Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

 Low Carb Meals, Pasta Recipes, Side Dishes, What's Cooking?  No Responses »
Aug 212015
 

Cauliflower mac & cheeseI came across this recipe when I was trying to find recipes that substituted cauliflower instead of rice or potatoes. Check out my recipe for Cauliflower Pork Fried Rice. It never occurred to me that it could be used as a substitute for macaroni.

You see, I have Type 2 Diabetes, and a very low tolerance for foods high in carbohydrates, especially pasta and rice. Even the smallest amount of these starchy foods with spike my blood sugar into the 200’s. That’s pretty high considering a normal blood glucose reading should be between 70 and 105. Anyone who counts carbs, whether they have Diabetes or not, knows how difficult it can be to eat certain foods. It’s so much easier when we can find a substitute that is just as satisfying.

A little bit of info about cauliflower. A small head of cauliflower equals 1 to 1-1/2 pound of cauliflower, or approximately 1-1/2 cups chopped. One medium head will be 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 pounds, or 3 cups chopped. A large head will yield approx. 4 to 6 cups of florets. One 10-ounce package of frozen cauliflower will equal 2 cups chopped. The following recipes assume a large head of cauliflower equals 4 to 6 cups chopped florets.

I found two ways to make cauliflower Mac & Cheese, and they are both delicious. The first recipe is so much better, though. It is thick, creamy, browned and bubbly. Yum!

The second way is for when you just don’t have the time to go through all of that. And, it really is good. So, without further ado, here is my twist on Cauliflower Mac & Cheese.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese – Preferred Oven Baked Method:

Allow about 15 min. for prep, and 20 to 30 min. to cook. Yields 6 to 8 side dishes.

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt, as needed for boiling water, plus 1/2 teaspoon
  • 1 large head cauliflower; cut florets into small pieces
  • Vegetable oil spray
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, put 1/2 cup aside for topping the casserole
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
  • Equipment: 8 by 8-inch baking dish

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt.
  • Cook the cauliflower in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and press as much water out as possible. The original recipe said to place between several layers of paper towels to dry, but I find that to be too time consuming and really not necessary.
  • Spray the baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
  • Transfer the drained cauliflower to the baking dish and set aside.
  • Heat the cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan, on low heat, then whisk in mustard until smooth.
  • Stir in 1-1/2 cups of the cheese, salt, pepper and garlic, and stir just until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine.
  • Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 15 minutes. Serve.
  • This dish is very rich and cream cheesy. I would suggest serving as a side dish, rather than as a meal in itself. However, as a meal in itself, I bet it would be great with some added chopped ham.

Bon appétit!

This recipe was inspired by

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cauliflower-mac-and-cheese-casserole-recipe.html

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese – Stove-Top Method:

Quite sometime ago, I purchased this Hoosier Hill Farm Cheddar Cheez Powder from Amazon. I bought it solely for making regular macaroni and cheese, hoping to simulate the name brand stuff, if you know what I mean. 🙂 This cheese powder totally eliminates having to buy the pre-boxed mac & cheese, and is a real cost savings. I like it with mini penne, when I make it for the rest of the family. just cook 1 cup of elbow macaroni (or mini penne), drain, then add 1/4 cup of butter or margarine, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 tbsp. of the cheese powder, and mix well.

So, last night, while I was making hot dogs with regular mac & cheese for the rest of the family, I decided to try the cheese powder with the cauliflower.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese – Stove-Top Method:

Allow about 15 min. for prep, and 10 min. to cook. Yields 6 to 8 side dishes.

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt, as needed for boiling water
  • 1 large head cauliflower; cut florets into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup Hoosier Hill Farm Cheddar Cheez Powder
  • salt & pepper, as needed
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
  • 1 tbsp flour (optional for thicker sauce)*

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Cook the cauliflower in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and press as much water out as possible. Return drained cauliflower to pot.
  • Add butter and stir until melted. Add cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Then, add cheese powder, mix well and serve.
  • OR
  • * Melt butter in small saucepan, add flour and stir until thick. Whisk in milk and cheese powder until smooth. Pour over cauliflower and mix well.

Bon appétit!

Cauliflower Pork Fried Rice

 Low Carb Meals, Pork Recipes, Side Dishes, What's Cooking?  No Responses »
Jul 222015
 

Do you know how many calories and carbohydrates are in a cup of rice? First of all, the box of Minute Rice shows that one serving is 1/2 cup. A 1/2 cup of Minute Rice has 170 calories and 38 grams of carbohydrates (Yikes!) Who eats 1/2 cup of rice? Usually, it depends on whether you eat rice as a full meal or as a side dish. Not me, I can eat pork fried rice by the quart. Let’s see, a quart of rice is 1360 calories, or 304 grams of carbohydrates. Good grief, 304 grams of carbs is more than six days worth of carbohydrates for me! No wonder I got myself into this predicament. Oh, well, it just reinforces my decision to change the way I eat.

