Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

 Eden, will we ever forget your trip to the emergency room when we first arrived in Amsterdam? So scary!  Who would have thought  it would happen again when you got home! Three days in the hospital.  Food allergies are no joke.

If you find you are gluten intolerant or live a keto lifestyle, this is a great recipe.   I can’t have Mac without a crunchy topping so I used gluten free bread to make bread crumbs in the food processor, but I’ve heard people also use crushed up pork rinds .  

2 cups cauliflower rice, steamed

2 cups cauliflower Florettes cut into bite sized pieces, steamed

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (buy on Amazon)

1 cup cream

1 cup chicken stock

1 clove garlic chopped fine or grated with a micro plane grater 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 oz. cream cheese

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated 

1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:

1 cup gluten free bread crumbs or ground pork rinds

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon powdered ranch dressing mix 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place oven rack in the center. 

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup melted butter the ranch dressing mix and the bread crumbs. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter  Add the chicken stock, cream, cream cheese, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and xanthan gum and whisk until cream is melted and sauce has thickened.  If it gets too thick, thin out with a little more chicken stock.  Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.  Remove the sauce from the heat and mix in the cheese and cauliflower rice.  

Grease a small casserole dish with butter or cooling spray.  Spread the cauliflower mixture evenly in the pan   

Bake the cauliflower for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the cauliflower.  Return to the oven and cook 10 minutes more until the cauliflower is fork tender and the bread crumbs are light brown.   

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.