Loaded Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a delicious guilt free take on a classic! Cauliflower tossed in a vegan, paleo cheese sauce and topped with crispy bacon.
I witnessed something beautiful this weekend. With all the chaos among us, I am lucky to see love is still present. My 85-year-old Nana remarried this past weekend to a true gentlemen. Both widowed, they have found love again in each other. Finding someone to spend their long afternoons with; to travel this beautiful world with, to taste the flavors of other cultures with.
It was a quaint ceremony celebrating the joining of two families that’s tree roots have grown quite deep; 9 great grandchildren are able to say they were a part of their Nana’s wedding. I am guessing only a select few are able to hold that statement true. Seeing the life in my Nana’s eyes as she has someone to share her life again with; as my Papa passed away during my college years. In true newlywed style, they are taking off to Europe for a river cruise to sip full bodied wines and noshing on smooth dark chocolates. To bounce from corner bakeries that draw you in with their buttery croissant aromas floating through the streets. To see the world’s most exquisites features, such as the Eifel Tower; something on my bucket list since I was a little girl. Something about the feel of Paris just resonates in me. The slow movement of the French ways excites me as our life is anything bet. I long for those leisurely days.
Now that my cravings for flakey croissants and a foam filled latte are at an all time high, let’s talk food, shall we?
In the middle of my food allergy testing, I received Cassy Jo Garcia’s, of Fed & Fit, book, Fed & Fit: A 28 Day Food & Fitness Plan to Jump-Start Your Life, a squeaky clean paleo cookbook. I instantly was excited to cook again as I flipped through page after page of homestyle recipes. Each one falling into our wheel house, meals that aren’t filled with crazy flavors or ingredients, yet family-style recipes that screamed comfort. Such as BBQ Chicken Potato Bake, shredded chicken coated in a homemade tomato based BBQ sauce, added to fluffy mashed potatoes then baked to marry all the flavors. This one passed with flagging colors by the hubs and even my mother in law! When you receive thumbs up and recipe requests from family members on squeaky clean recipes, you know they are keepers.
Another recipe that received raging reviews is this Loaded Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, essentially a low carb cauliflower mac and cheese, no pasta though! As a gal that could pass on pasta type dishes (I know, crazy right?!), I jump at any recipe that transforms nutrition powerhouses into comforting dishes. Case in point my cauliflower au gratin, which is a staple for our Thanksgiving menu every year!
Cassy reinvented mac and cheese to remove the gluten and dairy, both which I am sensitive to at this moment. She swapped the macaroni with cauliflower florets and made a ‘cheese’ sauce with silky coconut milk and nutritious yeast, which is a vitamin loaded supplement that has a cheese flavor when added to ingredients. It creates a silky sauce that upgrades this cauliflower mac n cheese. I have made dairy-free Mexican queso countless times for Mexican night with my family members preferring my queso over traditional. #Winning.
Cassy’s is not only a cookbook but a 28-day food and fitness plan to jump-start your life. She walks you through her protocol for starting a Paleo lifestyle. It is a customized healthy lifestyle design how-to. Cassy boasts that there is no one single “right” way to create a healthy lifestyle. She overhauled her life, quit fighting with her body and started feeling her best. This book came into my life a the perfect time as I was currently addressing my own health issues, while I am not strict paleo, I love the concept of focusing on real food, something I have always focused on. She walks you through a 28-day overhaul that focuses on mindset, sleep, hydration, nutrition and fitness, complete with recipes, full workouts, journal! If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, or in need of new, family-friendly recipe ideas, I highly suggest checking out Cassy’s book! This book has made itself a permanent home in my kitchen!
meal prep tips:
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trim cauliflower, cut bacon and slice green onions. Store in sealed containers until ready to make.
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Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce then store in sealed containers until ready to make.
Loaded Cauliflower Mac and CheeseLoaded Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a delicious guilt free take on a classic ! Cauliflower tossed in a vegan, paleo cheese sauce and topped with crispy bacon.
15 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Yields 6
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a wide soup pot or heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the bacon into a bowl. Drain off most of the fat remaining in the pan, but don't wipe the pan down.
- While the bacon is cooking, cut the cauliflower florets away from the stems. (You should have 6 cups of florets.) Steam the cauliflower using one these two methods:
- Stovetop method: Bring about 4 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place the cauliflower in a colander or steamer basket that sits above the water and steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cauliflower gives easily when poked with a fork.
- Microwave method: Place cauliflower in a large microwave bowl with 1/4 cup water. Cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower gives easily when poked with fork.
- Transfer the steamed cauliflower to the pot you used to cook the bacon. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chives, and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in half of the bacon and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining half of the bacon and the chives. Serve warm.
Notes
*Recipe reprinted with permission from Fed & Fit.
7.8.1.2380https://withsaltandwit.com/loaded-cauliflower-mac-cheese/
Loaded Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a delicious guilt free take on a classic ! Cauliflower tossed in a vegan, paleo cheese sauce and topped with crispy bacon.
15 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Yields 6
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 pound bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a wide soup pot or heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the bacon into a bowl. Drain off most of the fat remaining in the pan, but don't wipe the pan down.
- While the bacon is cooking, cut the cauliflower florets away from the stems. (You should have 6 cups of florets.) Steam the cauliflower using one these two methods:
- Stovetop method: Bring about 4 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place the cauliflower in a colander or steamer basket that sits above the water and steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cauliflower gives easily when poked with a fork.
- Microwave method: Place cauliflower in a large microwave bowl with 1/4 cup water. Cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower gives easily when poked with fork.
- Transfer the steamed cauliflower to the pot you used to cook the bacon. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chives, and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in half of the bacon and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining half of the bacon and the chives. Serve warm.
Notes
*Recipe reprinted with permission from Fed & Fit.
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