Operation Try New Foods

Over the past few months I have felt the desire to try new foods. Some of the reasons are:

1. I feel like I make the same meals over and over again
2. The need to incorporate more vegetables and fruit into my diet
3. Just for a fun thing to do

I talked this over with Roland and we decided on our weekly grocery shopping trip we

would pick one vegetable or fruit that we had not tried or had not had in a while. Depending on the food chosen we will either plan a meal that includes it or just try the new food. I also decided it would be fun to blog about it. So each week I will feature one item and how we chose to eat it.

Also when after I have made a dish our whole family will rate it out of 5.

Week 1: Cauliflower!

Cauliflower is a food that I have definitely tried before and used to eat a lot when I was younger, but have not included in my diet for a long time. Although it is a lot like broccoli it is really fun to have every now and again. So I decided to look up a recipe that featured the wonderful cauliflower. Here it is:

Cauliflower Cheese Bake (Found at About.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, cut into flowerets
• ***Sauce***
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) Cheddar cheese, mild or sharp
• ***Topping***
• 1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

Boil or steam cauliflower in water until just tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.

In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth and just bubbly. Add salt, pepper, and milk. Cook the sauce, stirring, until thickened and bubbly. Add the mustard and cheese and continue cooking, stirring, until cheese is melted.

Combine the cauliflower with sauce and spoon into the prepared baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the cauliflower mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and topping is browned.
Serves 6.

I liked this recipe a lot because first of all it was super easy and I had all the ingredients. It turned out really well too. The cheese sauce was yummy-yummy and the cauliflower was the perfect vegetable to go with it. It would would best as a side dish, but Roland and I had it as the main course with a salad and it filled us up nicely. One other recipe I would really like to try is cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes.

So here are the ratings:

Andrea: 4/5 I liked it, but it reminded me of macaroni and cheese which is not my favorite thing. It was nice and easy though and it turned out well.

Roland :4/5 Roland said it tasted a lot like broccoli, and it would taste better with a little more topping.

Liam :4/5 Although he made a face when he first tried it he kept asking for more and ate everything we gave him.

So this is Operation Try New Foods. I think it will be fun. I hope you enjoy reading about it.