PPN Easy cauliflower cheese macaroni

Winter colds and coughs call for easy meals.  We seem to have had our fair share of snuffles.  Sylvia was sick all weekend and E has now succumbed to the same lurgy.  This Cauliflower cheese macaroni was made a few weeks back when we all had come down with the cold and our energies went into chasing tissues and Sylvia around the house.  I needed something simple for dinner.

This dish is quite similar to one of my favourite pasta dishes but the vegies are cooked with the pasta rather than roasted.  I wrote about Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food a few years back.  The recipes he was teaching people too cook seemed quite challenging for those who weren't in the habit of cooking. 

This recipe comes from one of his cookbooks that seems to be inspired by similar shows in America.  It is the sort of recipe that I would want to be given if I wanted good healthy simple recipes.  However, as I cook a lot, I changed it, added more veg and more flavours.  It was fantastic.

I am sending this pasta to Ruth of Once Upon a Feast for Presto Pasta Nights #275.

On an unrelated note, I wanted to share a gratuitous photo of dolly and  a few things I have heard on the radio recently:

• Apparently the USA has a lot of high fructose corn syrup because it doesn't have access to cheap cane sugar but in Australia we do have access to cheap cane sugar.  This explains why I don't notice corn syrup in foods I buy here but hear a lot about it being a problem in the USA.  (I was also interested to I was interested to read Kari's note that in Australia white sugar is processed without bone char.)

• I heard a great discussions about why school students should (or shouldn't) study history recently.  Having studied history to postgraduate level, I was very interested.  I wholeheartedly agreed with those who claimed that history teaches analytic skills and an appreciate for context.  Others in the discussion argued that students should be taught job-related skills, but having seen so many changes to offices since my school days, I would argue the flexibility and an ability to look at the big picture are just as important. 

• Lastly, the talkback conversation that really made me gasp in disbelief some time ago, was the woman who rang to say that animal rights are far more important than refugee rights.  After all, she argued, an earthworm doesn't have a choice but refugees choose to board a leaky boat.  I was shocked because I am so used to people in the veg*n online community who believe that human rights are important alongside animal rights.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Canberra - of modern museums
Two years ago: NCR Carrot and Fennel Soup
Three years ago: Carrot Cake and the Lost Sock
Four years ago: Easy as Vegetable Pie
Five years ago: Rumbledethumps: death to the red hag!

Jamie's Cauliflower Cheese Macaroni
Adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution
Serve 6

1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped small
450g dried macaroni (or other pasta shapes)
170g grated Cheddar cheese
140g grated vintage cheddar cheese
a small bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach, roughly chopped
about 1/3 batch of tofu bacon, diced and fried in olive oil til crisp
about 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
1 cup yoghurt
seasoning

Bring salted water to boil in a large saucepan (I think I used my stockpot with the pasta insert in it).  Place chopped cauliflower and macaroni in boiling water and bring to the boil again.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or follow instructions on the pasta packet.

When pasta is cooked, drain and return to the saucepan.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add remaining ingredients and stir.  The heat of the pasta and cauliflower should warm the dish.  Serve hot.

On the Stereo:
Spandau Ballet (freebie CD in The Mail on Sunday)