Twice "Baked" Cauliflower

Once boiled and once baked cauliflower should be the name of this recipe, seeing the cauliflower is not actually in the over twice, but twice baked just rolls of the tongue that much easier.

When you are calorie counting you tend to look for some low carb alternatives to some of your favorite foods.  That being said, twice baked potatoes are NOT one of my favorite foods.  I am not normally a giant fan of cauliflower either, but I have been collecting recipes for cauliflower this or that for what seems like years now.  I had to try one of them sooner or later.  Today was apparently the day.  After a VERY calorie intensive day yesterday, Brian and I were looking for some low calorie foods to fill our meals on this beautiful final day of our three day weekend.  So there I was racking my brain to come up with something filling that will compliment the veggie monkey bread (more on that at a later date) and twice baked cauliflower jumped to the top of the "to try" list.  I am not exactly a fan.  Brian said he would eat it again so I will probably play with the recipe to turn it into something more attuned to both of our tastes.  It wasn't a horrible recipe, but it just didn't pop out as a "go-to" dish.

Twice Baked Cauliflower

• 1 Head Cauliflower, chopped
• 4 oz Cream Cheese (I use reduced fat)
• 4 T Bacon, crumbled
• 1 c Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• Scallions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and grease an 8x8 baking dish.
2. Boil chopped cauliflower in water until just soft, drain and mash cauliflower to desired consistency.
3. Combine all ingredients save 1/4 c of cheese and 1 T of bacon crumbles.  Mix well to ensure that the cream cheese is well incorporated.  
4. Spread mixture into prepared pan.  Top the mixture with the remaining cheese and bacon.
5. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is melted.  (I took the tin foil off and cooked for an additional 5 minutes to crisp the top. )
6. Enjoy

I think my main issue with this dish is the cream cheese. The next time I make this I am considering substituting some margarine for the cream cheese.  I also think that a tablespoon of breadcrumbs would not go amiss.  Alas those changes will have to wait till next time.  Until then, here are some pictures of this attempt.  The recipe, as made, produces 6 servings with a calorie count of 161 calories a piece.  (Those are BIG servings.)

The Twice Baked Cauliflower is in the front and sneaking up behind it is some Rice Pudding.