Cauliflower french fries

teamAmelia
teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
in Recipes
Posted this in my MFP blog and thought I'd share with you all..

You've probably seen this receipe and probably thought that people were stretching by saying that cauliflower can taste like fries, but as someone who HATES vegetables (with the exception of sugared-down creamed corn, fried potatoes, and as of two days ago, cauliflower disguised as mashed potatoes), I just wanted to vouch for the recipe and also let you know that you can make it without the fatty olive oil that I saw in other recipes.

Just season the cauliflower. I used a frozen pack from Kroger and I only used fake salt (Morton's) and onion powder. I mixed that in a bowl, put it on parchment paper (so, no olive oil or supposedly fat-free nonstick cooking spray is needed). Bake on 400 degrees for about an hour or until crispy. They taste JUST like french fries. The 'meat' of the cauliflower was so good and sweet just like a potato. If I hadn't seen what I was eating, I would have thought that they were french fries. I ate them with salt-free ketchup.

The first image is of exactly 2 servings of uncooked cauliflower (170 grams total). That wasn't nearly enough for me to eat.

For 170 grams of uncooked cauliflower, here are the nutritional facts:
Zero.grams.of fat/50 calories/50 mg sodium/8 g carbs/4 g sugar/90% vitamin C

with 1 tablespoon of unsalted Hunt's ketchup that tastes just like normal ketchup to me:
Zero.grams.of fat/75 calories/50 mg sodium/14 g carbs/8 g sugar/90% vitamin C

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Replies

  • monnyq
    monnyq Posts: 40 Member
    Bump...I will try this soon!
  • keeper0499
    keeper0499 Posts: 22
    First I've heard of this--I will have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
  • JazmineYoli
    JazmineYoli Posts: 547 Member
    Good flavor. Crunchy like fries, but not the taste. I like them anyway. I didn't have any ketchup to dip them in, but I like my fries naked anyway.
  • xoxolindseym
    xoxolindseym Posts: 43
    Oooo, bump!

    Thanks for the recipe. :)
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    Thanks for the tip!

    I like cauliflower, although I will admit there are a lot of other vegetables I like a lot more. I've had the mashed cauliflower and it's okay (especially if you don't expect it to taste like mashed potatoes - it's its own thing, but fine). I have also tried it mixed about 2/3 to 1/3 actual potato and liked the texture of that better...still not real high calorie if not loaded it with a ton of butter, etc.

    However, I think we would really like these. We've been making something similar with zucchini, either dipped in egg white and seasoned Panko (w/ garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and a little salt) and then baked, or just seasoned and baked. They are a hit.

    Something else you may like has been one of the biggest hits around here for us lately...pizza crust made of cauliflower, greek yogurt, Italian seasoning, egg, and sea salt. Easy to make and surprisingly good.

    Here is a link to the recipe:

    http://greatist.com/health/recipe-cauliflower-crust-pizza/


    Here is a link to the article where we first saw it (lots of other suggestions, too!):

    http://greatist.com/health/make-healthier-pizza

    We made the zuchhini one also and it was good, but it was way better after refrigerating overnight and reheating in a non-stick skillet, low and slow, til the outside got nicely browned. Oh, and we made both as individual sized crusts so everyone could try a bit of each. Everyone liked all of it. I splurged on a homemade white sauce with garlic and fresh basil (really easy to make) because one of the guys who was visiting has a hard time with red sauce. The zucchini one actually has cheese in it, so I didn't put cheese on my "pizza" - but I might try to do it with the yogurt next time, as it was a little eggy tasting and the cheese bumped up the calories a fair amount.

    Don't get me wrong...I LOVE real pizza and have not forsaken it. lol But I also enjoy playing around with other options that I can work in more frequently. This cauliflower one was a clear winner for us! Hope you like it...


    ETA: Parchment paper is your friend on these also....or else they become one with your cookie sheet. :)
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    Thank you so much for posting this. I've been looking for a low-carb alt to reg pizza crust and have heard about zucchini fries. I recently tried zucchini last wk and will comfortable w trying the fries now.
    Thanks for the tip!

    I like cauliflower, although I will admit there are a lot of other vegetables I like a lot more. I've had the mashed cauliflower and it's okay (especially if you don't expect it to taste like mashed potatoes - it's its own thing, but fine). I have also tried it mixed about 2/3 to 1/3 actual potato and liked the texture of that better...still not real high calorie if not loaded it with a ton of butter, etc.

    However, I think we would really like these. We've been making something similar with zucchini, either dipped in egg white and seasoned Panko (w/ garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and a little salt) and then baked, or just seasoned and baked. They are a hit.

    Something else you may like has been one of the biggest hits around here for us lately...pizza crust made of cauliflower, greek yogurt, Italian seasoning, egg, and sea salt. Easy to make and surprisingly good.

