Leftover Oil

I have been storing last year's red peppers in some olive oil that I flavored.  We finally finished a jar and I wasn't about to throw out flavored oil.  After much contemplation,  I decided to roast my garden cauliflower in it.  Yum.

Roasted Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Break or cut cauliflower head into florets.  Place on cookie sheet.  Drizzle with flavored oil and toss.  Roast for 40 min. making sure cauliflower is brown and crispy.  

You could just use olive oil, salt, garlic or seasonings of your choice. 

"Those Brown Things Are Bacon"

Um, not exactly, sweet 7 year old grandchild.  Those brown things are old cauliflower.  Not mine, but your mother's.  I'm sorry grandma tricked you.  OK, not really.  But those brown things on top hiding those other brown things are bacon. 

Cauliflower Soup
From Taste of Home
Serves 8

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 2 pounds)
1 medium carrot, shredded (I used dehydrated carrots)
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 cups water 
2 teaspoons chicken or 1 vegetable bouillon cube
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt (can substitute celery salt and omit celery)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, very optional  

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrot, celery, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender (do not drain).
In another large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in the cheese until melted. Add hot pepper sauce if desired. Stir into the cauliflower mixture. Yield: 8 servings (about 2 quarts).

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 cup) equals 159 calories, 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 35 mg cholesterol, 617 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Garden Cauliflower

You Can Make Soup Out of Anything

I adapted the following recipe and used my left-over cauliflower gratin and cheese fondue. Both had gotten a little old. OK. Really old. And the cheese was hard. It should be called cauliflower gratin cheese fondue soup.


Cauliflower Cheese Soup
From allrecipes.com
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 1 cup cubed potatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine water, cauliflower, potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in separate saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in milk. Return to heat, and cook until thickened. Stir in vegetables with cooking liquid, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese until melted, and remove from heat.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 386 | Total Fat: 24.6g | Cholesterol: 75mg

History Repeats Itself

Buy bread. Turns hard. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Who even does that? This time I used my hard French bread as bread crumbs.

Cauliflower Gratin
From Taste of Home

1 c. chicken broth
1 large head cauliflower, washed and separated into florets
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add cauliflower. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 15-18 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until toasted and browned. Remove from the heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Drain cauliflower; top with crumb mixture.

I obviously just used plain bread crumbs. Sometimes plain fat works. Also, I used grated Parmesan in the green jar.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 cup equals 150 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 25 mg cholesterol, 459 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein.