Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole a terrific make-ahead side dish

This was one of the greatest veggie casseroles we can remember having. The title says Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole, but I fudged a little and also added green peas and carrots into this veggie mélange. Honestly, you could toss any just about any fresh or frozen veggie; it would turn out just great.

A delicious cream sauce prepared with low-fat cream cheese and a flavorful, crisp topping help make this recipe a wonderful side dish. Hubby and I enjoyed our favorite meat loaf as an entrée; this veggie casserole just made the meal.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole can be prepared a day ahead, refrigerated, and then baked just before dinner.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided

1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1 (16-ounce) package frozen cauliflower florets, thawed

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/4 cups milk

4 ounces (1/2 packages) cream cheese, cubed (I used low-fat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Set aside; cut into bite-sized pieces any large broccoli or cauliflower florets. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in flour, remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper. Add milk; cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until cream cheese is melted. Add vegetables; toss gently to coat. Spoon into 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with crumb mixture. Bake 40 minutes or until casserole is heated through and top is browned. Makes 10 servings. (Source: www.mccormick.com)

A veggie dressed-up topping for the standard spud

The prosaic baked spud got a makeover with the addition of some healthy, crunchy toppings.

In a recent issue of Southern Living readers were encouraged to think outside the spud with some “good-for-you” subs for the typical sour cream and cheese potato-toppers.

Roasted Vegetable Loaded Potatoes was the suggestion (out of four very good ones) I chose to try. I’ve never seen a baked potato emerge so dressed in its Sunday finest.

To a potato baked the standard way (I bake mine in the microwave, although some people prefer them cooked in the oven) you add chopped fresh cauliflower and Brussels sprouts along with sliced red onion, olive oil, and salt and pepper. All gets roasted in the oven for 25 minutes.

After all that’s done, I tossed in some raisins and walnuts and lite bottled vinaigrette dressing. This made a delicious, unusual side that was heaping with health and texture.

Roasted Vegetable Loaded Potatoes

3 cups chopped fresh cauliflower

2 cups sliced fresh Brussels sprouts

1/2 medium-size red onion, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or salt substitute)

basic baked potatoes

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

2 tablespoon lite bottled Italian vinaigrette

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Toss together first 6 ingredients on a lightly greased 15-inch-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare potatoes as directed. Bake cauliflower mixture with potatoes, 25 minutes or until cauliflower is brown. Stir once. Toss with raisins, walnuts, and vinaigrette. Spoon over potatoes. Makes 6 servings. (Source: Southern Living, September 2012)

Cauliflower’s the star of this surf & turf

We couldn’t have been more surprised with how this turned out. A surf-and-turf dish using the humble cauliflower as its underpinning? Prevention magazine’s new issue thought this was a good idea. It suggested that cauliflower can be a low-cal “turf” because its meaty texture contrasts well with the seafood.

Prevention (April 2011) used sea scallops in its version, but I had a couple-dozen shrimp in the fridge and subbed them (original recipe was called Sea Scallop Surf & Turf). Create flat disks by slicing the cauliflower crosswise. Roast the veggie slices in the oven while you get everything else ready.

The addition of capers, shallots, fresh parsley, and sun-dried tomatoes season this up nicely. Some toasted, crunchy pine nuts as topping are really great.

We loved the roasted cauliflower (I tossed in some leftover broccoli for roasting, too. Why not?) This all became a tasty, quick meal-in-one. Hubby, who sometimes queries, “Are we having something else with this?”, was content with this all-encompassing combo.

Shrimp Surf & Turf

1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), stem removed

24 medium shrimp, rinsed and tails removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or sherry wine vinegar)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line sheet pan with nonstick foil; coat lightly with olive oil spray. Slice head of cauliflower crosswise to create flat disks (1/2-inch thick); arrange on prepared pan. Coat tops with olive-oil spray; season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt (or salt substitute) and pepper. Roast in upper third of oven; turn veggies once with spatula until cauliflower is golden brown on both sides and is tender, about 25 minutes. Turn off heat and leave pan in oven to keep warm. Pat shrimp dry and season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add shrimp and cook, turning once until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add shallots, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes to skillet and cook. Stir over medium heat until shallots are tender, about 2 minutes Stir in vinegar. Return shrimp to pan, sprinkle with parsley, and heat through, about 2 minutes. Arrange cauliflower on plates; top with shrimp. Spoon juices from skillet over scallops; sprinkle with pine nuts. (Originally featured as Sea Scallop Surf and Turf). Makes 4 servings.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup restores healthy-eating pattern

Sitting around our house sniffling after our grandmunchkin departed his week from Camp G&G, we knew we had to do something vastly different than we had in our past seven days. Meals had pretty much revolved around his dining schedule; to a certain extent, our diet marched in step with his finger foods and whatever a 1-year-old would eat. Now the time had arrived to get back to our strategic healthy ways.

I had been saving a recipe for Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup from the recent “perfect pairings” feature of the September 2011 Prevention magazine. I was intrigued by this dish because I hadn’t exactly been able to see how a soup was going to materialize out of the simple ingredients of fresh mushrooms, leeks, and cauliflower. I should have trusted my source—Prevention, which around our house is a major resource for all things healthy. This soup was delicious and simple to make.

The key involves pureeing in a blender the combined cauliflower and leeks that for about 20 minutes have simmered in 5 cups water. After pureeing until the mixture is smooth and thick, you return the soup to its original kettle and stir in sauteed fresh mushrooms and grated Parmesan. I sprinkled a little extra Parmesan on top and also dotted the soup with some herb-seasoned croutons I had on hand.

This is not a soup you’d expect to find on the dinner table every day, but it was perfectly delightful and a good trailblazer to get us back on our Post-Camp G&G healthy-eating track.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

4 thin leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced

2 pound cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

salt (or salt substitute) and pepper to taste

In pot over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pot and cook leeks, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in cauliflower and 5 cups water. Simmer 20 minutes. In blender puree mixture (in batches) until smooth. Return soup to pot; add mushrooms and Parmesan. Season to taste. Bring soup just to a simmer. Ladle soup into bowls. Among the bowls drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil. If you like, top soup with croutons. Makes 6 servings.