Bless Her Heart

Okay, let’s get honest here, I am from the Deep South. I am happily married and therefore don’t really care enough to start swapping out my pizza dough with a vegetable like cauliflower.

I am not on any type of diet. I simply like food too much.

So what do those of us like me – who really just want to serve delicious comfort food to our families and friends – do with a head of cauliflower.

How are the other 27 million people in the DFW metroplex using their individual portions of these 27 million tons of cauliflower being used?

Here are some good ideas for using cauliflower…

Cauliflower Salad

Cauliflower salad is a gluten-free, keto, low carb, Keto, vegetarian made with fresh cauliflower, cheddar cheese and crispy bacon…and then  tossed with a creamy and tangy dressing.

This salad is an easy to make, flavorful – crunchy, creamy, cheesy and a little sweet – salad that goes with pretty much everything.

The Salad

• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced very small or chopped
• 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
• ½C pitted and sliced black olives
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets…(I typically just cheat and use a bag of pre-cut florets.)
• 1½C finely shredded cheddar cheese

The Dressing

• 1C mayonnaise (if you don’t use Duke’s mayo already, then Bless Your Heart)
• ½C olive oil
• 1/4 of a red onion or sweet onion, chopped
• ½tsp salt
• ½C sour cream
• 2Tbsp sugar
• ½tsp pepper

Cut the cauliflower: Remove the leaves from the base of the cauliflower. Cut around the stem with a knife. The cauliflower should naturally start breaking off into florets. Cut any big pieces into bite size pieces. Place the cauliflower florets in a very large bowl.

Cut the Cauliflower Into Smaller Pieces: Very small florets should absorb the flavors and dressing well. They are also easier to chew.

Season the Cauliflower: Season the raw cauliflower with a good amount of salt and pepper before adding the dressing. This helps to soften the cauliflower a bit and brings out its natural sweetness.

Soak the onion: Soak the raw red onion in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. This will keep the onion from overpowering the salad. Once the onion has soak for the 10 minutes, drain the red onion and add it to the salad.

Cook the Bacon: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Chop bacon into ½” squares. Add it to the hot skillet. Cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring often, until crisp enough for your liking. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Allow it to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. If you want your bacon to stay crunchy, wait and add the bacon to the salad right before serving. Otherwise, go ahead and add it now.

Add the remaining vegetables.

Add the cheese.

Add the onion

Make the dressing: The dressing can be madeup to five days ahead of time. To make the dressing, simply mix all dressing ingredients together. Refrigerate.

Add the dressing to the salad:  Add however much dressing to the salad as you desire. Use a silicone spatula to distribute the dressing throughout the salad.

Serve: For best results, set the cauliflower salad aside for a few minutes before serving. This allows the cauliflower to soften and absorb some of the dressing. You can also cover and chill for later.

Additional Optional Ingredients:

• If you want to add even more flavor to your salad, here are some ideas:
• Artichoke hearts
• Boiled eggs
• Carrots
• Chopped broccoli
• Chopped dill pickles
• Grilled chicken
• Parmesan cheese
• Roasted red peppers
• Sautéed shrimp
• Shredded Brussels sprouts
• Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and drained
• Sunflower seeds
• Toasted pine nuts