Saturday, February 23, 2013

Cauliflower. It's What's for Dinner.

Traditionally I cook meat two to three times a week, fish counting as a meat. Recently Jayne declared herself vegetarian and I've been working on creating interesting vegetarian meals that we all will like and that aren't too labor intensive.  Last night my family was skeptical about the dinner I served. We had cauliflower as a main dish and green beans as a side dish. To our surprise, it was quite filling. I called it mac-n-cheese without the mac. It was really delicious and full of protein.


Mac-n-Cheese without the Mac
1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces and steamed
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup Tillamook cheddar, grated
1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated
2 Tbl Italian bread crumbs 
3 Tbl grated cheddar 
Oil a large baking dish. Steam the cauliflower until just tender, drain and place in oiled dish. Then melt the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour until golden brown. Remove from heat and mix in milk and dijon mustard. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Cook over low for two minutes, then remove and stir in 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over cauliflower and then mix breadcrumbs and remaining 3 Tbl cheddar, sprinkle over top. Cook in oven until top is golden brown. Serve with something green on the side, spinach, asparagus, green beans.  Serves 4.