Our Veggie Kitchen

I used to make a basic white sauce, loaded with Romano Cheese and toss it with rigatoni and cauliflower. It had been quite a while since I made it, but it was one of those easy meals that we all looked forward to. Last week, my youngest decided that she no longer likes cauliflower. She is randomly picky and believes her taste buds change on a weekly basis. It was time to challenge her recent assertion.

For a basic white sauce, I use unsweetened soy milk. Plain soy milk is too sweet and adds an unwanted flavor. I added ground cashews for creaminess, miso and lemon to replace the cheese and a little wine for depth. This was a great Alfredo and I tossed it with roasted cauliflower and fresh tomato. Best of all, it went together in less than half an hour.



Roasted Cauliflower Alfredo
1 small head cauliflower, chopped into bite sized florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tomatoes, chopped and seeded
1 lb rigatoni, penne or similar pasta
Sauce:
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
12 oz silken tofu
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs mild miso

Pre-heat the oven to 425°, set a pot of salted water to boil and chop the cauliflower. Each of the remaining steps can happen concurrently while the pasta cooks.

Cauliflower: Toss cauliflower with olive oil bake for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle minced garlic over cauliflower and toss to combine. Continue baking until the cauliflower is tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes longer. Remove and set aside. Pasta water and bechamel can be started when the cauliflower is put in.

Sauce: While cauliflower cooks, heat the margarine over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the mixture turns a light, golden hue, about 5 minutes. While the flour browns, add the remaining ingredients to a blender thoroughly until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into the margarine/flour roux. Whisk to combine and return to low heat until the pasta and cauliflower is ready.

Pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions, so that is done about the same time as the cauliflower and sauce. Drain, reserving some of the water.

Combine: When pasta, bechamel and cauliflower are done, combine all with the tomatoes. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little of the reserved pasta water. Serve immediately with plenty of cracked black pepper.

5 Servings: 584 calories (14g fat, 87g carbs, 24g protein)