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Hello everyone! Welcome to another exciting edition of Oatmeal With A Fork! This is a great week for me because Halloween is in TWO DAYS!!!!
I promise to have a super cool treat to wrap up October, so stop by and visit me then! 
Today’s recipe is a savory one to balance out all of the candy you are about to gorge yourselves with in two days. Cauliflower is the toast of the town blog world lately. Bloggers are using it in everything from pizza crust to mashed potatoes. It is packed full of nutrition, including vitamin C and indole-3-carbinol (which helps your body process out the bad estrogens), AND it is low in both calories and carbs.
Its neutral color and mellow flavor make it the perfect ingredient for adding to recipes, especially those traditionally white in color. That’s where this comes in….
When cooked and pureed, cauliflower transforms into a creamy, soft mixture that, when blended with a few spices and a bit of milk, becomes a delicious alfredo-like sauce that goes perfectly atop whole grain or veggie noodles. No cream needed!
CREAMY CAULIFLOWER ALFREDO SAUCE
2 1/2 c. cauliflower florets
2 1/2 c. water
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. salt
Boil the above ingredients for 30 minutes, uncovered. Remove bay leaf. Puree the cauliflower (remove the bay leaf!).
1-2 T. olive oil or butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. almond milk
1/4 c. parmesan (or nutritional yeast if vegan)
about 15 scrapes of nutmeg
1 c. loosely packed kale, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat oil or butter in a pan. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add in the cauliflower puree and the milk. Let bubble on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add in cheese/nutritional yeast, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Add in kale last and cook just until it wilts down.
Season to your liking and pour over whole grain pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash.
This would go great paired with my Perfectly Cooked Chicken and whole grain bread to soak up the extra sauce. You could also vary the vegetables if kale is not your cup of tea. Broccoli or peas would be delicious here!
If you’d like to try spaghetti squash noodles, this is a great tutorial….http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/spaghetti-squash-instructions, or you could follow the written instructions in this recipe. I personally like a combination of whole wheat spaghetti and lightly sautéed zucchini noodles. If you don’t own a spiralizer (I don’t), this Julienne peeler is a great tool for making veggie pasta, and it’s about $30 less!
Do you make your own vegetable pasta?
What’s your favorite kitchen tool?
I love love love my Cuisinart food processor! I don’t know how I went so long without one….my nut milk bag is a close second.
Shared with: Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Healthy Vegan Friday, Make Your Own Monday
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Tagged: Alfredo, Cauliflower, Gluten-free, Healthy, Low carb, No sugar, Sauce, Vegan
Welcome! I'm Lauren, a business graduate with a penchant for all things culinary. It is my goal to create the healthiest recipes possible without sacrificing taste. I eat a little bit of everything, so you will find a vast variety of delicious recipes to choose from. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy! 
Just pinned this. What a great recipe! I’ll be sharing on FB today as well. Genius!
Adrienne recently posted..$349 Value for only $29 — 92% off! Healthy Living E Book Bundle & More + Giveaways!!)
Thanks Adrienne! Good luck with your giveaway today!
I’m actually not a big fan of traditional alfredo sauce, but your cauliflower version sounds delicious! I love using cauliflower to make mashed “potatoes” – I have a recipe that uses white beans as well and it’s soooo good.
Amanda recently posted..Homemade Halloween Candy & Sweets
Oooo, that sounds good! I imagine the beans would give it more of a thickness. I’ll have to come check it out…my husband loves mashed potatoes, so I’m always looking for tasty recipes, especially with Thanksgiving coming up!
very cool idea, never thought of using cauliflower for part of the base
Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..MIMM: Let’s Be Real
Thanks Alex!
This sounds interesting…I am going to try it. I got a head of cauliflower in my farm share box this week and have been wondering what to do with it! Thanks!
Adrienne @ Happy Ramblings recently posted..Weekend Roundup
Let me know how you like it if you do try it!
Great idea to use cauliflower for an alfredo-type sauce! I just made zucchini pasta last night, but topped it with a lentil marinara sauce.
I adore my Vitamix (best splurge purchase ever), but the food processor is growing on me. I just bought it a few months ago, and while I HATE cleaning it (why is it necessary to have 25 parts and pieces that all get stuff stuck in the nooks and cranies?) I have found a few key uses for it. If you have any advice to make cleaning it easier, I’d love to hear it!
