Vegan Cauliflower Steak Flavor Swap Recipe

Cauliflower steak is one of my favorite dishes ever – as a side dish or as a main vegan dish. This yummy bit of heaven is not steak at all, but cauliflower heads which are sliced thick and sprinkled with your favorite spices. In this post, I teach you how to make your own custom flavor of cauliflower steak by using a swapping method that keeps your taste buds and dinner partners equally happy. Try this vegan cauliflower steak flavor swap recipe and fall in love with how easy it is to bring delicious flavor and this anti-inflammatory dish to your family.

Best Spices to Add to a Cauliflower Steak Recipe

I love the flavor – all kinds of flavor. Tons of flavor. There are two ways I get more flavor in cooking vegetables:
1) Roast your vegetables. Roasting helps caramelize and release flavors so that foods taste delicious, and
2) Add herbs and spices. Growing up on a small farm in Indiana, I learned to flavor my foods with salt and pepper only. Rarely did we add garlic or heavy doses of other spices. Once I learned that adding a tablespoon or two of my favorite seasoning mixes to vegetables, my whole taste world changed and I really began to love food. So go ahead – add some spices – I give you my wholehearted permission to experiment.

How to Swap Flavors Out of a Recipe 

Swapping flavors is another cooking secret I use and it is easy to do. I wanted to go natural and organic where ever possible, so started mixing up my own seasoning combinations using organic herbs and spices. The swap happens with the seasoning mixes. For example, let’s say you’re craving Italian, then use a couple of tablespoons of Italian Seasoning on your vegetables. Tired of Italian? No problem. SWAP IT OUT. Next time use Curry Seasoning or another favorite on your vegetables. This time I used Taco Seasoning.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe 

• 1 T Ancho Chili Powder
• 1 T Cumin Powder
• 1 t Garlic Powder
• 1 t Onion Powder
• 1/4 t Dried Oregano
• 1/2 t Paprika
• 1 T Himalayan Salt
• 1 t Ground Pepper

The Vegan Cauliflower Steak Recipe

How to Grow Cauliflower for Cauliflower Steak

Whether you love cauliflower rice or cauliflower steak, growing cauliflower in your garden is easy. It is a cool-season crop and does best when planted in spring or early fall. First, select a spot that might be best for your cauliflower garden. Typically this vegetable needs at least 6 hours of sun per day but prefers 8 hours of sun. Cauliflower likes a well-drained, fertile, soil filled with organic matter.

Best Soil for Cauliflower Plants

Has your soil been tested to know what amendments you might add to increase your success in growing this vegetable? Cauliflower prefers a specific soil pH – between 6.5 and 6.8 – in order to prevent the dreaded clubroot disease. Your soil tests should help confirm soil pH.

I amend my soil with potting soil, worm castings, and some rotted manure. Add fertilizer following the package directions before you plant your baby cauliflower seedling or vegetative plant. 

Fertilize your Cauliflower Plant Organically

Organically fertilize regularly according to package directions throughout the season. It is important to set your plants out in the spring early enough that they do not get hit by the full heat of summer, an estimated 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost will work well, placing the plants 18″ to 20″ apart. If a hard frost does hit, simply cover the plants with a sheet of the newspaper the evening before the expected cold temperatures.

Special thanks to Totally Bamboo for letting me use their cutting board in this recipe. My favorite cutting board from the Totally Bamboo team is the Greenlight Dishwasher Safe 19″ Cutting Board which enables you to throw the board into the washer for cleanup. Happy eating with this delicious cauliflower steak – I love it and know you will too.