A bowl of Macaroni and Cheese, better known as Mac-N-Cheese all over the world, is perhaps the most indulgent one-pot meal there is. Dipping into a bowl with a spoon, watching the melty, gooey cheese come out in strands is as gratifying as putting that spoonful of savoury flavours in your mouth. The problem is, unless you are the epitome of good health, that bowl of Mac-N-Cheese comes with a bucketful of guilt. You might say that guilt is unnecessary, but the fact is, there is absolutely no part of a traditional Mac-N-Cheese that is remotely healthy. Enter Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese!
Packed with the goodness of an entire cauliflower head, this Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese is brimming with dietary fibre, plant proteins and plenty of vitamins and minerals. This recipe is vegan, which means it is perfect for those who are health freaks as well as vegan or vegetarian. In fact, it is dairy-free too—so those with lactose intolerance can have it too! If that’s not enough, here’s more. This recipe also skips the addition of macaroni or pasta of any kind and replaces them with potatoes. So, this Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese is also quite gluten-free. Can a dish get healthier than that?
You might argue that if we skip the pasta, the cheese and add these vegan ingredients, is this Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese going to be delicious? Yes, it will! Despite skipping these ingredients that make up a traditional bowl of Mac-N-Cheese, this Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese recipe gives you the exact same texture and almost the same taste—of course, nobody can claim to recreate the exact flavours of an aged cheese unless they are adding artificial, unhealthy flavours. So, if you are all about caring for your health and yet want to enjoy a guilt-free bowl of Mac-N-Cheese, then this Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese is perfect for you. Here’s the recipe.
Image used for representative purpose. Image courtesy: Facebook/Foodland Ontario
Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 cup cashews
½ cup almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp black pepper powder
Salt, to taste
½ tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Method:
1. Place the cashews in a pan and dry roast them. Then soak the cashews for half an hour or more.
2. Meanwhile, boil or steam the potatoes and carrots until they are soft. Set them aside to cool down.
3. Transfer the cashews, potatoes and carrots into a blender jar.
4. Add the almond milk, half the olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, onion and black pepper powders, and salt.
5. Grind everything into a fine paste. Add a bit more almond milk if needed.
6. Now, steam the cauliflower florets until parboiled.
7. Drain the florets and transfer them into a baking dish.
8. Pour the vegan cheese sauce on top of the cauliflower and mix well.
9. To make a breadcrumb-like topping for the Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese, mix the almond flour with olive oil, salt, black pepper and some garlic powder until it forms a crumb-like texture.
10. Sprinkle the topping generously over the Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese mix.
11. Bake the Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.
12. Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve hot.
