For the cauliflower mixture
Remove the cauliflower leaves and tough ends of the stalk. Divide the cauliflower into bite-size pieces and rinse well in a colander.
Briefly sauté the finely chopped garlic in 1 tablespoon oil and then add the cauliflower along with the 1 pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Make sure that the garlic doesnʼt burn or add it in step 3 instead.
The original recipe for 3 servings calls for 4 tablespoons oil. We have reduced this amount to 1 tablespoon and used canola oil instead.
The salt in the original recipe for 3 servings comes in at 1–2 teaspoons.salt. Our motivation (apple symbol) for creating this healthier version and a link to the original recipe can be found directly above the recipe photo.
As soon as the florets start to brown, reduce the heat slightly and let cook until they reach the desired tenderness.
In the meantime, peel the oranges and cut into medium-size cubes, collecting any juice that runs off. Coarsely chop the walnuts.
The original recipe calls for cashews.
For the tahini sauce
Juice the lemons and pour the juice into a bowl.
It works best to first add just part of the lemon juice and then test the tahini sauce before adding the rest. This way you can make the sauce to suit your taste preferences, and it won’t be too bitter.
Using a fork, combine the lemon juice with the tahini and 1 pinch of salt and stir well. The mixture does tend to curdle; don’t worry about this and simply continue to stir.
The original recipe uses 175 g tahini, which we have reduced to 60 g.
Shortly before the cauliflower is ready, add the oranges, cashews, and tahini sauce. Give everything a good stir and let the flavors meld for a few minutes.
Seasoning
Season with nutmeg and pepper before serving and then enjoy.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
The savory tahini sauce and fresh, healthy oranges complement each other perfectly in this recipe and ensure a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals.
New Nutritional profile: Thanks to the oranges, this recipe is a very good source for vitamin C. According to GDA guidelines, it meets more than 100 % of the recommended daily requirement for folic acid. In addition, it contains high amounts of copper. As a result of the changes we made to the original recipe, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is under the maximum recommended ratio of 5:1. We have also reduced the amount of fat from 86 % to 47 % of the recommended daily allowance and the amount of salt from over 100 % to 20 %. Please read more in our article A Vegan Diet Can Be Unhealthy. Nutrition Mistakes. Another link to the article can be found under “Motivation” by the apple symbol.
Oranges: The orange is a hybrid between a pomelo (Citrus maxima) and a mandarin (Citrus reticulata). Oranges are a favorite ingredient in many dishes and not just because of their high vitamin C content. They can be used raw, cooked, and for their juice.
Cauliflower: Cauliflower is considered one of the vegetables that is easiest to digest. White cauliflower is the most popular type, but there are also orange, violet, and green varieties available. Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and is also a good source of B and K vitamins. Cooking cauliflower causes it to quickly lose many of its nutrients; 25 % are lost after only 5 minutes of cooking. Apart from eating raw, steaming is a more gentle way of preparing cauliflower that preserves more of its nutrients.
Tahini: Tahini, also known as tahina, is a nutty tasting paste made from processed sesame seeds. Raw tahini, which uses soaked instead of roasted sesame seeds, is also available.
Cashews: Cashews cannot be eaten raw because they contain the toxic oil cardol. When sold commercially, they have either been steamed or roasted and are therefore not truly raw. If “Raw cashews” is on the label, this usually just means that the toxic cardol they contain has been deactivated by steaming instead of roasting. It is only when the process is explained in detail and controlled that we can be sure the cashews are raw.
Reduced salt: In contrast to the original recipe, which calls for 9 g of salt, we purposefully reduced the amount to 2 g. Excess salt consumption is anything but healthy, and it is worthwhile to reduce salt. A total of 2.5 g table salt per day (1 g sodium) would be the ideal intake, especially if high blood pressure is an issue. Pure table salt is considered to be lethal to adults at a dose of 10 tablespoons. See the link to salt in the ingredients list.
Tips
Shopping tip from the author:If you are on a budget, you can stock up on tahini at a Turkish or Middle Eastern grocery store. And dark tahini made from unhulled sesame seeds is cheaper than white tahini.
Alternate preparation
Variation suggested by the author:A few tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds — in addition to or in place of the cashews — go well with the recipe, as is so often the case.
Note from the author in regards to reducing calories: The recipe will still taste good if you reduce or omit the cashews (460 cal) or cut the amount of oil in half (this easily saves 200 cal). You can also reduce the tahini by half and then add 200 g soy yogurt (670 cal savings).
