Using cauliflower to replace carbs (Pizza, mashed potatos, tacos)

jim180155 wrote: »

alphaloria wrote: »

What tangents? You're claiming cauliflower and bread match each other for carb content. I'm saying no, because one has significantly more fiber than the other. You're asking me where I get that information from. I explained.

Fiber makes a difference when you are insulin resistant. Which the OP is. Which is where this thread started in the first place.

I missed the first time when you started talking about fiber:

"Low carb is not the same as no carb.

Most people don't eat 16oz of cauliflower in one sitting, so really your point is moot. Plus, that amount of cauliflower has 11g of fiber. Bread typically does not have that much fiber unless it's low carb/high fiber bread."

When you posted about fiber the second time, I was wondering where that came from, hence my comment about tangents.

Your post this time around is better since you explained why you're talking about fiber, and it may help explain why the OP can tolerate cauliflower easier than more calorie-dense forms of carbohydrates, like pizza crust. But the amount of fiber in veggies does not change a veggie from carbs into another macro nutrient. Low fiber foods do not change carbs into protein or fats.

You're not doing what you think you are. You're just subbing one type of carbs for another.

Well yes, veggies are carbs. I haven't claimed any differently.

For taco shells, you could try lettuce wraps, although obviously the crunch factor isn't the same -- maybe you could line the lettuce leaf with baked cheese -- I forget what people call it, but you bake shredded cheese, usually parmesan, into thin crackers or crisps, at a low temperature, and they get a bit crispy/crunchy -- I don't know if it would work with cheddar or jack cheese, or something else more "taco-esque."

I had a mix of white potato and cauliflower mashed with a little butter and olive oil just last night -- my first time trying that -- and I thought it was pretty tasty. It was close to a 1:1 ratio of potato to cauliflower by volume, so slightly more potato than cauliflower by weight. Maybe you could try that instead of brown rice, or vary the potato:cauliflower ratio to whatever works for you. I think mashed cauliflower would taste fine, but it wouldn't taste like mashed potato, whereas in the mix, the potato flavor was dominant.

@sb41288 wrote: »

Everyone's comments are awesome and so insightful! Thank you. Keep it up.

Pinterest is my go-to source for everything food related. Skinny recipes and low-carb replacements are everywhere here. I'm particularly obsessed at the moment with Mashed Cauliflower, I used to hate cauliflower! I would rather starve than put it in my mouth, but it REALLY is better than mashed potatos.

Here's a recipe for you:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/127226758198862001/

amyrebeccah wrote: »

stealthq wrote: »

amyrebeccah wrote: »

I'm a huge IIFYM person, but people lose their minds on here if you talk about substituting a vegetable for a carb. If you describe it as a different way to eat vegetables, they tend to calm down a little, but most seem to think that "fitting it in" never can possibly mean switching out an ingredient in order to modify the calories. And there's a ton of people on here who seem to hate vegetables altogether. I don't understand why I should have to go hungry by cutting a standard comfort food down to a third of its portion size when I can enjoy it quite a bit (if not exactly as much) by making ingredient substitutions.

That said, some ideas other than cauliflower that I actually eat because I enjoy them include zucchini shaved with a vegetable peeler and tossed with olive oil and lemon (but DON"T DARE CALL THEM NOODLES!), cauliflower mashed with cream cheese and then simmered until thick (these are absolutely not mashed potatoes), and mushroom caps filled with tomato sauce and cheese (I don't care it satisfies a pizza craving for you, don't EVER think of it like pizza). ;-)

I have also heard of making taco shells out of cheese, but never tried it myself. You can get a bunch of recipes for that if you google.

You made a quantity over quality choice. Others make a quality over quantity choice. Both are perfectly valid.

Picking more cauliflower pizza crust is more likely if you don't think the crust is all that important to the pizza.

Picking less flour pizza crust is more likely if you think the crust is the most important part of the pizza. Like me. Honestly, the thought of cauliflower pizza crust ...

Now, I do like roasted cauliflower. And feel free to throw cauliflower on top of the pizza. I have made a cauliflower alfredo sauce that had definite possibilities with a bit of tweaking. But do NOT put it in my pizza crust. Ever.

Well, quality is in the eye of the beholder, adding a vegetable doesn't necessarily make something low quality, but I get your meaning. Thank you. Both are valid, it's the add a vegetable option that seems to get the people going off with the how horrible the idea is, don't even mention it in my presence, it makes me so sad, kind of rhetoric you see on threads like this.

I was referring to this part of your previous post: when I can enjoy it quite a bit (if not exactly as much) by making ingredient substitutions.', with the quantity over quality statement. Perhaps I should have added "quality of taste", which is what draws the moans and "oh yuck"s.

If you enjoyed it as much or better, than there wouldn't be an issue with the substitution at all - no real choice to be made.

If they sell low carb tortillas, wouldn't it make sense to try and make a tortilla pizza?

