I used to hate on cauliflower.

As a long time broccoli lover, it always just seemed like its not as tasty white cousin to me who happened to also cost like twice as much. So I never bought it.

Then all these cauliflower crazes started appearing. First it was pizza crust (um, what?!) then cauli-bites all sauced up with buffalo sauce became a thing, next thing you know people are mashing it up and calling it faux mashed potatoes. I really thought the world had gone mad.

Then, a few years ago, I did a Whole30 and I finally caved to the mashed cauliflower thing. And guess what? I didn’t hate it. In fact, mixed with some creamy coconut milk, garlic and herbs, it was pretty darn delicious (funny what your brain deems delicious when you’re off sugar for a month).

Slowly but surely, after that, cauliflower started making some guest appearances in my diet. If we were dating, I’d call this the I’ve yet to introduce him to my family, but I kinda really like the guy stage.

Now I’m at the point where it’s sneaking its way into all sorts of meals, most recently, this Lightened-Up Queso Fundido.

If you’ve ever had the real dish at a Mexican restaurant, you know queso fundido is decadent beyond words. Hot, gooey cheese upon cheese upon more cheese and it’s of course, insanely delicious. It’s also a clogged artery waiting to happen.

With cauliflower as the base and about one third of the cheese you’d normally use, this lightened up queso fundido transforms into a dish you can feel a little bit better about eating.

Good news is it’s not like your cheese dip went and got all vegetable-y on you either. The cauliflower flavor kind of just blends into the background so you definitely still get that gooey cheese factor that’s pretty much the backbone of a good queso fundido.

Plus, with an optional chorizo topping, it’s easy to customize for meat-eaters and vegetarians eating together. Just top the carnivores’ portions with a bit of spicy chorizo and they’re good to go.

Cauliflower, I apologize. All those wasted years, it was me, not you.

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Light Queso (Creamy Cauliflower & Cheese Dip)

A lightened-up queso fundido with only 1/3 the cheese! All the creamy cheesiness you love of the classic Mexican dish, made healthier with a hidden veggie boost.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower florets about 4 cups
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup milk + a little more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 3 ounces pepper jack cheese shredded (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 ounce queso fresco crumbled (about ¼ cup)
• Tortilla chips for serving

Topping options:

• Cooked chorizo for the carnivores
• Sliced jalapenos
• Diced tomatoes
• Crumbled queso fresco
• Cilantro

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place cauliflower florets in a large skillet or pot with a cover. Fill with water until the entire bottom of the pan is covered. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until fork tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain water and transfer cauliflower to a food processor fitted with the s-blade or a high-powered blender.
• Add garlic, milk, salt, and pepper to the food processor or blender along with the cauliflower. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add a little more milk if necessary to get things moving. Set aside.
• Place butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the cauliflower mixture to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Add cheeses to the skillet and mix until well combined.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until top starts to turn golden brown and bubbly. You may want to finish it off with 1-2 minutes under the broiler for extra golden brown goodness.
• Remove from oven and finish with your favorite toppings. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

The post Light Queso (Creamy Cauliflower & Cheese Dip) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I love my friends. Half a dozen other moms chimed in almost immediately, letting me know I’m not alone. And sometimes that’s all you need to know.

So! Smoky Delicata Squash & Black Bean Baked Quesadillas! They have nothing to do with my bad mom day, except that they were a definite bright spot.

After I happened across a write-up for delicata squash that suggested that their mild flavor and tender flesh are perfect for soaking up the flavors around them, I decided to go for it and season the bejesus out of one for this recipe.  Sorry, crooked little buddy!

I basically gave the squash the taco meat treatment, except of course without the meat. And by that I mean that I sear the slices until they’re golden, then add some seasonings and water, give them a stir, and then let the water cook off. Just like taco meat! Except not!

Highly seasoned delicata squash are delicious, I have found. I’ve roasted them for years, but this preparation is a definite winner, too. Another thing that’s nice about delicata – and, for me, cooking them this way – is that you really don’t need to remove the tender, edible peel. I’ve never been a big fan of the peel, but the lazy side of me insisted I try cooking them this way with the peel on. And they were great! The key is that they’re pretty thinly sliced, so I don’t find myself gnawing on a hunk o’ peel. Because no one wants a hunk o’ peel.

