes coming through for Cauliflower steaks and that is such a great idea except to me..the ones that aren't generously topped resemble sliced brains. I know, I know, I know my mind is a very scary places most days. lol. But this slight issue didn't stop me slicing up my leftover cauliflower and heavily loading the cashew cream cheese on each slice. I only had enough leftover cauliflower to make three slices but you could easily make more if you had a full head. And despite the schmear I still had a lot of cashew cream cheese leftover. It's so ridiculously easy to make this meal but I wanted to share it with you. Obviously you will need to make the cashew nut cream for yours but its really just a matter of soaking and blitzing. Any other nut cheese would work too.  

The results were an intensely flavour packed meal. I served mine with some steamed green veggies but they would be great with a large salad too. The baking of the slices made them perfectly tender/firm and the combination of the cauliflower and cashew cream cheese made me a very happy lady indeed. All the flavour of the old veggie classic dish...without the diary and fats. Can I just say....WOO! lol. (Also doing happy dance across the kitchen...ahem..anyway..lol) I am away to enjoy play time at the park with ML and little Layla..not as sunny today but still just as lovely I hope...

Rocket & Roses Baked Cauliflower Cashew Cream Cheese Slices
 

Rocket & Roses Baked Cauliflower Cashew Cream Cheese Slices 
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1 head of cauliflower, trimmed, sliced into 3/4-1" slices

2 cups of raw cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours then drained
1/2 cup water for blending
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
4 cloves garlic, centre removed, chopped 
1 tsp salt (I used Himalayan) 

Place the ingredients in a blender/processor and pulse until broken down. Then using some extra water slowly drizzle in through the feeder tube until you have reached the smoothness you like. I like mine a little grainy for use in sandwiches but using extra water and making it very smooth works really well with pasta. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed. 

To make the slices: 

Preheat the oven to 350'F/180'C/GM 4 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Using a generous amount of cashew cream cheese, spread it over the cauliflower slices. Place on the lined baking sheet. Place in the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes..checking at the 20 minute mark and if the cashew cream cheese is getting too toasty, place a cover lightly over it until the cauliflower slice is tender. Serve...

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday is a very good one...

~Red~ 

NB: The cashew cream cheese recipe is not my creation. It was found online many moons ago and therefore cannot give creative credit to the author. But I send out thanks to whoever did. I simply knew how to use it :-)  ~R~