Recipe: Pureed Cauliflower (Mashed Potatoes Substitute)

So, I know I've mentioned before that Stupendous Man and I eat a low-carb, primal diet. Primal here means cutting out sugar and grains (we still eat dairy) and we modify that further by making it full low-carb.

So far, we've both seen a lot of success with it. We've each lost about two pounds a week since we started, with no hunger and not really any stress to speak of. But the weather has been cold, and sometimes you really just want something warm and comforting and salty and buttery and... well, let's just be frank. Sometimes all I want to eat is mashed potatoes.

But, since I can't eat mashed potatoes, I've had to find substitutes. Enter the humble cauliflower.

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that pureed cauliflower tastes exactly like mashed potatoes, but I will say that it honestly tastes close enough that if you can't or won't eat potatoes but are missing some of that delicious mashed potato goodness in your life, this is a totally acceptable and delicious substitute. 

Pureed Califlower (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2-3 cloves garlic, roasted
• 1 pat butter
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• Grated parmesan or romano cheese, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Chives, diced

The first step here is to roast or otherwise cook your garlic. Raw garlic is way too overpowering for this dish and it's all you'll be tasting for hours if you use it. The simplest way to roast garlic is to preheat your oven to 400 degrees, slice a head of garlic so that the tops of the cloves are exposed, drizzle it with oil or fat, and roast on a baking sheet until soft. What you don't use for this recipe is delicious as a snack, spread on crackers, or added to other dishes.

Remove leaves and stalk from the cauliflower and break the head into florets. In a lidded pot, heat 1 inch of water to boiling, add cauliflower, and cover. Steam for 10 minutes, or until soft. 

Once the cauliflower is cooked through, drain the water out of the pot and put the cooked cauliflower into a food processor (n.b. - you can do this the old-fashioned way and use a potato masher, if you don't mind a chunkier product). Add milk or cream, sour cream, and garlic, and pulse until it begins to look like mashed potatoes. Add a little more liquid if necessary and puree until the consistency is smooth and creamy. 

Add cheese, salt, and pepper, tasting often until the cauliflower is flavored to your preference. Garnish with diced chives and serve immediately. 

This can also be made to fit a Paleo diet (no sugar, no grains, no dairy) by substituting chicken or pork broth for the dairy products.