Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

This recipe was inspired by one I found on Pinch of Yum.  I love Alfredo Sauce, but it is so rich that I am never able to eat very much of it.  This recipe has all the flavor but feels a lot lighter, so it's easier to eat and enjoy.  My kids say it smells funny (probably the cauliflower), but they all agree that it tastes great!

1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 to 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoons butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Steam cauliflower until completely tender.  Place in blender with milk and 1/2 cup broth.  Blend until smooth, adding more broth as needed.  Add salt, butter, Parmesan and garlic and blend to mix well.  (You can also add a couple of handfuls of spinach at this point to make a green alfredo sauce!)  Toss with pasta, veggies, or rice and sprinkle with mozzarella or parmesan to taste.

Pakora Batter

We don't eat much fried food at this house - but every now and then tradition or desperation will call for it (besides it's kind of fun!).  This time desperation took over when I bought cauliflower, forgetting that my oven died back in March.  I love roasted cauliflower, but really can't stand it raw or boiled or sauteed - but... no oven = no roasting.  So I searched the internet for ideas and came up with Pakora - basically the Indian version of tempura vegetables.  We used bell peppers, onions, and of course cauliflower.  Everything tasted great, but the onion rings were the best!  In fact, this is the breading I'm going to use anytime I feel the urge to make onion rings (so maybe twice a year at best, but still...)

1 cup chickpea flour

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil to 375 in a deep pot (you'll want it to be 1 - 1 1/2 deep).  Sift all ingredients together.  Add two cloves crushed garlic and stir well.  Gradually add 3/4 cup water while stirring until a thick batter is formed.  Coat veggies with batter and drop into hot oil.  Let cook about 4-5 minutes until golden brown.  Remove to paper towels to drain excess oil.  Enjoy!

Alice Waters' Cauliflower Soup

After years of wondering how anyone could like cauliflower, I now have several recipes in my repertoire the use the strange little vegetable - and two of them happen to be soups. I found this recipe by Alice Waters over on Jane Spice and tried it the other night - and liked it even better than the creamy Pioneer Woman version.

All the spices in this soup make it ideal for a cold winter night, alongside a salad and some nice crusty bread. I used an immersion blender to get the consistency where I wanted it - with just a few chunks of cauliflower here and there and the rest thickening the broth. I didn't have coriander seed so I just substituted 1/4 teaspoon coriander - I imagine you could do the same with the cumin. I also don't like the taste of cooked cilantro so I left that out... and if you decide to use it as a garnish, I recommend mincing it very finely otherwise the texture clashes with the creaminess of the cauliflower. Don't forget the splash of lime juice - it will make all those spices jump! Very yummy!

Cauliflower Soup

Photo courtesy of thepioneerwoman.com

In my continuing quest to find ways to enjoy foods that I previously avoided, I found this recipe for Cauliflower Soup posted by my friend the Pioneer Woman. And since I've pretty much enjoyed every recipe of hers that I've tried so far, I decided I would put it to the test.... and I was not disappointed! This soup was creamy deliciousness and I loved every bite! And when I say creamy, I mean CREAMY - we're talking whole milk, half-and-half, and sour cream creaminess. I'm sure you could substitute low-fat versions but I definitely think it would detract from the overall deliciousness that is this soup.

Everyone in our house thought it was great - even the kids! In fact, this would be perfect for a toddler just getting used to textures because the chunks of vegetables are so tender that they just fall apart in your mouth. Really, a very lovely dish.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Loin with Roasted Cauliflower

I decided to just roast the pork loin, so I used my food processor to make a paste out of rosemary, garlic and olive oil and slathered that all over the roast, threw some carrots, celery and onions in the pan and stuck it in the oven for awhile. Everyone seemed to like it, but the surprise hit of the night was the roasted cauliflower! Finally a cauliflower recipe that I can enjoy! And it was surprisingly easy... so check it out.