Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower was a boring vegetable I pretty much ignored until I discovered its exceptional health boosting powers.

[su_expanding_quote_book source_author=”Michael Greger MD” source_title=”How to Not Die” full_quote=”Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale can potentially prevent DNA damage, activate defenses against pathogens and pollutants, help prevent lymphoma, boost liver detox enzymes and target breast cancer cells. The component responsible for these benefits is thought to be sulforaphane, which is formed almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables.” short_quote=”Cruciferous vegetables can potentially prevent DNA damage, activate defenses against pathogens and pollutants, and help prevent cancer”]

And Alfredo sauce was something I avoided as heavy, fatty and too white. I like color in my food after all. But my family loves Alfredo sauce.

This recipe happily marries the benefits of cauliflower with my family’s eating pleasure. Simple and quick to make, it can also be a vegan Alfredo sauce.

Recipe Variations

  • Use almond milk or broth for a lighter meal
  • Use dairy milk for a creamier sauce
  • Add 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan for a special treat

Serving Variations

  • Toss with whole-wheat fettuccini, cooked shrimp and peas
  • Toss with bowtie pasta, chopped up leftover chicken and sautéed mushrooms
  • Saute sliced onion, sliced red bell pepper and coarsely chopped kale and toss with pasta
  • Toss with steamed edamame and pasta
Califlower Alfredo Sauce
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Califlower Alfredo Sauce
Print Recipe
Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
Adjust servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Cut off bottom of cauliflower stem and leaves, chop into large pieces
  2. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket in a pot with 1 inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Steam 8 – 10 minutes until very tender when pierced with a fork.
  3. Place steamed cauliflower in food processor or blender with remaining ingredients and puree.
  4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes

A Color My Food recipe

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Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

Here’s a fantastic way to enjoy cauliflower – a rather-tasteless-boring-white vegetable. Ha! Yeah those were my sentiments; I confess I avoided cauliflower until recently. Discovering how powerful it is to our immune system motivated me to find ways to eat it. And as always in my kitchen – nutritious must also be delicious!

So thank you SkinnyTaste for introducing me to Cauliflower “Fried Rice”! I’ve made multiple iterations; consider this a baseline rather than a precise recipe and go creative with what’s seasonal or in your kitchen.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

“ Cruciferous vegetables are among the most powerful weapons in our dietary arsenal against cancer. That alone would elevate it to the status of a SuperFood. Cruciferous vegetables boost the immune system, lowers the incidence of cataracts, supports cardiovascular health, builds bones and fights birth defects. They are some of the most nutrient-dense foods known offering an incredible high level of nutrition for a very low caloric cost. Steven Pratt MD and Kathy Matthews” SuperFoods: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life”

Variations:

  • Skip the eggs, add edamame or tofu for protein to make it vegan
  • Or go the other way and add leftover chicken, pork or shrimp
  • Replace peas with edamame or snap peas (cut diagonally in halves or thirds)
  • Add mushrooms; wash, trim stems and slice. Cook with the chopped red onion
Cauliflower “Fried Rice”
Print Recipe
Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Cauliflower “Fried Rice”
Print Recipe
Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
Adjust servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Coarsely chop cauliflower into large pieces. Put one-third in food processor and pulse just until cauliflower has the texture of rice. Remove from processor and repeat two more times until all cauliflower is “riced. Be careful not to over-process.
  2. Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat with1 tablespoons sesame seed oil Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally until done. Remove egg from skillet.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to pan, saute onions, until they start to become translucent, add red bell pepper and garlic and cook another 3 - 4 minutes, stirring.
  4. Add cauliflower and peas to skillet, mix until combined. Mix in soy sauce. Cover and cook over high heat 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, until cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
  5. Add the egg. Remove skillet from heat and mix in scallions and parsley
Recipe Notes

Inspired by

Skinnytaste Cauliflower Fried Rice

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