Baked Cauliflower in Tahini Sauce

The combination of cauliflower in a tahini sauce is amazingly delicious. After assembling the ingredients, I baked it in a casserole dish in the oven for 20 minutes.

I recently was invited to lunch at a friend's home in our condo building. Suzanne is from Morocco and is one fabulous cook. She made all kinds of salads and interesting dishes.

She served many traditional Moroccan salads, such as a cooked beet salad, a cooked carrot salad, a cucumber and onion salad, a tomato salad with cilantro and herbs, red pepper salad, and a hot rice and vegetable salad. 

The star of her luncheon recipes (for me) was a baked cauliflower and tahini sauce casserole that I just loved. (she also had a platter of fish and a platter of meat- which of course I did not eat).

Like most good cooks, Suzanne's recipe was in her head and she did not have precise measurements. I wanted to duplicate it, so I had to experiment. I also wanted to reduce the fat content. This is what I did. 

Tahini, like natural peanut butter, often separates in the jar when it sits on the shelf- leaving a layer of oil and a layer of paste. To reduce the calories and fat, I poured off the oil and discarded it. The thick paste that was left was not as rich tasting or creamy as with the oil, but still had the flavor.

That's a lot of oil

However, Suzanne's recipe was made with full fat tahini - if you prefer that, do not discard the oil when it separates. Simply stir it back in. It will be a richer, creamier sauce.

Cauliflower: 

Cut up a large cauliflower into large floretes and steam the floretes  until firm soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Lower fat less rich tasting tahini sauce : 

3 tablespoons of tahini  (I poured off any oil from the top of jar)

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1/2 cup of almond milk 

1/4 cup of aquafaba (the liquid from cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas) or water

1 tablespoon of non GMO corn starch

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Suzanne's tahini richer sauce: 

1/2 cup of  tahini paste

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of garlic powder 

1/2 cup of water or more by the tablespoon if needed for consistency

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

Salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Directions: 

Place the cooked cauliflower in a baking dish. Pour 1 cup of tahini sauce over the cauliflower distributing oner all of the cauliflower and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Serve and Enjoy 

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Baked Apple, Yam, and Apricot Casserole

Last week one of our local farms in Bucks County, Pa. was selling  beautiful looking yams or maybe they were sweet potatoes ? 

At fifty cents a pound, I couldn't resist buying more than I needed.

The yams were sweet and delicious, and we enjoyed a few of them simply oven baked in their skin. However, the other ten were just staring at me, begging to be a part of something more creative.

Delicious Easy Casserole

I created a colorful and nutritious Baked Apple, Yam, and Apricot Casserole with walnuts and cranberries basted in freshly squeezed orange juice. 

This colorful and flavorful casserole can be served as delicious side dish for any meal, and is a good fit for the Thanksgiving or Rosh Hashanah holidays.

The Aroma Baking Smells Amazing 

The aroma of this apple and yam casserole baking is reason enough to make it.

Enjoy The Fall 

***One more thing- Leftovers taste even better cold the next day

Ingredients:
3 large yams, peeled and sliced
2 large apples (I used Honey Crisps), peeled and sliced
2 large juice oranges or 1 equivalent of 1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup-1/2 cup maple syrup (your preference) mixed with 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of cinnamon 

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
Optional: 8-10 fresh cranberries (these are VERY tart; use dried cranberries if you don't want the tartness)

Directions:
Peel and slice yams in round slices and set aside
Peel, core, and slice apples in ring type slices
Layer the yam slices with the apple slices to make 2 layers.

Douse each layer with  1/2 of the maple syrup mixed with vanilla extract and then 1/2 the cinnamon, walnuts and dried apricots and repeat.Add cranberries if desired.

 Squeeze the juice of two large juicy oranges over the casserole and more cinnamon to taste. Bake tightly covered at 375-400 degrees until apples and yams are tender (about 1/2 hour). 

Baked Casserole 

Notes:

1. Leftovers taste even better cold the next day!

2. This recipe could also be made for Passover and is parve.