Cauliflower Cheese with Broccoli and Bacon

This is a delicious and nutritious recipe that can easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the bacon or pancetta.  Sadly it is not a one pot meal, but it is so delicious the extra dishes are well worth it - and as the recipe steps can be done concurrently it doesn’t take very long to put together. Do use whole wheat pasta if you can as it makes this dish higher in both fibre and vitamins. Don’t worry about using extra oil with the bacon. It’s healthy oil and you need it to make the roux for the cheese sauce.

To serve four to six people generously you need:-

about 2 cups small broccoli florets

about 2 cups small cauliflower florets

2 cups whole wheat pasta shapes

(penne or fusilli work well, but any will do)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive)

1 large onion, finely chopped

½ cup chopped bacon or pancetta (Italian bacon)

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup grated cheese (I use cheddar or gruyere)

1½ to 2 cups milk

2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard


In a large saucepan of boiling water or in a steamer over boiling water, cook the broccoli and cauliflower florets until just tender crisp. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. 

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat, and gently sauté the onion until it begins to go translucent. Add the bacon or pancetta and fry for about five minutes until it is almost cooked.

Sprinkle the flour over the onion and bacon and stir to coat. Begin to gradually add the milk, whisking after each addition, working to make a smooth sauce. Stir in the cheese and allow it to melt, adding a bit more milk if necessary. Whisk in the mustard.

When the pasta is cooked, reserve a ladle full of pasta water, and then drain the pasta, returning it to the pan. Add the drained broccoli and cauliflower, the cheese sauce and just enough of the pasta water to make a light sauce. The sauce should just coat the pasta, and not be too runny. If it is still too thick after adding all the water, just add a tiny bit more milk.

Heat through and serve. This is lovely with hot rolls or crusty bread.

Meatless Monday - Healthy Eton Mess

Eton Mess is a traditional British summer dessert that has been popular since the 1930’s, when it was invented at Eton College. Founded by Henry VI in the fifteenth century, Eton boasts many famous graduates, including most male members of the British Royal Family and many British Prime Ministers.

There are several theories as to how Eton Mess was invented, including one about an excitable labrador and a picnic basket (my personal favourite!) but one thing everyone agrees on is how delicious it is. The only problem is, it is absolutely loaded with calories and fat. You see, Eton Mess consists of crushed fruit (most often strawberries), crushed meringue, whipped cream and confectioners sugar.

I’ve developed a much healthier version which tastes almost as good as the original and makes a fantastic summer dessert. Meringues are not, in themselves, that high in calories and this is a great way to use up leftover meringue - or even to use up meringue that didn’t quite turn out as you planned! Having said that, I often find myself using store bought meringues for this and they work really well too. 

You can make this dessert a little while ahead and refrigerate it, but I don’t recommend leaving it for more than a couple of hours as the whole idea is the meringues retain some of their crispiness.  This recipe will serve about 4 people, depending on how big your serving dishes are.  You can serve this at the table from a large serving bowl, but I prefer to serve it in individual serving dishes. It’s a great opportunity to use those pretty crystal glasses you may have tucked at the back of the cupboard!

1½ cups sliced strawberries

2 cups strawberry or vanilla yogurt

½ cup crushed meringues + about 2 tablespoons extra for decorating

Mix everything except the extra 2 tablespoons of meringue together lightly in a large mixing bowl.  Spoon into serving dishes. Sprinkle a little reserved meringue on top of each dish for decoration.

Enjoy without guilt, preferably in the sunshine!

The 21st Century Housewife’s Healthy Mini Fruit Parfaits

This is a delicious, healthy and fresh dessert that only takes minutes to put together, yet is pretty enough to serve at a dinner party.  It also gives you a great opportunity to use those special glass dishes - or even teacups - you have tucked away in the cupboard or china cabinet.

The proportions of the ingredients depend on how many desserts you are making and the size of your dishes, so this is just a guide.  Of course you can use any berries you like - I just happened to have strawberries on hand when I took the photographs.  Just use a flavour of yogurt that compliments the berries.  (Blueberries are lovely with peach yogurt by the way.)  The almond-y Amaretto liqueur does give a lovely flavour, but feel free to leave it out if you are serving these to children or those who don't want to drink alcohol.

You can make these parfaits about an hour or so before dinner and refrigerate, but the sooner you can serve them the better as you don't want the Amaretti biscuits to go too soggy.

For four servings you will need about:-

12 Amaretti biscuits
4 teaspoons Amaretto Disaronno liqueur (optional)
2 cups low fat, low calorie strawberry yogurt
about 1½ cups sliced strawberries

4 pretty glass dishes

Place one Amaretti biscuit in the bottom of each glass.

If using, sprinkle 1 teaspoon Amaretto over each biscuit.  Layer some yogurt over top of the biscuit.

Add a layer of sliced strawberries, and another layer of yogurt.  Then add a final layer of strawberries.

Crush the remaining Amaretti biscuits and sprinkle the crumbs over top.  Enjoy without an ounce of guilt!