Garlic bread is a staple complement to many evenings meals. Why not dress it up a bit with some pesto? Golden garlic bread with cashew basil pesto is delish!

But there’s another secret. Shhh… Don’t tell anyone. This garlic bread is made from a vegetable.

Wait – seriously? What vegetable?

Cauliflower. Made with a generous amount of garlic and a pinch of the highly health supportive spice, turmeric, to make it “golden”, and you’ve got yourself a deliciously healthy garlic bread. For an extra cheesy flavor, throw in some nutritional yeast – totally optional, but recommended.

Here’s the recipe:

Golden Garlic Bread with Cashew Basil Pesto

(serves 5)

Ingredients:

GOLDEN GARLIC BREAD

1 head cauliflower, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 cup almond flour

2 large cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. pink salt

1 tsp. black pepper

4 eggs

CASHEW BASIL PESTO

2 cloves garlic

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil

1 cup cashews (soaked overnight, or at least 4 hours, and drained)*

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup olive oil (or more, depending on the consistency you want)

Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a food processor (or high speed blender on 1) pulse the cauliflower until it is a rice-like consistency. Remove to a large bowl.
  3. Add almond flour, garlic, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Make a well in the center of the cauliflower almond mixture, and add the eggs. Whisk well before mixing in with the rest of the ingredients, until fully combined.
  4. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread the mixture out flat, about 1/4 of an inch thick or so. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges just start to get golden.
  5. Meanwhile, make the cashew basil pesto. Put garlic in Vitamix or food processor and pulse until chopped. Next add basil, and pulse again until it is broken down into small pieces.
  6. Add cashews and salt, and process on low (1-2 on a Vitamix) so that the cashews are broken into tiny pieces, but still maintain a little texture. Finally, with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until completely combined.
  7. When cauliflower bread is done, remove from the oven, slice into sticks (makes about 24), then spoon on the cashew basil pesto (you will have pesto leftover).

Notes

If you can find it, use yellow cauliflower for a more “golden” bread.

*Soaked cashews create a much creamier consistency, although if you forget, you can still make it with raw cashews.

Get the printable recipe here.
For another tasty dish, try these Buffalo Cauliflower Wings.

unnamed

About the Author: Maria Marlowe is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who has helped thousands of people improve their health by optimizing their diet. She has created meal plans and programs to help you lose weight, clear up acne, and spend less time in the kitchen yet still eat healthy.

She has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, NBC, Well + Good, and more. Her first book, The Real Food Grocery Guide, will teach you how to eat healthy without going broke.

Check out her site, www.mariamarlowe.com, or follow her on  Instagram @MariaMarlowe and Facebook for more healthy recipes.