I love polenta. It’s smooth, creamy, just a little bit sweet, and goes with pretty much everything despite being an oft-neglected member of the gluten-free carb family. But I have an ever increasing base of grain-free clients, and just had a client ask me to whip up a vegan & Paleo dinner party menu – so I have turned to my other current obsession to create a perfect alternative. From cancer-fighting cauliflower toooooo – FAUXLENTA!
Oh, my darling cauliflower – you can do anything! You help digestion with your fiber, fight cancer with your glucosinolates (like the collards in the last post!), combat oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease with your antioxidants, and provide so many vitamins (A, all the B’s, C, K), minerals (manganese, phosphorus, potassium), and even omega-3 fatty acids. All of this while being one of the most versatile veggies around texture wise.
So, who wouldn’t love creamy vegan and Paleo cauliflower fauxlenta?! Try it and let me know what you think!
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil – I used Suncoco organic sunflower & coconut blend
- 1 cup shaved onion – about 1 small, ½ large, or 2 – 3 shallots
- 4 c cauliflower processed to rice-like texture in a food processor – I used “Cheddar Cauliflower” – which is bright cheesy yellow IN COLOR – but tastes like regular white cauliflower
- 1 c unsweetened almond milk, I used Califia
- salt to taste
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 c wild mushrooms, chopped
- ⅛ c shallots chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 c kale
- 2 dates, finely chopped
- ½ c water
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos or tamari
- ¼ c hazelnuts, toasted & cracked
- Warm a frying pan over medium high heat and add first tablespoon of oil. When it flows freely around the pan, add the onions and a pinch of salt to help caramelize without burning.
- Stir frequently. Once they are translucent and started to turn golden, about 7-10 minutes, add the cauliflower and stir through.
- Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes and add almond milk. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, until soft.
- Pour mixture into food processor and pulse until it is a uniform polenta consistency.
- Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Meanwhile, in another pan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat and add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic.
- Saute for 3 minutes stirring frequently until soft and turning golden.
- Add kale and dates and stir through until greens are slightly wilted.
- Add the water and increase heat to high, braising the greens.
- Once it is mostly evaporated, stir through 1 teaspoon of coconut aminos or tamari.
- Remove the pan from the heat and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
- Plate ½ cup of fauxlenta and top with ½ cup of the greens & mushroom mixture.
- Garnish with cracked hazelnuts and a little olive oil – add hot sauce if you like!
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