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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

New recipe... A healthier take on a classic.  I served this for Meatless Monday, with a side of sautéed green beans from the Thayer garden.  This recipe was adapted from a Williams-Sonoma catalog recipe, which called for pancetta, whole milk, and regular butter...

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
Serves: 10-12  total time : 60 min, about 30 min hands on time

Ingredients:
3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (I used whole wheat, but I recommend cutting this in half or more if you're not a breadcrumb on mac & cheese)
2 tbs unsalted butter (I used Smart Balance), melted
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 lb. fresh cauliflower, cut into 1/2" florets
3-6 tbs unsalted butter ( 3 tbs of smart balance)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs dry white wine
3 1/2 cups milk (I used skin)
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
3 cups shredded Gouda cheese (I used 2)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb macaroni, cooked al dente
Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
8 oz pancetta, julienned (optional)
1 tbs olive oil (only if not using pancetta)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, melted butter, parsley, 1 tsp salt, & 1/2 tsp pepper.
In a high sided pan, or a 4 qt pot, cook pancetta over medium heat, transfer to bowl & leave drippings. If omitting... heat olive oil over medium heat. Sautée cauliflower in batches, 10-12 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Deglaze pot with 2 tbs of water, add water to cauliflower. Wipe out pot.
In the same pot/pan melt 3 tbs of butter over medium heat. Add flour, and cook for 3 min.  whisk in wine, and milk; cook for 10 min.  Stir in cheese, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, and cream.  Add pasta, cauliflower, optional pancetta.  Top with breadcrumb mixture, bake 30 min, then broil 4-5 min.

This makes so much, I had some of the leftovers for dinner, Tuesday night with a field greens salad.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

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