Getting my kids to eat vegetables through the years has been an eye-opening journey. For one, they seem to change their opinions on foods much like the wind blows. They go from loving cucumbers to hating them and from chomping on kale salads to not even touching a single leaf of lettuce. I get it. I get bored with food too; this is one reason I love writing this newsletter.
We all go through our food phases, right?
I read something years ago that for kids, you must reintroduce food to them over and over. I’ve noticed that the less I make a vegetable or a food “a big deal” the more inclined they are to try it. I’ve also realized that if I enjoy my food and share that enjoyment, it piques their interest and makes them more inclined to eat it.
One vegetable that tops the charts for me is cauliflower. If you ask me, I can eat it any way (except maybe that raw cauliflower that is served on pre-made veggie trays, no thanks). The humble cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse and is so versatile. I mean, the list of ways that I incorporate this vegetable is endless. I throw frozen riced cauliflower into my smoothies for added nutrition and it slides right by without anyone even knowing. I add riced cauliflower to hot oatmeal, make beautiful cream-less, creamy soups with it, air fry it with parmesan. The list could go on and on.
When I travel on the weekends, there is one food that my kids LOVE that John makes and it’s a bag of frozen Fettucine Alfredo from Trader Joe’s. While I have no problem with them eating that here and there, I also was determined to try to make a creamy alfredo-ish pasta dish that was a bit more nutrient dense. When I mentioned a cauliflower pasta, John literally gave me a look. The look was a very blank, uninspired look that comes from a person who is not a huge fan of cauliflower. Fair enough. He told me it would probably taste good if I threw some bacon in it, and he’s not wrong but I wanted to see if I could achieve great flavor without it.
As I set out the bowls of pasta, I kept it real quiet and low an behold, I witnessed Roen gobbling it down by the mouthfuls, and received a “well done” from hubs as he went for his second helping. Now, is this a gourmet revelation? Not really. But it’s a fun, lightened up spin on a comfort food classic that is creamy and delicious and full of cruciferous goodness. My love for sheet pan cooking comes into play here by roasting cauliflower and shallots on a sheet pan in the oven while you boil water and cook the pasta. The sauce comes together by throwing all things in a blender which makes dinner easy!
Cauliflower Alfredo
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 small-medium head of cauliflower, cut in large flat planks, core and leaves removed
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