.

When I eat pork fried rice it reminds me of my childhood Summers at the amusement park, where they had this fabulous little walk-up Chinese Food stand. Anyway, I blogged a little about that here.,

Again, I digress.

So, onward and upward. I am trying to make healthier choices when deciding what to eat, but at the same time I don’t want to feel like I’m missing out on my favorite foods, like pork fried rice. In this case, the healthy choice is using cauliflower instead of rice. I’m not a big cauliflower eater. I’ve had it roasted with olive oil, and I like it raw with a dip, but that’s about it. The next thing I want to try is cauliflower mashed potatoes.

I’m going to show you the few changes that I made to my Pork Fried Rice recipe. Please excuse me for copying the main recipe because I’ve only made a few changes.

I usually make this when I have an extra pork chop, but it would also be good with chicken, beef or shrimp. You can also add whatever vegetables you choose, such as broccoli, shredded carrots, or peppers. I usually only add small peas. In this case, I left out the peas because they are not carb-friendly. The combined flavors from the garlic, green onions, ginger, and the addition of sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce, makes it oh, so good!

Ingredients:

3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil
A few drops of sesame oil (optional)
1 pork chop, cooked or uncooked, and cut into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1-1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (I use a fine grater)
3-4 green onions, chopped (white and light green parts)
1/2 large head or 1 small head of cauliflower (comes out to about 1-1/2 to 2 cups when grated)
Your choice of vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peas) (Optional)
2 eggs, scrambled
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Directions:

First, remove leaves and pull apart florets from half of the head of cauliflower. Add to colander and rinse. I then cut those in smaller chunks to fit in my food chopper. Or, you can use a box grater to grate the cauliflower. I was surpised at how well the chopper (or food processor) grated the cauliflower. It was so easy, and it looks just like rice. You don’t even have to cook it!

In a wok or large skillet, over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil and sesame oil. Mmmm! I love the smell of sesame oil!

If uncooked, add pork and cook 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Lower heat to medium, heat up a little more vegetable oil, add onion and saute for about five minutes, until translucent. Then, add garlic, ginger, and green onions. Cook about 1 minute.

grated garlic and ginger
I store my ginger in the freezer and grate as needed

Add cauliflower rice to skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Let the rice get crispy, about 2 minutes. This is when you add your vegetables; broccoli would be good, and stir.

Move rice to the side and add eggs, scrambling them and working into the rice mixture as you go. You might need to add a little more oil.

Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cooked pork. Toss together and serve.

Add soy sauce

Add soy sauce

Chopped pork

Add cooked pork

Check out my posts, My Journey to a Healthier Low Carb Way of Life, and Cauliflower Mac & Cheese.

Printable recipe without images:

Cauliflower Pork Fried Rice

3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil
A few drops of sesame oil (optional)
1 pork chop, cooked or uncooked, and cut into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1-1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (I use a fine grater)
3-4 green onions, chopped (white and light green parts)
1/2 large head or 1 small head of cauliflower (comes out to about 1-1/2 to 2 cups when grated)
Your choice of vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peas) (Optional)
2 eggs, scrambled
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Directions:

First, remove leaves from cauliflower and rinse. Pull apart florets from half of the head of cauliflower. I then cut those in smaller chunks to fit in my food chopper. Or, you can use a box grater to grate the cauliflower. I was surpised at how well the chopper (or food processor) grated the cauliflower. It was so easy, and it looks just like rice. You don’t even have to cook it!

In a wok or large skillet, over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil and sesame oil. Mmmm! I love the smell of sesame oil!

If uncooked, add pork and cook 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Lower heat to medium, heat up a little more vegetable oil, add onion and saute for about five minutes, until translucent. Then, add garlic, ginger, and green onions. Cook about 1 minute.

Add cauliflower rice to skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Let the rice get crispy, about 2 minutes. This is when you can add your vegetables; broccoli would be good, and stir.

Move rice to the side and add eggs, scrambling them and working into the rice mixture as you go. You might need to add a little more oil.

Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cooked pork. Toss together and serve.

My Journey to a Healthier Low Carb Way of Life

 Low Carb Meals, Susan's Musings, What's Cooking?  No Responses »
Jul 212015
 

I started my journey to a healthier low carb way of life 21 days ago. Yes, I can count the days, minutes and seconds since I started my diet. My last meal the night before I started my diet was on June 30, 2015, at approximately 7:30 pm. Oops! Let’s not forget the mini Mounds bar I had as a bedtime snack around midnight.

I should mention that I have Type 2 Diabetes.

