Dominic's $7 Family Meals: Cauliflower Cheese And Flapjacks

This month is very much focusing on the wonderful world of comfort food and how at this time of year something nice and filling for a low price can be a perfect asset to the table. My wife makes a cheese sauce, maybe once every 10 days and it is always a firm favourite on our dinner table. Whether we have it with cauliflower or a nice selection of root vegetables it provides you with lots of goodness and certainly provides you with your five a day.

For the dessert this month I have opted for a personal favourite of mine – Flapjacks. The can even be served with custard for your trip back to grandma time.

Cauliflower Cheese:

Ingredients:

1 large Cauliflower
300ml (½ pt) Milk
110g (4oz) Cheddar Cheese
3 tbsp Plain Flour
50g (2oz) Butter
25g (1oz) Fresh Breadcrumbs
½ tsp Mustard
Nutmeg
Salt & Black Pepper

Method:

1. Trim the cauliflower boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and place in a flameproof dish. With the milk, flour and butter make a roux in saucepan. (look up my cheese sauce recipe)

2. Heat, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens, boils and is smooth. Allow to simmer for a further 2 minutes. Add three-quarters of the grated cheese, mustard, a pinch of nutmeg and seasoning.

3. Cook for further minute stirring well. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower. Mix the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs together, sprinkle over the top. Place under a hot grill until golden brown.

4. Serve immediately.

Flapjacks:

Ingredients:

9oz of Butter

4 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup

5oz of Caster Sugar

9oz of Porridge Oats

Method:

1. Firstly you need to get out a tray to make your flapjacks with that is roughly one inch high. Then preheat the oven to 180c and line your flapjack try with some grease proof paper.

2. Now melt the butter with the golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Then put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and add the syrup mixture to it then mix it really well.

3. Then spoon the mixture carefully into the tray patting it down with a wooden spoon or your hand so that it is flat and level all over. Bake it in the centre of the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until nicely brown. Leave it to cool in the tin before chopping it up into nice square pieces.

4. You can also use melted chocolate dipped in to one side to give it a new feel or keep them plain it is up to you.

5. I like these with some custard so if you have some instant custard make some the way it says on the packet and serve.

I recommend that you serve it with some lovely warm custard for the ultimate pudding after your cauliflower cheese. We all love custard and it can take you back to the old fashioned beautiful meals we used to have in the old days. Plus when you make flapjacks there is also some left over that can be used over the coming days for an extra treat.

Hope you give these a try and let me know what you think about my ideas by leaving a comment.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic healthy eating tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic