Conference turris::cooks

  Great recipe! We use almost exactly the same recipe on sliced
  zucchini. Also makes a nice sauce for pasta. I haven't tried it with
  tomatoes, but it sounds like it might be tasty.

    gee that sounds great.  i love cauliflower too.  usually what i
    do is take the whole head and micro it till done (stays moist in
    the zap oven) then i place it in a round baking dish and cover it
    with a cheese sauce (with mustard and hot pepper added) and then
    cover that with breadcrumbs and cheese.  bake that for 15 or until
    brown and heating through and wala, just cut into serving pieces
    and i swear people who say they will never eat cauliflower will
    eat their own words.
    
    can't wait to try the new recipe though (love the onion party too)
    
    thanks!
    
    

    I steam cauliflower, drain, then saute in a fry pan with 
    butter, fresh garlic and basil.  Sprinkle with romano or parmesean
    cheese before serving.  Simple and tasty. 

    Another twist that I have found people really like when I cook it
    is:  
        Steam the flowerets until tender.  Melt a stick of butter and
    add a touch of lemon juice and some parsley.  Coat the cauliflower
    with this mixture, then sprinkle enough parmesean cheese to cover.
        Then bake this covered in the oven for about 15 minutes then
    another 5 or so minutes uncovered to add a little crisp to it.
    Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....  It comes out great!
    

I was starving one day and all I had was a little macaroni and some
cauliflower in the house. This creation has become one of my
favorites.

Cook the macaroni (it has to be a fun shape, wagon wheels are my
current favorite). Just before the macaroni is done, add about a half
a head of cauliflower flowerettes to the pot and cook it til it is
just tender (3-5 minutes). Dump the mac and cauliflower in a backing
dish. Add milk and cheese to the macaroni and cauliflower. Add some
zing by adding some caraway seeds. I fill the center of my palm with
caraway. Then bake it at 350 until the top is crunchy or you get too
hungry to wait any longer. 

I have a dilemma.  I love cauliflower, and I can just steam it and eat it.  When
I do this, my husband has to melt cheese on it to be able to eat it.  But with
his cholesterol, I'm trying to get him away from cheese and cream sauces.  Is
there something light I can use to add some zest, without adding fat?  I'm
thinking there must be something like lemon butter, only I'd use a spread rather
than butter; or some herbs.

Most of the recipes in here are cream sauces and cheese, though there are a
couple of ideas.  Anyone have any secrets?

Elaine

	Elaine, my husband is a butter/margarine maniac himself.  But 
	since I introduced him to Spike (a seasoned salt you can buy
	in some supermarkets and most health food stores) that's all
	he wants on his steamed broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts,
	and so on...

	Cara

    
            I take a packet of cheese powder from a box of macaroni (put
      the macaroni in a jar and save) and cheese. Put a 16 oz. container
      of low-fat cottage cheese in a blender and add the cheese powder
      until smooth. It makes a great cheese sause substitute. I have no
      idea how much cholesterol it contains, but it is definately less
      than pure cheese sauce.
    
                                                  Randy

I take cream of celery soup, add a little basil and finely sliced green onions.
Mix them up with precooked cauliflower (with broccoli too if you want), salt and
pepper to taste. Put into a casserole dish and sprinkle with good parmesan 
cheese and paprika.  Bake or nuke until hot.  Great for holidays too, because it
can all be done ahead and then put in with the roast the last 45 minutes or so.

Laura

I don't know if this would work with cauliflower but I serve brocolli this
way all the time...

After I steam it, I pour on some of that bottled lemon juice (use fresh
if you want) and shake on some oregano, then cover it up for a minute
and let the flavors steep.  Really good, and NO FAT!

I also have a brocolli casserole with tomatoes, bread crumbs, and parmesan
cheese... 

Enjoy!

Karen


Broccoli Casserole

2 pkg frozen broccoli spears, almost cooked
12 oz can tomatoes, drain and reserve liquid
6 oz can tomato paste
1 to 2 tsp oregano (to taste)
2 T Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp season salt

bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese for topping

Place cooked broccoli in center of flat casserole. Slice tomatoes and arrange
around broccoli. Combine reserved liquid, tomato paste, oregano, season salt
and cheese. Pour over top. Top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at
350 degrees for 30 minutes.

    After I steam it I sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and throw in 
    a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds and toss.  Makes it crunchy
    and and gives it a tangy, nutty flavor.
    
    Ellen

    I have a super recipe for Creamy Cauliflower Soup that is from the Fit
    for Life book.  It is very low in fat and real tasty.  The "creaminess"
    of the soup is from puree'ing the cauliflower and other veggies in a
    blender after they've been cooked. 
    
    If this sounds good, I'll bring the recipe in.
    
