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Baked Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese with Peas and Review of Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese

Cauliflower and Cheese (20)

We all love mac and cheese but now that the weather is getting warmer and our sweaters are put away, it’s time to lighten up our usual dishes. Since cauliflower is the new kale and people are using it for everything, it only made sense to use it for a low-carb substitute for pasta. Mac and cheese becomes cauliflower “mac” and cheese.

I was fortunate to receive some vegan cheese from Chicago Vegan Foods, the makers of Teese. Teese Vegan Cheese is a vegan cheese that actually melts and stretches. It comes in these little oblong packages which you can slice into rounds.

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Teese is dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, peanuts and tree nuts-free and palm oil-free. What it’s not free of is taste because Teese Vegan Cheeses are delicious. They come in several flavors: Mozzarella, Cheddar, Nacho Cheese Sauce and Creamy Cheddar Cheese Sauce.

Teese-Mozzarella-Vegan-Cheese Teese-Cheddar-Vegan-Cheese (1) Teese-Creamy-Cheddar-Vegan-Cheese Teese-Nacho-Vegan-Cheese

You may remember that several years ago, I made Vegan Mozzarella Sticks with Teese Vegan Mozzarella.

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The cheese not only melted but it stretched just the way mozzarella sticks are supposed to.

teese stretch

This time I was holding a package of Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese in my lucky hand. And it was time for Teese to make magic with cauliflower.

Making vegan cheese sauce is so easy. Just melt some vegan butter and then mix an equal amount of flour into it. Add milk, let it thicken. Add the cheese and whisk it all together. Spice it up – I like mustard, hot sauce, paprika, nutmeg plus salt and pepper.

Cauliflower and Cheese (27)

You treat the cauliflower just like pasta. Put it in boiling water and let it cook until it’s al dente or just tender. Mix it with the cheese sauce, put it in a baking dish with some bread crumbs and bake until browned. Or eat it straight out of the pot. 🙂

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I mixed some peas into the dish because I have to always have something green and I didn’t have parsley for a garnish.

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The baked cauliflower and cheese was creamy and delicious. The cauliflower was tender with some bite for texture and it was so good, no one missed the pasta.

Cauliflower and Cheese (5)

The Teese sauce was cheddar-y and cheesy and smooth. Perfect!

Cauliflower and Cheese (15)

I’m not the only one who thinks so. Do you watch the hit sitcom “Black-ish?” It’s hysterical with Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross.

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On the show Tracee plays “Bow” who is a doctor and tries to feed her family healthy food, much to the chagrin of her husband, children and in-laws. In Season 1, Episode 20, she cooks for a dinner party and she makes…..MAC AND TEESE!

Here’s the exchange:

Bow: This is my take on collard greens.
Jay: Oh, my goodness! I love me some collard green, girl.
Bow: Yeah, but they’re made out of kale. I call them kale-ard greens.
Stupid full of iron.
Jay: Oh, God.
Bow: Oh, I also made mac and cheese.
Jay: I love me some mac and cheese.
Might put me in the grave, but at least I’m gonna be in the grave smilin’.
Bow: Well, nobody’s gonna be dying from my Mac and cheese.
It’s vegan.
Dre: Of course it is.
Jay: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You got vegan Mac and cheese? But aren’t the main ingredients butter and cheese? 
Bow: Yeah! [Laughs] But I used olive oil and Teese.
Jay: What?
Bow: Teese is like cheese, – but it’s actually –
Jay: No, no, no. I get it, I get it.

I get it too and I’m so happy, I got to make this dish. It was light and decadent at the same time. It’s definitely going to be popular in the summer rotation of meals.

Cauliflower and Cheese (8)

Check out Chicago Vegan Foods web site and get some of their amazing vegan cheeses. Make this Baked Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese with Peas and maybe have some kale-ard greens on the side. Stupid good. Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Cheese (7)

Thanks, Chicago Vegan Foods, for the amazing vegan cheese!

Baked Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese with Peas

GF, SF

Cauliflower and Cheese (17)

For the cheese sauce­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­:

2 Tbs. vegan butter

2 Tbs. chickpea flour

2 cups non-dairy milk

4 oz. Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese

2-3 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. hot sauce

½ tsp. paprika

A pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

 

For the dish:

2 large heads cauliflower

Kosher salt

1 ½ cups green peas

Gluten-free bread crumbs

Cooking oil spray

 

Heat a saucepan and melt the vegan butter. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is thoroughly incorporated. Allow the flour to cook for a minute. Add the milk to the roux, slowly, whisking continuously. Let cook for 2 minutes as it starts to thicken. Add the Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese and whisk as it melts. Whisk in the mustard and hot sauce. Add the paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to let the sauce cook until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thicker, about 3 minutes. Keep the pot covered and set aside.

Cut the cauliflowers into florets and cut the cores into bite-size pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a few tablespoons of salt and carefully add the cauliflower.  Let it cook for 5-7 minutes until just about to get tender. It will cook more later so you want it a bit undercooked. Reserve a cup of cooking water. Drain and rinse the cauliflower with cold water and return it to the pot.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat. You want the sauce to be pourable because it will dry up a bit as it bakes. If the sauce is too thick, mix in a few spoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir in the peas.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the cauliflower and cheese to the baking dish. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. If you want it browner, put it under the broiler for just 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the dish to cool for at least 15 minutes (I know, it’s hard) so it can set before serving.

Cauliflower and Cheese (4)

The “V” Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it. 

Baked Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese with Peas
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
 
Ingredients
  • For the cheese sauce
  • 2 Tbs. vegan butter
  • 2 Tbs. chickpea flour
  • 2 cups non-dairy milk
  • 4 oz. Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese
  • 2-3 tsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • A pinch of nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • For the dish
  • 2 large heads cauliflower
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups green peas
  • Gluten-free bread crumbs
  • Cooking oil spray
Instructions
  1. Heat a saucepan and melt the vegan butter. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is thoroughly incorporated. Allow the flour to cook for a minute. Add the milk to the roux, slowly, whisking continuously. Let cook for 2 minutes as it starts to thicken. Add the Teese Vegan Cheddar Cheese and whisk as it melts. Whisk in the mustard and hot sauce. Add the paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue to let the sauce cook until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thicker, about 3 minutes. Keep the pot covered and set aside.
  2. Cut the cauliflowers into florets and cut the cores into bite-size pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a few tablespoons of salt and carefully add the cauliflower. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes until just about to get tender. It will cook more later so you want it a bit undercooked. Reserve a cup of cooking water. Drain and rinse the cauliflower with cold water and return it to the pot.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and toss to coat. You want the sauce to be pourable because it will dry up a bit as it bakes. If the sauce is too thick, mix in a few spoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir in the peas.
  4. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the cauliflower and cheese to the baking dish. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. If you want it browner, put it under the broiler for just 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the dish to cool for at least 15 minutes (I know, it’s hard) so it can set before serving.

 

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