Unconventional Mac & Cheese (But still Tasty!)

One of my favorite meals growing up was macaroni and cheese. It came in a box, had the powdered cheese, sometimes orange, we’d add milk and butter and eat a big bowl. Looking back at that now I cringe at the high carbohydrate count which is pro-inflammatory, but it’s so good what to do?

Comfort food is a hard one to curb because it also has good memories wrapped up in eating it. It is literally warm and comforting and elicit idyllic pictures of sitting inside by a cozy fire under a blanket looking out a window at the rain.
This is not great if you are trying to stay healthy, but staying healthy is my goal so what to do? A recipe I recently tried is a new spin on mac & cheese- cauliflower rice and cheese, I was skeptical at first, but it is quite tasty.
Is cauliflower a healthier option than noodles? One always thinks of green vegetables as being healthy but what about cauliflower? Well it should be noted that people who are using blood thinners should not suddenly start eating a lot of cauliflower because the high levels of vitamin K which could react adversely with drugs¹. Therefore it has high levels of vitamins.
Some other surprising facts about Cauliflower are that it is found to decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality while containing vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese^1,2.

One cup of raw cauliflower will provide^1,2:

• 77 percent of daily vitamin C needs
• 20 percent of daily vitamin K needs
• 10 percent or more of daily needs for vitamin B 6 and folate

Recipe:

After heating up a skillet on the stove with a generous helping of grassfed organic salted butter (1 Tbsp) I then started with garlic, minced, organic (½-1 Tbsp depending on preference) adding it into the pan. After letting it sizzle for a minute or two I then added the cauliflower rice (about one cup full).
I made sure the cauliflower rice was laid down flat in the pan so it would cook evenly. I like to make it more well done but make it the consistency you want. I also made sure to mix and fluff up the cauliflower rice so that it cooked evenly on both sides.
Next I added organic grass fed cheese which I had grated (I love a little spice to it and did Pepper Jack) and added about a half to three-fourths of a cup (again preference).
I then mixed up these ingredients until the cheese was good and melted. I added another Tbsp of butter to keep everything from sticking to the pan.
Then when it’s all done it can be served with smoked salmon (wild alaskan) and sun dried tomatoes (organic), with cooked broccoli (organic) or raw spinach (organic) just plain.
Pepper for added spice can be a fun addition, but I don’t think it needs very much if any.
And voila there you have it a healthier take on the traditional mac & cheese.

References:

1. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282844.php Opens in new window
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-cauliflower#section2 Opens in new window