that loveley sauce? it's a vegetable in disguise
Recently I've been trying to increase my fiber intake. Striving for that elusive 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables. Delicious summer fruit are easy, leafy greens a little difficult and 9 whole servings!- kind of a challenge. In the mornings I start with fruit- apples, pears, peaches, nectarines are all good options, plus a bowl of oatmeal (now seven grain) either sweet or savory and an egg. Or hi-fiber toast and coffee.
Lunch is soup and leafy green salad- including spinach + nuts + meat. OK sometimes it's pizza but if you have 2 toppings it counts as a serving of veg.... Plus a snack of homemade granola with flax seed, oatmeal and nuts. But sometimes you get tired of the salads and crave something a little more substantial and warming. Enter the lowly cauliflower, as fairly taste neutral, kid acceptable veg.
Typically served in my childhood covered in lashings of a Bechamel cheese sauce, it's a comfortable dish, satisfying and score 1 for servings of vegetable. I found a great recipe for cauliflower soup which inspired me to create a cheese sauce with cauliflower as a base.
* 1 tsp coriander seeds
* 1 tsp fennel/cumin seeds
* 1-2 bay leaves
* 1 onion
* 2 cups water/stock
* 1 cauliflower (1 lb + 1.5 oz)
* 1 large shallot/onion, diced
* 2 garlic cloves, whole
* 1 celery branch (optional), diced
* 2 cups grated cheese
* Dash of mustard powder
* Dash of nutmeg
* Dash of sherry
* Dash of cream
* Salt and pepper to taste
Start with a cauliflower cut into large florets, a medium sized onion or large shallot, whole cloves of garlic and a spice packet. Cook in chicken stock until very soft. Remove the spice packet and then use an immersion blender to puree everything together. Simmer over low heat and mix in cheese, cream and sherry, salt to taste. Adjust thickness of sauce with stock as desired. Serve as a you would a regular cheesy sauce . Most people can't tell the difference!