    Here is a link to the recipe:

    http://greatist.com/health/recipe-cauliflower-crust-pizza/


    Here is a link to the article where we first saw it (lots of other suggestions, too!):

    http://greatist.com/health/make-healthier-pizza

    We made the zuchhini one also and it was good, but it was way better after refrigerating overnight and reheating in a non-stick skillet, low and slow, til the outside got nicely browned. Oh, and we made both as individual sized crusts so everyone could try a bit of each. Everyone liked all of it. I splurged on a homemade white sauce with garlic and fresh basil (really easy to make) because one of the guys who was visiting has a hard time with red sauce. The zucchini one actually has cheese in it, so I didn't put cheese on my "pizza" - but I might try to do it with the yogurt next time, as it was a little eggy tasting and the cheese bumped up the calories a fair amount.

    Don't get me wrong...I LOVE real pizza and have not forsaken it. lol But I also enjoy playing around with other options that I can work in more frequently. This cauliflower one was a clear winner for us! Hope you like it...


    ETA: Parchment paper is your friend on these also....or else they become one with your cookie sheet. :)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSk2tMuDraq2qgrhJ4ABuFo6JoGRYVOwFXAusekZIKjRK7yYjLU
  • rddy4change
    rddy4change Posts: 13 Member
    Bump
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Simple question....when will all this cauliflower nastiness stop?
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    What part of this makes it anything like French fries!? It just looks like cooked cauliflower....
  • IronCakes
    IronCakes Posts: 317 Member
    No that is not anywhere near french fries, that would be baked cauliflower. PERIOD!
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    My brain refuses to accept mock foods.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    That's roasted cauliflower, not cauliflower french fries.

    Stop the madness.
  • RozayJones
    RozayJones Posts: 409 Member
    Who cares what it's called - sounds good so I am bumping!
  • shrinkinginQualicum
    shrinkinginQualicum Posts: 131 Member
    Bump! Maybe it's something I can get my diabetic dad to eat. He won't give up his potatoes.:explode:
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Is cauliflower the chicken of the vegetable kingdom? Roast veggies can be very tasty, but that does not make them french fries. Mashed cauliflower can be very tasty, but it is not mashed potatoes.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Eh. I prefer to use potato for my french fries.
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    Call it what you will- looks easy and if it tastes good that's good enough for me. Will try this out sometime :)
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Roasted cauliflower, like roasted broccoli, roasted beets, roasted sweet potatoes, etc., is healthful and delicious, but nobody is going to confuse it with delicious french fries with their crispy golden fried exterior yielding to fluffy, starchy interior.
  • dandelyon
    dandelyon Posts: 620 Member
    While those are not french fries, I do think that seasoning and roasting cauliflower is the best way to prepare it. I like to do something like this either with curry or with the seasoning you'd put on tacos.
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,394 Member
    bump, willing to try, I like french fries a little too much!
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    STOP SHAMING THE POTATO

    it never did anything to you
  • Dublinmum
    Dublinmum Posts: 19 Member
    Blitz cauliflower in a food processor until it's finely ground. Microwave with a little water for about five minutes. Serve with curry or stir fry instead of rice. It's not rice, but it's yummy
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    im trying this TONIGHT. i love cauliflower. yum!!! thank you!
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    bump, willing to try, I like french fries a little too much!

    It's okay. French fries like you, too. :)

    You can have more than one friend. Just think of it as a snack instead of a fry.
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    Thank you so much for posting this. I've been looking for a low-carb alt to reg pizza crust and have heard about zucchini fries. I recently tried zucchini last wk and will comfortable w trying the fries now.

    Oh, you bet! It's great that you're trying new things. Great attitude!

    I hope you find lots of new things you love! Zucchini is great for so many things. I put it in omelets almost daily. I grate it and mix it with potatoes for good hash browns. My friend who isn't even trying to lose weight loves these so much, he freezes them already mixed in portions. It's great in casseroles and soups. Stuffed with other veggies or rice and meat or whatever you like and baked in the oven. Not to mention good ol' zucchini bread. A little google search or looking a site like allrecipes.com will get you about a bazillion recipes. : )
  • AmyP619
    AmyP619 Posts: 1,137 Member
    So not french fries.
    It's baked cauliflower.
    Hmph.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    This reminds me of the not-lasagna fiasco
  • kathicooks
    kathicooks Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks for the recipe! As a diabetic, potatoes are NOT my friend. Taters might be friends of some of you out there, but don't go getting mean on the nice OP who gave folks like me another lovely way to enjoy a snack.:smile:
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
    Cauliflower and potatoes certainly don't taste the same as potatoes to me, but may try this out soon anyway.

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