On Halloween, while still living in New York and on day three of no power post-Hurricane Sandy, my husband and I went to Blue Hill at Stone Barns for dinner. This was a bucket-list restaurant – an expensive treat and somewhere we had wanted to dine for years. A decidedly non-vegan restaurant, they made me a spectacular plant-based meal. I took one photo and realized the lighting was completely off so I blissfully put my camera away and enjoyed a warm, romantic dinner with my man. My entrée was a gorgeous cauliflower steak, roasted in a sweet and sour sauce. I have wanted to make a cauliflower steak since then and finally did so this week.

Since it’s called “steak” I wanted to prepare the cauliflower in that way. I opted for a Piri Piri seasoning that I picked up at Dual Specialty Store, an Indian spice market, in Manhattan. It is a spice mix used in African and Portuguese cooking and this particular Piri Piri is super-hot and spicy, containing paprika, black pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, sesame, oregano, cardamom, nutmeg, and mace. I wanted to serve something cool with the hot steaks and decided to make a very simple kale and kabocha squash salad (that particular combo was on my mind after Gena posted this salad recipe) seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon, both in the Piri Piri seasoning.

Piri Piri Cauliflower Steaks by JL Fields @ JL goes Vegan Ingredients (Serves 2) Olive oil

1 head cauliflower

Piri Piri seasoning Instructions Preheat over to 400. Cut cauliflower, from the middle, into 1/2 inch steaks (you should get 4 steaks and you’ll have lots of little cauli pieces to bag up and use for something else). Brush olive oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle Piri Piri seasoning on each steak (take it easy on this, if you have a spicy Piri Piri a little goes a long way!). Bake for 20 minutes Flip and sprinkle piri piri seasoning on the new up side. Bake for another 20 minutes. View and Print Recipe Powered by Recipage

Kale and Kabocha Squash Salad with Cinnamon and Nutmeg by JL Fields @ JL goes Vegan Ingredients (Serves 2 – 4) 1 small kabocha squash

1 bunch kale

1 lime

Pinch of sea salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Instructions Preheat oven to 400. Wash the squash, pat dry, and wrap the entire squash, peel and all, in aluminum foil (shiny side facing the squash). By wrapping in foil the peel will soften and you can eat it! Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Removed from foil, slice in half and let cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop the seeds out of the squash. Tear kale into bite size pieces and toss into a large mixing bowl. Juice the lime over the kale; add salt. Massage kale with your hands (wash them well first!) Dice the cool squash and add to the bowl. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix together with tongs or a spoon. Refrigerate and chill for 1 – 3 hours (optional). Toss well before serving. View and Print Recipe Powered by Recipage

This is one of those easy meals that just might dazzle your non-vegan friends. It is 100% approved by my omnivore husband (he had seconds!) and I absolutely loved both dishes. A new dinner staple!