Low Calorie Cauliflower Cheese Recipe:
I have the tummy bug that is sweeping the country. I’m not a good invalid and the internet has really not helped my cause one little bit. Now instead of just sleeping off whatever hits me, I google. And then I have a wildly creative interpretation of my symptoms. A headache turns into a brain tumour, a stomach bug into acute appendicitis or a perforated ulcer and the aches and pains of a flu bug might just be arthritis. Google should come with an illness search blocker. Meanwhile, I am still following the 5:2 diet and the tummy bug messed up this week’s plans completely. Although I was a bit hungry today, I couldn’t face my normal fast day spicy food. And actually I didn’t really want to leave the house either. All would have been easy if I liked eggs – I’d have feasted on scrambled egg. But, when my tum is a bit delicate eggs are pretty low on my own personal wish list. Probably because my mother always used to try to serve them to us as children if we were poorly.
I did have a cauliflower though.
And, thanks to my trip to Essex, some wonderful Wicks Manor Farm bacon.
The makings of a suitable invalid feast!
Low Calorie Cauliflower Cheese with Bacon 5:2 Friendly
Print recipe
| Serves | 1 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 30 minutes |
| Allergy | Milk |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 150ml 1% milk
- 1 thin slice Back Bacon
- 1/2 Small Cauliflower
- 15g Lightest philadelphia
- 10g Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Cornflour
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable stock powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Directions
| Step 1 | Steam the Cauliflower until just al dente (about 10 minutes). If you prefer, break up into florettes and reduce the cooking time accordingly. Drain and put to one side |
| Step 2 | Put most of the milk into a pan and start to heat through. Whisk the cornflour, philadelphia, stock powder, mustard and remaining milk together and then whisk into the milk-pan. |
| Step 3 | Bring the mixture to the boil whisking all the time till it thickens just to double cream thickness. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 170c |
| Step 4 | Put the cauliflower into a baking dish and pour over the sauce. Snip the bacon into 1cm pieces and scatter over the cauliflower. Top with the grated parmesan and put in the oven for 15 minutes. |
| Step 5 | Serve |
Note
This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon and adding a little more cheese.
Now, some of the concepts of cooking for the 5:2 diet also make this dish work well as invalid food. The cheese sauce has no butter or oil, a tiny amount of lightest philadelphia cream cheese and flavour is added with some very lean back bacon, mustard and vegetable stock powder. That makes for a very light and easily digested dish. It also means the dish is low calorie.
If I’d been feeling a little better I might have dressed this up with some chopped parsley or served it with a pretty salad. But as it was, this was great comfort food. Low hassle and low calorie.
What do you make for yourself as invalid food?
This lovely dish becomes even more calorie conscious when I cut the bacon…it sounds yummy to me.
I have had cauliflower mashed “potatoes.” At a local vegan restaurant chain, they actually add potatoes to it. I have also mashed cauliflower myself. It’s a nice lower-carb alternative.
That sounds and looks very lovely. Yes, a salad on the side would be good as well.
YUMMY! this sounds fabulous!
This sounds really yummy, i think ill try this thank you x
ooh looks very tasty