Vegetable inspiration from baby food. Prepare to be awed.

When Leah was a baby (now she's a toddler.  Try to keep up, people.), I used to make her a vegetable puree that she went ga-ga over. 

It was broccoli and cauliflower pureed with a cheese sauce, and it was yummy enough that even I liked to sneak a little. Somehow, it didn't actually taste like vegetables.  It tasted like... well, like junk food (is that even possible?).  Maybe it was the cheese sauce.

Today, I resurected some of that recipe - without the puree this time around - and it was awesome. 

What you will need:

Cauliflower, butter, flour, milk, shredded cheese and any desired seasonings.

You'll have to forgive me, because I didn't measure anything I did today, so instead I'll give you my best guesses. 

Original Cheese Sauce recipe:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/3 cup grated cheese

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour to make a rue.  Gradually stir in the milk, bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes until thickened and smooth.  Stir in the grated cheese until melted.

I used half the bag of cauliflower, steaming it in the microwave for 6 minutes.  Fresh would be even better, but I don't keep it on-hand anymore... maybe I should.  I made about half the recipe for cheese sauce, adding a pinch of garlic salt and thyme.  And, since I didn't measure it out at all, probably a LOT more cheese than this recipe calls for.  It left me with a pretty hefty cheese-to-cauliflower ratio, but that might be part of what made it so delicious.

The result?  It's veggie mac-and-cheese, made to order.  Life as we know it may never be the same.

You're welcome.