Cauliflower Cheesey Pie

This is the featured side dish for tonight's steak dinner. The inspiration: A head of cauliflower in my refrigerator that needed to be used up. Since I really hate to waste food....I knew I had to do something with it. I was tired of the regular ways I have been cooking cauliflower lately so I started looking at some of my ancient recipes. This one was originally from the Taste Of Home recipes but I tweaked it here and there a bit....Oh yeah, I left the flour out completely and it wasn't missed at all! It turned out just perfect without it. I like recipes like this because you can add your own favorite spices and it will still taste great.


Cauliflower Cheesey Pie Recipe:

• 2 cups of shredded potatoes (you can shred them yourself or buy the ones in a bag that someone else so kindly did the work and clean up for you....which is the option I chose today. I used the ones found in the refrigerator section by the eggs but you can use frozen ones instead. The choice is yours)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (yep, you guessed it...I chose the lazy way again and used the one in the jar. Everyone keeps telling me that they never use the garlic in a jar because it doesn't taste as good... but seriously.....I don't want garlic fingers today and I really hate to cut up garlic! Besides, no one has ever told me that my food wasn't good because I didn't use fresh garlic!)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (you can use regular salt instead or a salt substitute)
• I used Crisco butter spray but you could use 1 1/2 tbs olive oil or butter/margarine
• I used two sprigs of fresh rosemary from my herb garden (not the stems - just the leaves) but you don't have to add this. The original recipe didn't call for it...I just like it and have TONS of it!
• 1 small head of cauliflower (or use a 12 oz bag of frozen). I actually used the fresh because it was sitting in the refrigerator staring at me.
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican 4 cheese blend)
• 3 eggs (you will need one for the crust and 2 for the filling)
• 1/4 cup milk (I used fat free because that is what I had on hand)
• 1/4 teaspoon steak spice or paprika (I used Trader Joe Chili & Garlic Smoked sea salt blend)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9" baking dish (I used a glass pie dish) with the buttered flavored Crisco or grease with butter or olive oil. (If you are using frozen hash browns make sure you squeeze the water out of them or drain them first). Combine the shredded potatoes, garlic & salt together with 1 beaten egg. Press into the bottom and up sides of the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and either spray a light coating of Crisco spray on the potatoes or brush with a light coat of olive oil or butter. Return to oven for additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

For filling: I cut up the cauliflower in small pieces and put in microwave for 7 minutes to soften. Then I dumped them into my favorite cast iron skillet and saute with rosemary. (You could add some bacon if you were feeling really naughty!) You don't have to do this extra step of putting the cauliflower into a skillet but it gives it a really nice roasted flavor. 

Sprinkle half the cheese onto the crust. Spread the cauliflower-Rosemary mixture onto that. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with steak spice or paprika. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is set firm and the edges of the crust are browned.  

And this recipe tastes pretty good as a leftover with eggs the next morning too for a hearty breakfast!

Enjoy your evening! It is actually raining outside at the moment so I am going to go sit on the patio and enjoy the rain for a little while. The rain doesn't come often or last long here in the desert! 

Tanja

Gluten Free Casually