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Healthy Eating Habits

Serve up a Beautiful Bouquet—of Cauliflower!

Serve up a Beautiful Bouquet—of Cauliflower!

There is a good chance this commonly available vegetable is not part of your child’s weekly menu. Too crunchy? Too plain? Too cumbersome to prepare? Not so! Cauliflower can be cooked to a variety of textures, takes on great flavors and is a snap to prepare. Even better is that cauliflower provides important nutrients such as fiber, folic acid and vitamin C. Its mild flavor makes it a great vegetable to “sneak” into your picky preschooler’s diet. Simply microwave a few florets, following directions for microwaving fresh vegetables, until soft, mash with a fork to pieces your child can safely eat and stir into your pancake batter. You just added some veggies at breakfast.

The Scoop on Cauliflower:

  • The white compact top of the cauliflower is called the curd
  • The curd is actually flower buds that don’t bloom
  • If you see purple cauliflower in the store – it is really a broccoli variety and will turn green when cooked

Sometimes cheese sauce is just what is needed to help the veggies go down—recipe below!

Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce Tips: Large Cauliflower
Ingredients
4 cups cauliflower florets 1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon margarine or butter 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk 1/2 cup (2oz) cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can (4oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

Instructions

PLACE cauliflower and water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Drain; remove from saucepan.


MELT margarine in same saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Add evaporated milk; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Add cheese; stir until melted. Stir in mushrooms; remove from heat. Stir in cauliflower.


Recipe makes 4 side-dish servings.


*Recipe adapted from Meals.com

Tips
  • Cauliflower can usually be substituted for broccoli in most recipes (particularly helpful if your little one doesn’t like “the green things!”)
  • Add cauliflower florets to your pasta sauce for some “white meatballs”
  • Add cooked cauliflower to mashed potatoes for an extra nutritional punch
  • Super easy way to cook cauliflower – place whole cauliflower head in large pot, cover with water and boil until soft. Serve immediately with butter and breadcrumbs on top.
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