Healthy Bacon & Cauli "Macaroni Cheese"

Ooh Yea Baby - it's Super Yummy Healthy Macaroni Cheese - but gluten and dairy free.

Thanks to Perchance to Cook for this delicious recipe. It's actually called a Cauliflower & Bacon Au Gratin (oooh, fancy), but to my kid's it's called Macaroni Cheese - they've forgotten what Macaroni is from their 'past life', so I've been able to convince them that this is it. You know how I like to fool them. 

I added in some cooked chopped potatoes to ours, because the teenager almost eat's as much as Builder Hubby, so needed to beef it up a bit (you could use kumara or pumpkin instead). 

Also another option is to bake the cauliflower instead of steaming - gives it a whole other dimension of sweetness.

Anyway, it's blimmin' lovely - give it a go!

PS - go for Ayam or Aroy-d or Ceres Organic coconut cream - no added nasties.

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Ingredients

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• 1 head of cauliflower

• 1 Tbs minced garlic

• 1/2 cup of minced shallots or onion

• 2 tsp coconut oil (or lard/butter etc - not vegetable/rice oils)

• 1 cup canned coconut cream 

• 1/2 cup organic chicken stock/bone broth (click here for a bone broth recipe)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• 2 tsp coconut flour 

• 4-5 strips of nitrate-free bacon, chopped (Henderson's or Sausages By Design are good brands)

• Optional-1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese (skip to make strictly Paleo).  Chopped cooked potato.

Method

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1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Cut the cauliflower head into smaller cauliflower florets.

3. Fill a big pot of water, put a dash of salt it in, and heat over high heat until the water boils. Put the cauliflower florets into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.

4. Put 2 tsp of coconut oil into a saute pan and heat over medium heat.  Cook the bacon.  Put the minced shallots/onion and garlic into the pan and cook for 4 minutes.

5. Add the coconut cream, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg to the pan.

6. Whisk the coconut flour into the mixture.

7. Increase the heat to medium/high heat and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, while mixing often. Remove from heat and set the saute pan aside.

8. Put the cauliflower into the sauce, mix with a spatula and then pour everything into an 8 X 8 inch pan (stir in cooked potato too).

9. Put the pan into the oven, and cook the cauliflower for 20 minutes.

10. Then, set the oven to grill.

11. If you are adding goat cheese, remove the cauliflower from the oven and top with the crumbled goat cheese.

12. Then grill the cauliflower (with or without goat cheese) for 5 minutes. Make sure to check on it regularly to make sure it doesn't burn.

13. Allow the cauliflower to cool for a bit, serve, and Enjoy!