50sFit wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

The answer here will be: just build it in to you calories.
So ignore that answer.

My answer: I love cauliflower pizza and mushroom cap pizzas, and tortilla pizzas. Do they taste like "real" pizza? Not really.

Nachos? no idea.
Tacos? My favorite restaurant uses jicama as a shell. Those were awesome too.
Seems to require a particular kitchen tool to make the shell.

My grocery store sells low carb tortillas, those might help.

^^^^
(*) (*) (*) THIS - BIG TIME (*) (*) (*)
Don't let anybody impugn your efforts to clean up your diet. Anything we can do to shift the odds of success is a step in the right direction. These small changes add up over time.
Best Wishes To You!


PS: I hate cauliflower...lol

I love cauliflower in and of itself and eat it 2-3 times a week as a side (170g cooked) with butter, salt and pepper... cheese if I am feeling adventurous, lol

I don't use it as a "substitute" for anything else, though I did make a baked mac and cheese for the family once that had a whole head of cauliflower pureed into the cheese sauce part and not one complaint, heh.

redheaddee wrote: »

VeryKatie wrote: »

redheaddee wrote: »

No. I eat what I want, in moderation. If I want pizza, I have pizza...but 1-2 slices instead of a half a large pizza like I used to eat. I have found over much trial and error that if I try to deprive or make poor substitutions (such as cauliflower for pizza. Why god, why?! ), I will fail miserably in the long run. So eat what you like, make it fit your calorie and macro goals, and for the love of god, stop the cauliflower madness. It is not a substitute for anything ever.

I feel like people are ignoring that the OP has a medical reason why she can't just eat carbs in moderation...

Nope. My brother is diabetic, eats carbs in moderation. Like I said, if it fits your calorie and MACROS goals (of which carbohydrates is one). I feel like people are ignoring the entirely of what was written.

Just because your brother can eat Carbs in moderation does not mean the OP can. Every diabetic has a different amount of insulin resistance and carb sensitivity.

I'm also on a low carb diet to manage a medical issue, and I've been experimenting with all sorts of modified pizza crusts. I really think it comes down to personal preference, so you'll probably have to try several before you find your favorite.

Things I've tried:
Low-carb tortilla (Mission Carb Balance has one for 7 net carbs)
Flax-based crust (from the blog I Breathe, I'm Hungry)
"Holy Grail" Crust (made from mozzarella cheese, egg, and almond flour)
Cream cheese-based crust (from ruled.me)
"Meatzza" (ground beef or chicken instead of crust)
Almond Bun pizza (from cavemanketo)

For what it's worth, I found the "Holy Grail" crust to be the most like traditional pizza crust. If you're not craving the crust itself, you can also try "skillet pizza" (no crust but cook the cheese in a pan until it's nice and crisp) or pizza bowls (pizza toppings cooked as more of a casserole).

Eating low carb is challenging, but you can do it if you're willing to do some experimentation.

I'm low carb and cook often for myself and one of my friends who is also gluten/dairy free along with being low carb. One of our favorites is to swap out endive for taco shells and make tiny "tacos" using a spoonful of taco meat (ground beef mixed with homemade taco spice from alton brown's recipe, omitting cornstarch and thickening mess with about two teaspoons coconut flour), and a sliver of avocado. I happen to love endive anyway, so I'll pack a whole head for lunch alongside a small container of taco meat and some avocado and just assemble them as I eat and then munch on the leftover leaves. It's ridiculously satisfying, and I've also done it with crockpot buffalo chicken, but I wouldn't classify that as a taco. The textures play well together with both types of meat, as do the varying temperatures, and the whole is super satisfying.

I also second roasting cauliflower rather than boiling or steaming it for any recipe where it's not being baked and covered in cheese. I've had luck with cauliflower haters eating spiced roasted cauliflower, but the texture and taste is so much better using some caramelized, dry cauliflower rather than flabby boiled bits.

Oh, and the cauliflower hummus in Veganomicon is pretty good, as is the raw cauliflower "mashed potatoes" on choosingraw.com. Gena uses cashews and cauliflower in hers, and it's surprising how close that one is to mashed potatoes compared to the cooked/pureed version.

Good luck finding what works for you

jim180155 wrote: »

BlackTimber wrote: »

no one can eat enough vegetable carbs to match grain carbs.

It's easy. Look at my diary. Today is a typical weekday for me. I'll have 18 grams of carbs from grains (1/3 cup of oatmeal in my morning smoothie) out of a total of 233 grams of carbs for the day. Of those 215 remaining carb grams, almost all are coming from fruits and vegetables. 39 grams will come from popcorn if I have some tonight as planned, but corn is not a grain. Is it? Maybe it is. But that would still make 57 grain carbs out of 233 total, or 24% of total carbs.

Yup you just zinged by that whole 1/3 of a cup of oatmeal with veggies......grain doesn't stand a chance. j/k