Cooking with Cauliflower

With the leaves changing and the temperatures dropping it’s beginning to look and feel a lot less like spring and more like fall every day.  With winter just around the corner, belly’s everywhere are craving the warm comfort foods that we all associate with this new season.  Whether it’s a big bowl of steaming soup or a rich and creamy pasta dish, I have some yummy recipes that can help us make a smooth transition into these colder months.

As a chef you learn many tricks of the trade, especially when it comes to thickening sauces or making a rich and creamy base for a soup.  While there’s quite a few different methods out there, there’s one in particular that I turn to because not only does it produce a phenomenal end product but it’s also nutritious AND delicious.   My secret weapon?  CAULIFLOWER.

Cauliflower is low in cholesterol and saturated fat and is also a good source of protein.  It’s an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and vitamin B6.  Best of all, because of its mild flavor cauliflower can often times go undetected, making it the perfect vegetable to sneak into every day meals for children and picky eaters who need to increase their vegetable intake.

There’s a number of ways to prepare cauliflower and your cooking methods will vary depending on your recipes.  The first recipe we’re going to look at is one of my favorites; Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce.

A classic and widely popular sauce, Alfredo is usually prepared using heavy cream, butter, garlic and parmesan cheese as its main ingredients.  While delicious, it’s not nutritious. To better understand how unhealthy this can be, let’s compare two popular brands; Bertolli and Classico.  A ¼ of a cup of Classico is 80 calories while Bertolli is a whopping 110!  In addition, both are high in cholesterol and sodium and don’t offer any significant nutritional value.  So how does our Alfredo sauce add up? A ¼ cup of our roasted garlic cauliflower Alfredo sauce will only set you back approximately 29 calories!  Plus, we have the added benefits of protein, vitamin C and a host of other good-for-you nutrients!

Can this get any better?  YES!!!  Not only is this Alfredo sauce quick and easy to make on a busy weeknight for you and your family but it’s just as easy to prepare in large batch quantities. It’s easy to store and will last for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  It’s also extremely versatile and will go well on just about anything!  (You can also omit the cheese in this recipe to make it vegan!)

 Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower head (4 cups of florets)
• 7 to 8 roasted garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup broth or water reserved from cooking the cauliflower
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional but recommended
• dash of salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cut cauliflower into florets. Place in a large pot and fill with water or broth or an equal mix of both. Cook the cauliflower until tender.
2. Remove from water and place on a large baking sheet. Let cool slightly before blending.
3. Place cauliflower, roasted garlic cloves, half of a cup of the cooking water or broth and cheese in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if your sauce is too thick to your likings.
4. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Use the sauce right away or pour into a jar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now let’s take a look at soups.  Soup is my absolute winter must have.  They’re comforting, filling and can be packed with good for you vegetables, grains, whole wheats and the list goes on!  Today we’re going to focus on one of my favorite recipes: Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup.  This soup is so delicious you’ll want to eat it day and night and the kids are sure to gobble it down just as quickly.  Another added bonus?  This recipe is vegan AND gluten-free.  Can we say crowd pleaser?! With cauliflower, sweet potatoes and chickpeas as the main ingredients there’s nothing to feel guilty about when serving this to children, friends or family.

Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (a carrot peeler works great for peeling)
• 1 (32 oz.) carton vegetable broth
• ½ cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. and prepare a large baking sheet with foil or cooking spray.
2. Toss cauliflower florets, chickpeas and garlic in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and paprika. Transfer mixture to a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F. for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Reserve ½-3/4 cup cauliflower/chickpea mixture for garnish (more chickpeas than cauliflower).
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add cubed potato and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vegetable broth and increase heat to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer uncovered until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat and add roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and almond milk; stir to combine.
5. Puree the soup until smooth using an immersion blender or transfer soup to food processor or blender (working in batches, as needed).
6. Return soup to pot and gently rewarm. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I used about 1 teaspoon more of salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with desired garnish and enjoy.