Saturday, March 3, 2012

"Collie Flower"

We had collies growing up. And so, I always thought these "little white trees" (as opposed to broccoli's green ones) were named after my pup! I loved this creamy veggie, even when my mama served it without melted cheese! So, when perusing the grocery for a new veggie to offer my little guy, this jumped out as a good option!

Cauliflower is a fabulous food for little tummies! It's packed with goodness and disease fighting vitamins and minerals. It can cause gas with younger babies, so waiting until 8-10 months is probably a good idea.  According to Momtastic:
"Cauliflower is packed full of phytochemicals which are said to help prevent cancer. Just one cup of cauliflower is packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin C and even calcium. Cauliflower is a great addition to a healthy diet but it causes many people to be a bit gassy."
 When purchasing cauliflower, frozen is fine, but it you prefer to buy fresh, make sure you choose cauliflower that is completed wrapped in green leaves and not bruised.  To store, wrap in plastic (or a zip-lock bag) with the stem down so moisture doesn't build up in the curds (flower part).

To cook, steaming retains the most nutrients (but overcooking will yield a bitter taste), while baking and roasting are also good options:
Step 1:  Peel and clean cauliflower (if using fresh) and cut
into florets.  Steam in a scant amount of water.
Step 2:  Puree until desired consistency.  You will
probablynot need to use any of the cooking water as
cauliflower retains lots of moisture.

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