Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Greetings and happy stormy Wednesday.

While I'm on the series of things to love about summer, let's talk about a good thunderstorm.  (Of course, barring injuries or damage)

I think it all stems from my ever-growing appreciation for Mother Nature and her awesome works.  I just love all of the seasons and the beauty that they bring, a glorious sunny summer day, a brisk, colorful day in fall, a gorgeous snowfall in winter and the fresh, new green of spring.

A good crack of lightning to light up the whole sky, followed by some serious rumbling of thunder, that you can feel in your chest ranks right up there with some of my favorite things.  (My kids would fear that I would launch into song after using that phrase…they are probably right!)

Perhaps the greatest is the reminder is how small we are in this universe and how powerful the forces of natures can be…perhaps it only helps my appreciation for all of the natural wonders to grow!

A day like this lends it itself to some comfort food and recently Jerry requested pasta and Alfredo sauce.

If you haven't gathered by now, I'm a huge fan of taste, texture, flavor and healthy meals.  So, of course, Alfredo sauce isn't really on my radar until it dawned on me to use pureed cauliflower, as that has been all of the rage lately as a healthy alternate for potatoes and creamy soups.

Let me start by saying that everyone in the family ate and enjoyed the Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce over Penne pasta with chicken and grilled asparagus.

Whenever I switch things up like this, I don't generally advertise it too much before the meal, as I prefer  to minimize any preconceived notions, just try it with an open mind.

Since my dad was in town and he isn't very subtle, (not shocking to anyone who knows him) the kids new it was Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce going into it, but they wouldn't have even guessed it.

It was creamy and delicious and almost everyone had seconds.

Now, without further ado, let me share with you the recipe and process for whipping this up yourself.


One whole head of cauliflower was steamed until quite tender for ease of blending and achieving the smooth, creaminess of sauce.  When it was drained, I kept the 1 cup of leftover cooking broth to ultimately add to the blender.

I was a bit surprised by how much liquid was required in order to really thin and smooth out the sauce, but that is my favorite part of creating recipes is going with the flow!  

Generally, I do have an initial plan in mind, even jotted down on paper, but am happy to add and adjust ingredients as necessary upon tasting…much like my days of commercial product development.  

OK, back to the blender.

In total, 1 cup of whole milk, 1/2 stick of butter, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan, 1 cup of cooking broth were added to the cauliflower and it was ready to whirl! An additional cup or two of water was added as necessary to thin the sauce, but I wouldn't recommended adding it right away.  

Now, since this was my first attempt at a cauliflower-based anything, I will admit I was a bit nervous.  But, in the event of a complete failure, I did have a jar of the store bought stuff as a back up, so really…just do it!  

Let me tell you, it worked like a charm and any near nerves over this were totally unwarranted.

As you can see, the blender was pretty full, so there was more than enough sauce to feed the 6 of us.

From the blender, to the sauce pan for heating and tweaking.  

My guest taster (aka dad) thought it needed a little more body, so more Parmesan was added, equalling a cup total.  That was the final tweak and we were ready to roll!

To complete the meal, 2# of chicken tenders (certainly could have been more…it's like I forget how much my family growing family eats) and 1# of grilled asparagus were added to the sauce and served over pasta.

I also threw some fresh basil on top, but I imagine that would have been amazing in the sauce, all blended up, as well!

I'll probably add a basil/pesto twist to it the next time I make it!  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1 whole head of cauliflower - steamed
1 cup of leftover cooking broth
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 cup of grated Parmesan (separated)
1-2 cups of additional water - added as necessary in the blending process.  

2# of chicken tenders
1# of grilled asparagus
2# pasta (1# gluten free, 1# traditional)

Directions:

Steam cauliflower in 1 cup of water, reserve water for sauce.  
To blender, add cauliflower, cooking broth, milk, butter, garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan.  
Blend until smooth, adding additional water as necessary.  

Return to sauce pan to warm, add additional 1/2 cup Parmesan.  

Add cooked, chopped chicken and asparagus to sauce, keep warm until serving over pasta.  

Fresh and Bright Shrimp Scampi with Gluten-free Pasta

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend with friends and family.  Thankfully, the weather finally warmed up and was able to celebrate with a friend and mimosas on the deck enjoying the long-awaited sunshine while the kids were continuing to enjoy the holiday by hiding the eggs in the yard.

Hubby finally made it home from work in time for a traditional Easter meal of ham, cheesy potatoes, grilled asparagus and the family favorite Rhodes rolls in the evening and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.  Of course too much sugar was consumed, wouldn't be a holiday without it!

The recipe I want to share with you today is for a fresh, bright, light scampi sauce served with shrimp over pasta.  This was our first adventure with gluten-free pasta and I think it went over pretty well.  Our oldest was the only one who objected.  The rest of us enjoyed it just the same.

