This recipe is how I got my kids not only to eat Broccoli but to ask for me to cook it. The calcium in this dish is good for their growing bones. It makes the perfect Christmas dinner vegetable side dish. The Cheese sauce itself can be used for any other recipe you like also.

Prepare the veggies:

1. For Cauliflower, steam the cauliflower for 5-10 minutes first until just starting to cook. For Broccoli, don’t bother.

2. In a casserole dish, add the florets so that they are an inch short of the top.

Then make the cheese sauce:

The following will make just over a cup of sauce so you will need to do a little math based on the size of your casserole dish allowing for the vegetable. Basically you want to just cover the broccoli or Cauliflower.

2 tablespoons of heart healthy margarine
2 tablespoons of all purpose / plain flour
A large pinch of salt
A serious grind of fresh black pepper
A heaped teaspoon of Dijon, if it’s a spicy Dijon, then use a little less
Grated sharp cheddar – see method for quantity
1 Cup of milk
Tip – don’t omit the Dijon, it really helps to enhance the flavor of the cheese.

1. Very low heat, melt the butter

2. Then stir in flour and remove from heat
Note: people say at this point to cook the flour for a minute so it does not taste raw. Don’t bother. This thing is going to cook in the pan for a few minutes and then the oven for 20 minutes and personally I think it tastes better if you forget this step.

3. Gradually add the milk a little at a time, and stir in so there are no lumps. Add the mustard, salt and pepper and give a little whisk.

4. On a medium heat stir constantly and as it comes up to a simmer it will thicken.

5. Now start adding your grated cheddar until you get the strength of flavor you require. I hate to add a measurement for cheddar because they vary so much in flavor strength and its all down to personal taste.

Assemble

1. Once it’s ready pour it over the Broccoli / Cauliflower

2. Grate a layer of cheese over the top of the whole thing.

!!! Now at this point you can put it to one side for baking later, so its great to prepare ahead of a dinner party.

3. Depending on sizes of dish, it’s going to take between about 20 to 35 minutes to heat through. Cook uncovered, until cheese starts to brown. If making a large quantity, cook covered for first half of cooking time, so it does not burn the cheese.

Very tasty!