cauliflower steaks with golden raisins, pine nuts & tahini

I have been loving playing with sides. Simple usually works best in my house, white rice, roasted veggies with olive oil and salt and easy chopped potatoes. This Mama wanted to jazz things up, so I went all out on this one. These ingredients seemed like a great combination, and I think I was right! Anytime you combine sweet, salty, crunchy and savory in the same dish, you can't go wrong. I also tried tahini, which has a really nice earthy flavor, that pairs well with the sweetness of the raisins. If you delete any of these ingredients, the flavor profile will be very different, but play around if you like. I served this as a side, but for vegetarians or vegans, this dish would be an amazing main course.

I have been ferociously eating cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli in hopes that I will kick start my bodies ability to create more Glutathione for detox support. Glutathion is the bodies master antioxididant, that can regenerate itself in the liver after each fill-up of free radicals and go back to work. With the crazy toxic load, we humans take in on a daily basis, it becomes essential for this process to work, to prevent disease and stay well. In some people, this doesn't work so well and while you can take supplements, I am trying food as medicine first.

What you will need

• 1 head of cauliflower cut into thick steaks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/3 cup raw pine nuts
• 1/4 cup Tahini (unsweetened) If you are trying to increase the protein in this dish, add more
• Any fresh herb, I used chives

Putting it together

• Cut cauliflower into steaks, about 2 inches thick and place on a parchment lined baking sheet
• Drizzle with olive oil or any oil that you prefer and season with salt
• Put into a 375.F oven for 25-35 minutes. I like mine browned on the edges, so it make take longer. Just be careful not to let the cauliflower get too mushy.
• While cauliflower bakes, in a small skillet, add pine nuts to toast. Watch carefully as this happens quickly.
• Put pine nuts into a dish on the side and in the skillet with the heat turned off, I put Tahini in, to warm up. This can also be accomplished in the microwave also. 
• When cauliflower has a few minutes to go, add raisins to sheet pan, to allow them to warm through. 
• Take cauliflower with raisins out of the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Spinkle pine nuts and fresh herbs, then using a spatula, pour Tahini over veggies.