This journey didn’t start out as a way to lose weight. My blood glucose (BG) levels were out of control and I needed to do something. My blood glucose was 230 the morning that I started my diet, and that was with medication and insulin. A normal blood glucose reading should be between 70 and 105, and no higher than 180 two hours after a meal. Those are the ADA guidelines, which I believe are old and outdated. From what I understand, it is when the blood glucose reaches 140 that it begins to cause damage to organs and nerves. This is why I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, and probably why I have had cataracts and have to get the pressure in my eyes checked every year for fear of glaucoma. I know many of my ailments come with age, but I also know Diabetes has been the cause of many of them.

It had been a real struggle trying to keep my diabetes under control. Over the years, my doctors have gradually added more and more medication until, finally, it wasn’t enough and I had to take insulin. I hated it! Having to prick my fingers three to five times a day, shots in the morning, evening, and before each meal. The more I ate, the more insulin I needed. My doctor told me I was just feeding my diabetes.

I had no will power. It was foods like fried rice or spaghetti that made it very difficult. I would outdo myself when it came to pasta, potatoes and rice. Now, they are not even in my repertoire of recipes when I cook for myself. I do still cook them for my family on occasion, but most of the time they can do without. They are much better off making healthier choices, even if it is me that is making the choices for them. Otherwise, hey, they can cook for themselves, right? I can’t even get my 21-year-old to make his own grilled cheese sandwich. I know, I enable and indulge him. I’m a mother, and that’s what I do. I enable and indulge.

When I do cook high calorie/carb foods for them, I can usually do without and add something I like instead. For example, they love spaghetti and I would never deprive them of my spaghetti and meatballs. So, while the sauce is simmering and the spaghetti noodles are boiling, I spiralize a zucchini (I call them zoodles) and saute it in a little EVOO and garlic. I then have the zoodles with a little sauce and meatballs. It is so good!

zucchini spaghetti and meatballs

Zucchini Spagetti and Meatballs – 291 calories, 15g net carbs

I started with a 3-day fast so that I could try to get my insulin dosage where it should be, without food. I then began to add carbohydrates back into my diet. I soon found that my body cannot tolerate too many carbs without spiking my blood sugar too much. So, I settled on a less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day (that’s right, not per meal, PER DAY!), preferably less than 30g. Now, instead of seeing BG readings in the 200’s, I’m seeing consistent readings in the 80’s and 90’s. I couldn’t believe it!

I have about 50 pounds to lose, so I decided to try and restrict my calorie intake as well. Believe me, calories do matter. It takes quite the balancing act to lower carbs and calories at the same time. So, in addition to lowering my carb intake to less than 50 grams of carbs, I now stick to a 1200 calorie diet. It’s not always easy, but it’s doable. I actually get to eat a lot of low carb food, so I’m not feeling hungry all day like I did with high carb, low fat diets. This diet has changed my life! In fact, to me, it’s not a diet at all. It is a new way of eating, a low carb way of life. Hmm, NWOE and LCWOL. Not Low Carb, High Fat (LCHF), exactly, because I’m not comfortable with eating a lot of fat. It makes me feel queasy when I eat too much fat. Besides, I read that too much fat can spike my blood sugar because it contributes to my insulin resistance. However, I don’t eat low fat, either, because I feel that some fat in my diet helps me feel full and satisfied. Like I said, it’s all a balancing act. Anyway, there are plenty of pros and cons out there about the LCHF diet, but I’m not going to get into that. I just want to write about what works for me and, hopefully, give others some ideas on making healthier choices. I know it’s only been three weeks, but I honestly feel that I’m in this for the long haul.

This is not about physical fitness, although I definitely plan on becoming more active as I go along. For now, a trip to the grocery store once a week, running a few errands, working around the house, and tending to my vegetable garden is about all I can handle for now. I look forward to the days when I can hop in my van, go from store to store, and shop ’til I drop.

This isn’t a recipe blog, but I do have quite a few of my favorite recipes. I have to admit, not too many of them are low carb or calorie. However, you can adjust many of them by excluding the potatoes or rice, or by replacing them with cauliflower. Just look at the drop-down categories under “What’s Cooking”. As I gradually add more low carb recipes to my blog, I will include a link to those pages.

Some of my favorite low carb foods:

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken
Pork chops with cauliflower pork fried rice
Zucchini spaghetti and meatballs
Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
Sauteed chicken and green beans
Sausage and sauteed cabbage served over cauliflower rice
Oven baked cod and broccoli
Corned beef and cabbage
Romaine lettuce wraps with ham, roast beef, tuna, turkey and chicken salad.
Roasted asparagus, cauliflower, eggplant
Snacks: mozarella sticks, peanuts, cucumber chips, strawberries and whipped cream. I also found a mock danish that was pretty good.

I would love to hear your story, or any tips or words of encouragement that you might have. Please add your comments below. Thank you! ~Susan