With a medley of flavors like this, the fact that anyone even noticed that the pasta was gluten free is beyond me!  I couldn't get over the party that was going on in my mouth!

On with the recipe…Since the sauce itself comes together very quickly, I got the pasta water started first to ensure enough time for the proper cooking.  The 12 oz box of gluten free pasta was Ronzoni and I have no complaints.  But, would always be willing to hear others' recommendations for gluten-free pasta.  

The shrimp scampi started with two tablespoons of butter over medium heat, tossed in one tablespoon of minced garlic and one pound of shrimp.  More shrimp would always be welcome by the gents in my house, so if you've got it, go for it!  Then, top the shrimp with a teaspoon of ground (or crushed) red pepper.

Also, some salt and fresh ground pepper, just a light layer is my definition of "to taste!"  Can always add more later!

I love the mild, underlying, lingering heat in this dish, thanks to the red pepper.

After the shrimp are mostly cooked, seriously, only takes about 5 minutes if they are properly thawed, we can get this scampi sauce under way.

Start with a quarter cup of white wine, I had a Chardonnay on hand that complimented this dish perfectly.

Then, add the juice of half of a lemon or less than a quarter cup of prepared lemon juice.  This adds the brightness to the dish.  Oooooh, I'm salivating at the thought!

While the sauce is simmering, I have to add in my signature vegetable.  This time it was a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, because it wilts perfectly, so quickly.  (Apparently we were in some hurry, but I can't remember for the life of me what could have been so important! Irony at it's finest!)

Other vegetable additions that would work include asparagus, as it is quite seasonal right now, or green beans, as they are always a  popular option.  Just to name a few, but really the options are endless.

Upon draining the cooked spaghetti and serving the shrimp, sauce and spinach over top, the plates were topped with some fresh Parmesan and dried basil (fresh would have been delightful as well...can't wait for the garden!)

I haven't stopped thinking about this dish since we enjoyed it last week.  The brightness of the fresh citrus, coupled with the nutty Parmesan and Chardonnay notes, finished with the lingering heat of the red pepper....I was in heaven!


RECIPE

Ingredients:

12 oz box of gluten free pasta
2 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 pound of shrimp
1 tsp of ground (or crushed) red pepper.
salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste
1/4 cup of white wine
Juice of half of a lemon (or less than 1/4 cup prepared juice)
Fresh spinach
Fresh Parmesan
Basil 

Directions

Cook pasta according to instructions.

Melt butter over medium heat in large saute pan.
Add garlic and shrimp, season with red pepper, salt and pepper.
After tossing once, after about 2-3 minutes, add wine and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil.
Add vegetables.

Serve sauce over cooked pasta, top with Parmesan and basil.

Cozy Ski Soup

Welcome back from the weekend...hope it was wonderful and I know we are all thrilled that warmer weather is on the way.  

I'm as excited as anyone for the roads to clear and snow to melt, soccer and biking season are right around the corner.  

Although, I just can't pass up this opportunity to share with you the awesome soup recipe that we enjoyed on our annual family ski trip this past weekend. 

Here's my gang on the slopes!

We should really try to put a number before that 'annual', but the number of years escapes us, especially as it evolves...how do you put a number on it? 

I've been skiing since I was 5 or 6, so does that make it the 30th annual ski trip? But, my dad, sisters and brother have been skiing longer than that.  

Our new tradition of staying trail side started when my 20 year old niece was 1, so is it the 19th?

You get the point, we've been doing this for a long time and as traditions go, something change and some things stay the same.  

Same = trail side lodging, different = new condo. 

Same = 3 generations of family, different = less people

Same= soup,  different = Cozy Ski Soup

One of my goals for the near future is to start an album with all pictures of the family ski trip, through the years.  After this many years, the details get all jumbled together.  I'll let you know how that goes. 

Anyway, on to the soup.  

Started by browning 1 lb of Italian sausage, upon completion, set aside on paper towel to drain, wipe out excess any grease from the soup pot, but leave a little behind to sautee the veggies in.  

Chop and toss 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery (I included the leafy parts too), a cup of shredded carrots and 1 zucchini into the pan for some preliminary cooking.  Cook until soft. 

Then added the broth, which was primarily Chicken Stock (4 cups), but also used up the 1 cup tomato juice and 2 cups of beef stock that were in the fridge, just begging to be used!

I am always conservative with liquids when starting soup.  More stock/broth/water can always be later or added just prior to serving, but it is much harder to remove. 

Next, I added 1 bag of frozen corn and frozen green beans.  I generally preferred frozen to canned, the texture of the corn and beans holds up much better from frozen than can and I'm a huge texture person. Two can of diced tomatoes would also be added at this point, but since I they were temporarily out of stock in my pantry, I had to wait to add them until just before serving. 

