Macaroni and "Cauliflower" Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is pretty much every kids favorite, so when I want to try and sneak in a few vegetables for the day, I always turn to this delicious dish.

 

I originally got a Green Mac and Cheese recipe off of weelicious.com.  It's really tasty, but it definitely is more like Broccoli Mac and Cheese.  So, I tweaked the recipe so that it had a more basic Mac and Cheese flavor with hidden cauliflower.  Then, I added mushrooms and peas, just because we like eating it that way.

 

 

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 10 oz noodles (I used Tirali noodles, just to change it up.  Jumbo twisted elbow noodles are always fun too.)
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup cauliflower, chopped into large chunks
• 2 Tbsp margarine or butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/8 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup mushrooms, diced small (if you are trying to hide it)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta. 
2. While the pasta is cooking, put your cauliflower in a microwavable safe bowl and cover with some water.  Microwave for 3 minutes on high.  Drain the water and place in magic bullet/food processor.  Add the milk.  Blend until smooth. 
3. In a large pot, melt the butter.  Stir in the flour until smooth.  Slowly add the milk/cauliflower mixture and mushrooms.  Bring to a slight boil and reduce to a simmer until the sauce begins to thicken.
4. Drain the pasta.  Add the pasta, gruyere cheese, and peas to the sauce.  Stir and heat through.



 

Even if you don't like cauliflower, you should try this.  The cheese flavor is so strong, you can't even taste it.  Be brave . . . I'm talking to you Donna :)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork . . . From Leftovers!

My mother-in law made pork tenderloin a few nights ago and we had over two pounds left over. Instead of just eating the same leftovers night after night, I decided to make some pulled pork . . . with Ginger Ale. I found a few recipes online and adjusted it slightly. First I started off with:

• 18oz bottle of barbecue sauce (we prefer something spicy)
• 10oz of Ginger Ale
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large jalapeno (next time I might use two)
• Pepper and garlic powder to taste
• 2-3lbs of leftover pork tenderloin (You could always do this with a raw pork tenderloin, just cook it longer)
  I combined all the ingredients into a crock pot, except for the leftover pork tenderloin. (If you are starting with a raw tenderloin you can go ahead and put it in the crocket pot now.) Turn it on low for 3. After three hours, add the pork tenderloin. Ours was already sliced into big chunks. Let simmer for another 2 hours on low. Take the pork out and shred with two forks. Place the pork back into the slow cooker and let simmer for another 2 hours. You can serve the pulled pork right away or turn off the slow cooker and let it sit for another hour. Thats what we did and it seemed to help the sauce thicken up and really stick to the meat. Serve on top of a whole wheat bun and enjoy! We didn't have dairy-free buns at the house so I just chopped up some tomatoes and ate mine with a slice of homemade rosemary bread (dairy-free). This picture is of my husbands dinner . . . yum. It was a hit at our house!