Tasty Tuesday: Caulifredo

Hello all! In the process of creating a healthier, happier me, I have come to the realization that my love of pasta and all things cheese will create somewhat of a hindrance on my success. That being said eating salad everyday, all day is not the answer either. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I truly believe that moderation is key but that you have to have some variety as well. In my search for this variety I came across a blog called Pinch of Yum. The author of this blog has some wonderful recipes, that are OMG healthy as well. The first of many that I intend on trying was creamy cauliflower sauce. I have since dubbed this Caulifredo as it is an exact replica to Alfredo sauce, which I happen to love.

The Recipe: (found here)

 INGREDIENTS

• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5-6 cups cauliflower florets
• 6-7 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
• ½ cup milk (more to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Garlic: Saute the minced garlic with the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Cauliflower: Bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain.
3. Puree: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup vegetable broth or cooking liquid, sauteed garlic/butter, salt, pepper, and milk. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot! If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.

The Preparation:This sauce is a really simple recipe and went together lickety split! Cooking time was probably 10 minutes total. It also yielded a large portion, so you could switch it up into multiple dishes with some creative thinking.

The Taste Test: I, along with my family tried this out with some whole wheat linguine with some shrimp and fried mushrooms. The result was so good that even my non-vegetable eating, old school father enjoyed it. The taste was on par with the most popular pasta sauces and I myself enjoyed it more even. The result was much lighter than alfredo and you cannot tell that it is vegetable based.

The Switch Up: I had tons of sauce left over. Later in the week I am going to try making a creamy rice dish with it and possibly a chicken pizza. I will update on the results!

Please do me a HUGE favor and share this on facebook, pinterest or any other social media that you choose! Thanks.