Last ingredient to make this a hearty and cozy soup is 1 lb of pasta. After boiling for about 10 minutes the pasta was cooked and ready to be served.

Since I made this in advance of our ski trip…didn't want to miss time on the slopes having to cook. So, I froze the soup and re-heated it for serving.  That worked out perfectly!

In addition to the diced tomatoes, I also added some more water and bouillon, as it was a little more like goulash than soup.  That is a personal preference to be adjusted accordingly.

The family was thrilled with this new soup, it definitely hit the spot for the occasion.


Cozy Ski Soup

Ingredients
1 lb of Italian sausage
1 medium onion
3 stalks of celery (I included the leafy parts too)
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 zucchini 
8 cups of Chicken Stock (or other broth type ingredients - tomato juice, vegetable or beef stock)
1 bag of frozen corn
1 bag of frozen green beans
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 lb of small pasta 

Cook the sausage in soup pot. Drain on paper towel. Remove excess grease.
Saute onion, celery and carrots in pan.
Add stock/broth ingredients.
While bringing to a boil, add frozen corn, beans and diced tomatoes.
Finally, boil pasta for 10 minutes.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Clean-out-your-fridge Pasta sauce with Spaghetti

Not sure how meal planning goes in your house, oh, it doesn't...well, hopefully this give you some guidance.  

Usually on Sunday nights we go around the table and everyone gets a chance to throw out a meal suggestion or request for the following week, then I plan the meals according to what is going on each night (for example tonight is a Crock Pot Chicken and Barley Vegetable Stew from Iowa Girl Eats so there is something ready, warm and nutritious to devour between swim lessons and my early volleyball game). Tomorrow night is swim, 3 parent teacher conferences and piano...not sure I'm going to win the homemade healthy meal battle tomorrow night.  Sometimes you just have to willing to throw up the white flag in surrender. I digress. 

Landon, being the youngest and having the least complex taste buds, asked for spaghetti.  That is completely understandable for an 8 year old boy who would rather just eat hot dogs everyday, but It sure bursts my creative juices bubble...what am I supposed to do with that?!?!?

After mulling it over a bit, I decided it would be a great opportunity to use up some of the leftover ingredients in the fridge from the weekend...now we're talking, since I HATE throwing anything away.  

So, upon a quick glance through my fridge, I decide that the sauce will start with some red bell peppers, pizza sauce, marinara and sausage all left from the pizzas on Saturday night and then might as well throw in the shredded carrots for good measure.  

This just goes to show that you can put just about anything into certain dishes. In fact, Jerry asked me if I used up the open jar of salsa from the fridge, I hadn't, but he's catching on quickly! 

Round out the sauce with one fresh tomato, green peppers, zucchini, onion, garlic, let them cook down a bit before adding the first can of diced tomatoes as well as some Italian seasoning.  The sauce started with just one can of diced tomatoes but a second was added after the initial simmering had taken place and it just wasn't saucy enough.  

Now, I realize that is a lot of veggies but even if we let the kids pick out one that they don't like, they are still getting a decent serving of veggies in the meal.  I throw veggies into every dish I make and sometimes they don't even notice or maybe they have just resorted the fact that the veggies are going to be there and just stop fighting it.

That simmered away until the family was home and ready to partake.  

Now, onto the pasta...I'm not a huge pasta fan...there I said it!  I'd rather save my carbs to accompany cheese, hummus, guacamole or even ketchup, not as a main component of my meal.  But, I insist on the kids eating what I like most of the time, so I can suck it up on occasion and eat their meal of choice. 

Despite having a lifetime supply of pasta that I bought at a club store some time in the last decade, I decided I wanted to go with the healthier whole grain pasta for Jerry and I, at the very least; another attempt to bring some nutrition to the table.  (Now that I think about it, last time I made a similar meal, Jerry and I were served spaghetti squash...not sure he was too thrilled with that).

So, I got two large pots of salt water boiling to make the respective pastas.  (Because of the way the salt bonds to the water molecules, the water has to reach a higher temperature before boiling, helping the pasta to cook faster...in case anyone is interested in any of the scientific principles behind all of this good stuff.)

Before straining the noodles, I used a ladle to reserve about a cup of the pasta water to pour back into the noodles.  As the pasta cools, the starches continue to absorb water, so saving pasta water to add back helps to keep the spaghetti from sticking together too badly.  Once that was absorbed, I tossed with some olive oil before serving.  

As it turns out, the Clean-Out-Your-Fridge Pasta Sauce was a big hit with the family as was the whole grain pasta...I think that will be a new staple in our house as we move towards healthier grains and away from white bread and rice, now we can add pasta to the category as well.  

What are some ways you like to use up ingredients in your fridge?  How about sneak some extra vegetables into your kids meals?  I know there are some pretty clever people out there reading this and I'd love to hear what your thoughts.