Hi Guys!! If you like live cooking classes (I do!) please head over to Facebook (if you are on facebook!) and like my HeatherChristo page so that I can share with you cooking tips and comical nonsense as I cook dishes from my blog. I am doing these several times a week and over on snapchat (HeatherChristo) and would love to hear what you guys would like me to make for you. This is what I made yesterday (the video is still there).
Have I ever told you guys a story about when I was a student at the University of Washington? I was an art major and my schedule was full of studio classes and art history which were easy and fun for me. My little brother Jonny was two years younger than me and he and I thought it would be fun to take a couple classes together when I was a junior and he was a freshman. We would also knock out a requirement that was “out of our comfort zone” at the same time, and use each other as a resource. I had to take a science class and he had to take an art history. He chose weather 101 for us and I have no idea what the art history class was (I took about a million). Well both my dad and Jonny are basically amateur meteorologists. They could (and sometimes do) talk about pressure systems and cloud formations and knot speed winds and all kind of stuff for hours. So Jonny was obviously the star student in a class of several hundred, and I barely eeked out a passing grade. When I would pick up my tests the TA’s would literally say “you can’t possibly be Jon Jewett’s sister, could you?” with disbelief and perhaps a little disgust. I would in turn say “that’s me!!!” Jonny dropped the art history class before it ruined his perfect GPA.
The point of this story (which may seem long but is quite abbreviated) is that my family is weather obsessed. My parents garden is studded with rain gauges and a complex barometer I got him for Christmas last year spins from a peak in the roof. Both he and Jonny have every weather app on their phones and read the Cliff Mass Blog (UW meteorologist genius). So the fact that we are supposed to be having the “storm of the century” in the Pacific Northwest this weekend is big news around here.
I was skeptical, since every time we are supposed to have a snowstorm we get a dusting. But, I have to admit it is so stormy in Seattle this morning, you can not even believe it. I woke up around 5am this morning to the rain just pounding on the windows. So now I am sitting in the murky light this morning, drinking tea and listening to the storm. Only, the crazy part is, supposedly this is just the beginning. It’s not even supposed to get bad until noon, and the worst part doesn’t hit until Saturday! We have never lost power in the ten years we have lived here *knock on wood, so I am assuming we will be fine. But if you see no blog up on Sunday- that means I have no power!
Ok- less weather- more food. I thought you might need comfort food for this weekend- I do. Only this is sneaky, healthier comfort food. Classic Fettucini Alfredo, reimagined with cauliflower!! I added shrimp, but you could sub in pork tenderloin or chicken or use mushrooms for a vegan version. Oh, and obviously it is important to note that this does not use ANY dairy or eggs and I used gluten free pasta. SO GOOD, and completely family friendly!
Ok guys, I’m off to load my flashlights with batteries- fellow PNWers, stay safe this weekend ☺
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup white wine
- kosher salt
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound gluten free linguini
- ⅓ cup chives, minced
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the cauliflower florets and the garlic cloves. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and then drain and transfer to the jar of a blender along with one cup of chicken broth. Puree until smooth and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and then add the gluten free pasta to the pot and cook to al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until tender. Add the white wine and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Add the cauliflower puree and stir and cook until thickened.
- When the pasta is drained add it back to the pot and then add the sauce and shrimp to the pot and toss with the pasta. Season to taste with kosher salt and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with chives and serve hot.
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This dish looks wonderful!! Love the cauliflower reimagination!
Thank you Marla!
I just love the rusticness (is that a word?) of your photos! And this is pretty brilliant! Love the cauliflower sauce!
Thank you so much Mila!!
I’m new to your blog so this information is probably already here somewhere, but is there a particular brand of GF pasta you like? It seems overwhelming to find a good tasting brand by trial and error. Thanks!
Hi Bridget! There are SO many brands, but my best advice is that for long noodles (like spaghetti) I like to go for a hybrid pasta. Like when they mix brown rice with quinoa, or a corn pasta is great. If you are going to buy pure brown rice then I like to buy the shorter cuts of pasta. And no matter what, cook them just to l dente and then I rinse the pasta with cold water before reheating with sauce- otherwise it just keeps cooking and gets mushy!