Cheese Sauce for Veggies

 Cheese Sauce for Veggies

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My kids are sticklers when it comes to veggies.  They are not the easiest to please.  I have found if I put this cheese sauce on them my kids eat ALMOST any veggie I put in front of them.  I found this recipe in the Taste of Home Cookbook.  Our favorite is to put it on cauliflower or the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix.  You can use frozen.  We usually steam fresh and then put on the cheese sauce when serving.  This recipe does make a lot, but I've tried halving the recipe and it's harder to work with, although do-able.  When reheating from fridge I add a little milk since it loses some of the creaminess upon cooling.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (when serving to kids I usually do less)
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I've used mexican blend before with still successful results)
paprika (I omit this for kids)
veggies to top

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook veggies until crisp-tender.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and thyme until blended.  (I remove from heat and whisk in flour.)
3. Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened.  (I whisk frequently and watch carefully to avoid scalding.)

4. Reduce heat; add cheese, stirring until melted.
5.  Drain veggies dry and pour on cheese sauce.

ENJOY YOUR VEGGIES!!!

**If making gluten-free you can use cornstarch, but it's half the amount of flour to substitute.  In this recipe, that would be 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch in place of flour.**