Protein-rich black beans, seared onions, and pepper jack complete the picture. Fold ’em over and bake them for 20 minutes, and your bad parenting day is all but forgotten. Especially if you shut yourself in a room with them and blast Beth Orton music while chowing down. Who I suppose seems like a weird “bad day” choice but there is something about Beth that I just find strangely therapeutic. Beth and quesadillas.

(more…)

The post Smoky Delicata Squash & Black Bean Baked Quesadillas appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Maybe it was because I was holed up for months on end during a tough pregnancy, then housebound shortly after she came along as I nursed my broken ankle (stairs, hyped-up dogs, yeah, fun). It’s like I accumulated this debt of cabin fever over the past year-and-a-half, and I have to repay it by getting out of the house with Miss Thing pretty much every single day.

It’s good for me, and she loves it too. We go to music classes, parent-baby groups, library story times … and occasionally, now that she’s eating solids, we enjoy a little lady’s lunch together, just her and I.

It was during one such lunch that I discovered the made-for-each-other combination of chipotle peppers, butternut squash, and pepper jack cheese.

Miss Thing and I shared a heavenly quesadilla filled with butternut squash puree and pepper jack cheese, topped with carrot shreds and chipotle cream (well, no peppers for her). We “mmmed” and “ahhhed” and, well … okay, fine, the conversation wasn’t exactly scintillating as my vocal little gal gabbed incessantly about ABBA and Dada – and she may have blown a few raspberries at the other restaurant patrons at some point along the way – but otherwise a delicious time was had by all, big and small.

Naturally, I set out to duplicate this quesadilla at home (we do spend some time there, after all), but before I knew it – I guess my grilled cheese obsession has something to do with it – I started fantasizing about recreating it in grilled cheese form.

And so I did, and it was good. Really good. Chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and pureed butternut squash slathered on one side; a hefty layer of pepper jack cheese on the other … it’s so simple, yet so scrumptious. It’s smoky, it’s spicy, and it tastes like fall.

Maybe I should whip these up for lunch a little more often … I’d probably save a ton of money on fuel.

More Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes

• How to Make Grilled Cheese – with the secret to the perfect grilled cheese sandwich!

• White Pizza Grilled Cheese – for-real deliciousness.
• Artichoke Arugula Pesto Grilled Cheese – yesss.
• Spinach & Artichoke Grilled Cheese – like the classic dip, only better. Proof that’s possible!
• Cranberry, Pear, & Brie Grilled Cheese – perfect for using up leftover cranberry sauce. (Make extra sauce so you have an excuse!)
• Balsamic Strawberry & Brie Grilled Cheese Sliders tasty AND cute.
• And even more grilled cheese sandwich recipes – 32 melty, gooey, savory, fruity, and just plain over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches.

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Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese

Smoky chipotle peppers, rich butternut squash, and creamy pepper jack cheese grills together perfectly in this fall-inspired take on grilled cheese.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 cup butternut squash puree*
• 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper in adobo sauce seeds removed (unless you want a LOT of heat, in that case, leave them in), chopped
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Bread of your choice
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese sliced
• Butter

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix together butternut squash, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, kosher salt, and pepper.
• Lay down the bread slices and, using a butter knife, spread 1/4 cup butternut squash mixture on one side of each sandwich. Lay the pepper jack cheese evenly over the top of the chipotle butternut spread and close the sandwich.
• Generously butter the outside of each sandwich on both sides.
• In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, cook the sandwiches, flipping often, until golden-brown on the outside and the cheese is melted inside, about 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

More melty-gooey-good grilled cheese recipes:

• White Pizza Grilled Cheese – for-real deliciousness.
• Artichoke Arugula Pesto Grilled Cheese – yesss.
• Spinach & Artichoke Grilled Cheese – like the classic dip, only better. Proof that’s possible!
• Cranberry, Pear, & Brie Grilled Cheese – perfect for using up leftover cranberry sauce. (Make extra sauce so you have an excuse!)
• Balsamic Strawberry & Brie Grilled Cheese Sliders tasty AND cute.
• And even more grilled cheese sandwich recipes – 32 melty, gooey, savory, fruity, and just plain over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches.
• How to Make a Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich – because basic is never bad! Here’s how to do it just right.

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