Mashed cauliflower

You could do anything you want with it. Steam it and mash it just like potatoes...maybe put some milk, garlic, green onions or chives in it.

I make a reduced calorie/carb mashed potato mix with cauliflower.

I just take 1lb of Yukon potatoes, about 3.

1/2 head of cauliflower cut up into florets.

Peel and boil potatoes until tender

Steam the cauliflower until very tender.

Using a hand blender or food processor, pure the cauliflower

Mash the potatoes with your choice of either cream(I prefer cream), whole mike or 2% milk, butter(I prefer butter) or margarine.

Mix the cauliflower with the potatoes. You'll never know the difference from just mashed potatoes.

Jim

For me, I LOVE cauliflower - just steamed plain or with a little cheese melted on it. My hubby likes it with American cheese melted on it. (I even enjoy the steamed cauliflower cold as a lowcal snack.)

I'm impressed to see that you are venturing out and trying something new... I think it's something that is very beneficial if we are indeed trying to "change our lifestyle". One of the foods I had never tasted before was jicama, and I've now become addicted to it... hard for me to make a salad these days without throwing some of it in... LOL :laugh:

Today I was looking for juava - had no idea what it looked like until I found some juava nectar and they had a picture on the front of the box. (I figured out that what I THOUGHT was a guava was actually a papaya. :happy: ) I read that guava is one of the most nutritional foods, but (sorry for my ignorance) I have no idea where to find it "fresh" - or even what season to look for it...:embarassed: Anyway, the "hunt" for it makes dieting interesting for me...

If you just mash it as a fork and keep it slightly lumpy it can also be used as a rice substitiute goes really well with black bean stir fry etc. Cause then the sauce from the stir fry goes all over it, very tasty.

bump

cauliflower has a decent amount of protein (2 g) for a high vitamin veggie. It also has 3 grams of fiber per serving, which is right in the middle of the pack as far as veggies go, so good stuff there.

but the main benefits of cauliflower (it's low carb, about 5 grams per serving) is it's vitamin c (about 50 to 75% of daily needs for most people). Here is a list of the micro nutrients in cauliflower, it's quite impressive for a white veggie.


Calcium: 21 mg

Iron: 0.47 mg

Magnesium: 13 mg

Phosphorus: 40 mg

Potassium: 192 mg

Sodium: 15 mg

Zinc: 0.026

Vitamin C: 56.4 mg

Thiamin: 0.051 mg

Riboflavin: 0.065 mg

Niacin: 0.470 mg

Pantothenic Acid: 0.445 mg

Vitamin B6: 0.142 mg

Vitamin B12: 0 mcg

Folate: 36 mcg

Vitamin A: 99 IU

Vitamin E: 0.03 mg

Vitamin K: 12.9 mcg

Phytonutrients (anti-oxidant properties):
beta Carotene: 60 mcg

Lutein and Zeaxanthin: 27 mcg

BUMP!! YUM...

The main thing if you're using the frozen Bird's Eye or other brand is to drain it after you cook it, unless you like your mashed potatoes on the runny side.

Another thing you can do is take a head (?) of fresh cauliflower and grate it, either with a hand grater or, if you're lazy like me, the grating blade on your food processor. Then "fry" it in a non-stick skillet with some butter or olive oil no stick spray. If you have the calories to spare, a little oil or butter is also good, but not too much as it will absorb every bit. It comes out like fried rice. Add any seasonings you want because it will soak up all the flavors.

Must go add cauliflower to my shopping list!

Bump! Have been looking for "the one" mashed cauliflower recipe...must try some listed! :flowerforyou:

Bump

I once saw a low carb themed episode on Rachel Ray's cooking show where she made mashed cauliflower. It was low carb but not sure about the fat. You might try the food network website or just a general google search on "mashed cauliflower recipes."

I LOVE this. I wanted to mention that just the cauliflower is 14 cals per 1/2 cup. So I use Molly Mc Butter and a little bit of ff cream cheese and have a huge serving for less than 50 cals. It is very filling

I've done the cauliflower in soup before to make a thick, heavy base. My husband even likes it!!!!!.....And he won't eat any veggies. I usually put it in the food processor before boiling in the broth. Can't wait to try the faux mashed potatoes and rice. Great ideas!

This one is from the South Beach Diet for Mashed Cauliflower:

4 cups cauliflower florets
1 ounce butter flavored cooking spray
1 fluid ounce fat-free half-and-half
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Steam or microwave the cauliflower until soft. Puree in a food processor, adding the butter spray and the half-and-half to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Be careful to not use too much fat-free half-and-half otherwise, it's too runny. Not bad but some of the other recipes posted sounds really good.

I like to add cheese to mine along with the bacon bits... yum. Not low calorie, but so very satisfying.

The thought of grating it and frying it sounds too delish!