    Renee
     

re: all  Thanks for the suggestions.  I'll have to try these to see what works

Re: .12

Renee, I'd like to try that soup.  Maybe I should check out the cookbook!

RE: .6

Are you after low-fat or low-cholesterol?  If you're after low-fat, then using 
a margarine spread in place of butter won't help.  Both butter and margarine 
are 100% fat.  Since most margarines are polyunsaturated fat, they at least are 
"better" fat from a cholesterol point of view.  As for cheeses, there are 
low-fat, low-cholesterol cheeses around (cottage cheese and riccotta, for 
example) that you might find useful.  These are probably better than 
margarine-based sauces.

I suggest just using some lemon juice and herbs to add a little kick to the 
cauliflower.

--PSW

    Here's the recipe for Perfect Creamy Cauliflower Soup from Fit for
    Life.
    
    2 T. butter
    1 T. olive oil
    1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
    6-8 scallions, chopped
    1 clove garlic, minced
    2 stalks celery, chopped
    2 medium cauliflower, cored and coarsely chopped
    1/2 tsp. sea salt
    1/2 tsp. curry powder (optional)
    1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp. dried thyme
    1 tsp. dried basil
    1 tsp. dried savory or marjoram
    6 cups water
    2 T. white miso (preferable to vegetable bouillon because it will not
                     turn the soup dark)
    1/8 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg (optional)
    
    In heavy soup kettle, melt butter.  Add oil.  Add onion, scallions, and
    garlic.  Add celery and cauliflower.  Add seasonings.  Mix well and
    cook, uncovered, over medium heat for several minutes, stirring
    frequently.  Add water and miso.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer, covered,
    over medium heat for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.  Remove
    cover and cool slightly.  Puree in small increments in blender until
    smooth and creamy.  Reheat, adding fresh ground nutmeg, if desired. 
    Serves 4.
    

    This is how we like cauliflower:
    Seperate to medium sized "flowers",wash and drain.In a large pot
    steam-fry a medium sized onion-diced,and some diced garlic (the more
    the merrier...). add 1 small can of tomato paste and water,put
    "flowers" in the pot,add spices (we don't use much salt but we like
    black pepper and red hot paprika),add chopped parsly (again-the more
    the merrier),and let steam until cauliflower is semi-soft.We like it
    hot,cold,never have leftovers.
    r/

    I make a cheese sauce that has much less cheese than actual melted
    cheese.
    
    Just make an ordinary white sauce...or better yet, use skimmed
    evaporated milk in place of regular milk...and toss in a handful of
    grated low-fat cheese.
    
    Here's one of my favorites (from memory)
    
    1 cup evap. skimmed milk
    1 Tbs cornstarch
    1 oz grated low-fat cheddar or swiss cheese
    1 dollop (to taste) horseradish sauce
    1 dollop ("   "   ) mustard (pref. Dijon)
    1/4 tsp nutmeg or mace
    salt + pepper to taste
    1-2 Tbs white wine
    
    Mix the cornstarch well in a little bit of the milk until completely
    dissolved.  Then put it and the rest of the milk in a saucepan, and
    heat on medium until bubbly and thick.  Stir FREQUENTLY.  Add in the
    rest of the ingredients, and cook until all the cheese is melted and
    the "uncooked cornstarch" taste is gone (a few minutes).  Pour over
    veggies and enjoy.
    
    D!

    Also, another way of preparing all sorts of veggies (green beans,
    cauliflower, broccoli, etc...) is...
    
    Chop up garlic to taste (I usually use 2 cloves for two large servings
    of veggies) very fine.  Heat up 1-2 tsp oil is a wok or good non-stick
    frying pan.  When the oil is hot, add garlic and 1/2 Tbs sesame seeds. 
    Stir fry for about a minute, till garlic and sesame are brown and
    fragrant, then add veggies, and "dry fry" until they reach desired
    tenderness.  Sprinkle with a few drops of sesame oil (if desired.) 
    Yum.
    
    D!

    OK, I've heard of stir fry, but what are "steam-fry" and "dry-fry?"

I have no idea if that is a technical term...I just mean frying without
oil.  As in, stir-fry in a nice *hot* non-stick pan.

D!

    The Frugal Gourmet has a great baked cauliflower dish where a whole
    head of cauliflower is first steamed, then placed in a casserole dish
    then topped with a beaten egg (2 egg whites could be substituted to
    eliminate fat & cholesterol) and parmesan cheese.
    
    There are low fat/low cholesterol versions of other cheeses (cheddar,
    swiss, etc) on the market that are pretty good.
    
    For margarine/butter substitutes you can try Butter Buds or equivalent.

    I think that's "100% calories-from-fat" which is the only meaninful
    measure of fat (IM ever HO.)
    
    Diana

    Diana,
    
    You're right.
    
    ~beth