Cauliflower - An Anti-Carcinogen

I was reading in the January 2010 issue of Lifetime Magazine that Cauliflower detoxifies the body, discourages cancer, and gives us a big immunity boost! The new year seems to be the month that many get on a detox diet, including myself. As a mom, I'm always looking for healthy and delicious recipes to feed my family.

I'm not one for raw vegetables, but, show me a good recipe for cooked vegetables, and I'm in!
Over the holidays, I needed a side-dish to go with roasted beef tenderloin and came across this Roasted Cauliflower Gratin in the newspaper. The recipe is from Lambert's in Ft. Worth. Don't let the length of it intimidate you. It really was easy to prepare.

Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
2 small heads cauliflower
8 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
white pepper to taste
pinch of ground nutmeg
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
4 ounces goat cheese, room temp (I subsituted feta cheese for the goat cheese)
pinch of cayenne pepper ( optional)
1/2 cup grated cheddar or Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F and butter a large (9x11) baking dish. Cut away the leaves and trim the stalks from the caulflower. Cut cauliflower into 2" chunks and combine in a bowl with the garlic and olive oil, tossing to coat well. Transfer to a baking pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and roast until fork-tender and beginning to brown on the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and set aside.

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Slowly add the mil, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add the cream cheese, goat cheese and cayenne; stir until smooth. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower in the baking dish and toss gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes; top the baking dish with the grated cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Leftover Tip: I took the leftovers and put it in a pot of chili I made the next day. My kids, who won't eat vegetables, didn't even know I had added it to the chili. The cauliflower is soft just like the beef and beans and the sauce colored it red! Score!!!