Cauliflower Bake
Ma Nourriture
Firstly, we love comfort food, some would say we're obsessed. But let's be honest, nothing beats stuffing your face with bread or cake when you're feeling low or depleted.
Secondly, we love playing with interesting, some would say scary, ingredient combinations to come up with something new. Better (healthier and more sustainable) versions of old favourites are our gold.
Thirdly, when the Banting → epidemic hit South Africa making "carb-free" the trendiest, biggest must-do since the bikini, restaurants gifted us with a wide range of carb-free alternatives to just about everything. Simple little cauliflower topped the list for its versatility. With cauli-rice, cauli-mash and dreamy cauli-pizza (esp those at Da Vinci's in Cape Town), we fell in love.
Who wouldn't?
Low cal, low carb, fiber and vitamins, plus it's great alternative for gluten and other grain sensitivities too.
While carb-free breads are plentiful in Cape Town, in the UK I eventually resorted to making my own. After a few tries and fails, I came up with this one. The breadish fluffiness and the almost-cake moistness keeps me happy, while the parmesan cheesiness keeps me coming back for more.
Ingredients
Look out for: ♡ swaps we love ! potential sensitivities 🅥 vegan alternatives
Cauliflower
3 cups (390g) 750ml
♡ Oat Flour Learn about oats >
Baking powder
1/2 tsp (3g) 2.5ml
Salt
1/2 tsp A large pinch
! Large Eggs separated
4
Parmesan grated
1/2 cup (50g) 125ml
Olive oil
6 tbsp (85.2g) 90ml Buy
997 calories
Allergens: eggs
Vitamin A, C, K & B6
Folate
Zinc
Swapsies
♡ I used oats to make oat flour instead of white/wheat flour, which can cause problems for sensitive foodies and isn't nutritious. You can also use spelt or almond flour. I buy porridge oats because it's more cost effective. You can use them in various delicious, and nutritious ways. Just use a food processor, blender or nutribullet to make a fine flour.
! Swap eggs for a mixture of water and oil, 3 tbsp each, with 1 tsp baking powder. 🅥
Swap parmesan for a vegan alternative, like this one from the Vegan Kind Supermarket. We haven't tried it yet. 🅥
Method
First
CAULIFLOWER >> CAULIFLOUR
- Preheat oven to 180c/350f (gas mark 4).
- Chop the cauliflower head into 4 large pieces and then into little florets to make it easier to blend.
- Blend the cauliflower in a food processor (I use a NutriBullet) to get it to the size of rice grains.
Then
THE BATTER
- Mix egg yolks, baking powder, salt, oil, parmesan in a large bowl.
- Stir in the cauliflour until it forms a paste-like consistency.
- Whisk egg whites on high speed to form stiff peaks.
- Use a spatula to fold egg whites into the batter.
Finally
BAKE
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper or foil.
- Pour in the mixture and bake for 30- 35mins
- Take out and generously sprinkle parmesan over the top!
I usually bake it for 30minutes and then decide based on how brown it looks at that time, whether to leave in for 5 more minutes.
Serve warm, with grass-fed butter
Très bon!
For the love of:
ORGANIC OATS
- Tolerated by most sensitive foodies
- Best calorie/nutrient ratio of the grains
- Essential vitamins and minerals, including iron
- Contains more protein and fats than other grains
- The specific fiber in oats makes you feel fuller