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance recently posted..Raw Thai Tempeh Lettuce Wraps
Haha, I too wish there was an easier way! I bought a VitaMix a while back, but couldn’t handle the tamper! I know a lot of bloggers that swear by it though, so I’m sure it’s a great machine!
How creative! I’ve made cauliflower pizza crust; which turned out better than I expected. I definitely need to give this a try.
kim@hungryhealthygirl recently posted..Breakfast Change-Up & Marvelous in my Monday
oh wowwww! this is so creative and genius! It sounds really healthy which is a plus, since Alfredo sauce can be so heavy sometimes. Usually with creamy sauces, I can only eat a few good bites and cannot go on anymore due to the rich taste. And You look gorgeous Lauren! And those kids are sooo adorable…Hmmmm I think right now, my magic bullet is my fave since it’s economical and easy to clean up! And I don’t know if these are “tools”, but I’m always in love with my baking pans
Ellie@Fit for the Soul recently posted..Collard Greens and a Challenge Vlog
Hi Ellie!! I’ve never used a Magic Bullet, but it seems like a very popular item! Baking pans are definitely included! My next inclusion would have been a knife….
Great to hear from you!
Wow this reminds me, I haven’t had alfredo sauce in FOREVER. Seriously. Great call with using cauliflower.. I’ve been meaning to make something with it – something nonconventional. This looks like the thing to do
Thanks!
I saw this on Allergy Free Weds – if you’re interested, I also shared my recipes on there: my banana bread muffins and mocha banana protein soft serve. Have a great evening
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal recently posted..Mocha Banana Protein Soft Serve {Guest Post}
Thanks Kammie! I’ll definitely check them out!
So smart Lauren! Also pinning. I think this is such a great alternative for those who can’t have nuts (for example, I make an Alfredo type sauce that is cashew based). So I love your veggie based version!!
amber recently posted..Super Easy Homemade Cranberry Apple Jelly/Sauce (cane-sugar free) with Vegan and SCD Options
Hi Amber! How does the saying go, ‘out of necessity this was born’?…er, something…well, that was the case here.
I don’t seem to do well with cashews, so this is what I came up with! Thanks for your sweet comments!
This alfredo sauce looks wonderful! I am very sensitive to yeast and to dairy which includes cheese. Is there a substitution I could make? Thanks in advance!
Hi Lynn! You could try grinding some cashews up in the form of a fine meal and adding a bit more salt. I’ve seen cashews used a lot in dairy-free cheese sauces. Let me know if you try it out!
Thank you Lauren but I am very sensitive to cashews as well! Could almonds be used as an alternative?
Lynn Moody recently posted..Gluten-Free Banana Blueberry Muffins
That may work…or maybe brazil nuts? Mixed with some sesame seeds and salt? If you try it let me know!
How do I get to print this out in google chrome w/o all the huge pics?
Hi Patrice, there is a line-up of buttons at the bottom of the post, the last of which is ‘print’. That should print out the recipe in its most simple format. Hope that helps! If that doesn’t work, let me know and I can email it to you.
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
http://www.oatmealwithafork.com/2012/10/29/creamy-cauliflower-alfredo/
my sweetheart made this for me for date night tonight and it was DEElicious!
oops! copied/pasted the wrong thing!
That’s great Nikki! Thanks for letting me know!
You’re welcome! oh, and we ate it with Tortellini, oh so yummy!
Hmm, either I am a bit thick, or it is very late—
The recipe reads: Puree the cauliflower mix and the soaked almonds in your blender…
I read and re-read the recipe and cannot find the amount of soaked almonds I need to blend w/ the cauliflower.
Am I missing something? I know later on you add almond milk… but do you use some soaked almonds to blend with the cauliflower as well?
Hmm, either I am a bit thick, or it is very late—
The recipe reads: Puree the cauliflower mix and the soaked almonds in your blender…
I read and re-read the recipe and cannot find the amount of soaked almonds I need to blend w/ the cauliflower.
Am I missing something? I know later on you add almond milk… but do you use some soaked almonds to blend with the cauliflower as well?
PS I am having problems with my comment getting through too… must not be my night.
Hi Joyce,
Thanks for pointing this out to me! I fixed it now. Let me know if you have any other questions, and thank you for your sweet comment on my bean milk.