L's Cauliflower Mash
Let me first say, that I have nothing against potatoes.
As a matter of fact, I love potatoes...especially baked potatoes. Oooooh and French fries. I really love French fries. I'd be lying if I said I that a crispy, crunchy, perfectly salted, fry didn’t do it for me. I mean seriously, is it even possible to not like a French fry??
But, here's the deal.
Come Thanksgiving, one of my "must have" sides is roasted root veggies, which include butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. So in my book the potato part of the meal is covered, right? Think about it, if it weren't Turkey Day, would you ever make a meal that had two potato dishes??
I mean, I don't know. Maybe you would, but I wouldn't. And I'll tell you why.
You see it’s NOT a "carb" thing. It's a "full belly" thing. Let's face it, it's those starchy carbs that fill us up the fastest, and I don't know about you guys but come Thanksgiving, I'm in it for the long haul and starting the meal with a combo of sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and stuffing is not a good formula to make it through a long day of eating.
So I try to find ways to create all of the flavors and textures that I've come to love on Thanksgiving, without creating the "full belly" feeling before I can even get to my pumpkin pie. (Because let's be honest, most of us, full belly or not, are still gonna find a way to squeeze the pumpkin pie in, so why not try to do that with out having the “full belly” feeling.)
L's cauliflower mash takes the role of the mashed potatoes. They're creamy, hearty and comforting just like your traditional mash. I mean, they even serve as the perfect bed for a ladle of gravy just like your traditional mash BUT they are a lot lighter, leaving you with plenty of room for what’s to come.
You get the whole mashed potato experience with out the "gut bustin', hand stuffed down your pants" feeling. Which means come time for the pumpkin pie, you can actually enjoy it!
(I'm tellin' you guys, I'm always thinking...)
Oh, and the "L", that stands for Larc, my brother in law.
You see Larc figured out the secret behind really good Cauliflower Mash... RAW ONION.
I’ve made Cauliflower mash a handful of times without this secret ingredient and always enjoyed it but I’m telling you guys the raw onion takes this side dish from “really good” to “WHOA, OVER THE TOP, OFF THE CHIZZY CHAIN, INSANELY DELICIOUS”. And that’s no joke…so here’s a big shout out to Larc!
As a matter of fact, I love potatoes...especially baked potatoes. Oooooh and French fries. I really love French fries. I'd be lying if I said I that a crispy, crunchy, perfectly salted, fry didn’t do it for me. I mean seriously, is it even possible to not like a French fry??
But, here's the deal.
Come Thanksgiving, one of my "must have" sides is roasted root veggies, which include butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. So in my book the potato part of the meal is covered, right? Think about it, if it weren't Turkey Day, would you ever make a meal that had two potato dishes??
I mean, I don't know. Maybe you would, but I wouldn't. And I'll tell you why.
You see it’s NOT a "carb" thing. It's a "full belly" thing. Let's face it, it's those starchy carbs that fill us up the fastest, and I don't know about you guys but come Thanksgiving, I'm in it for the long haul and starting the meal with a combo of sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and stuffing is not a good formula to make it through a long day of eating.
So I try to find ways to create all of the flavors and textures that I've come to love on Thanksgiving, without creating the "full belly" feeling before I can even get to my pumpkin pie. (Because let's be honest, most of us, full belly or not, are still gonna find a way to squeeze the pumpkin pie in, so why not try to do that with out having the “full belly” feeling.)
L's cauliflower mash takes the role of the mashed potatoes. They're creamy, hearty and comforting just like your traditional mash. I mean, they even serve as the perfect bed for a ladle of gravy just like your traditional mash BUT they are a lot lighter, leaving you with plenty of room for what’s to come.
You get the whole mashed potato experience with out the "gut bustin', hand stuffed down your pants" feeling. Which means come time for the pumpkin pie, you can actually enjoy it!
(I'm tellin' you guys, I'm always thinking...)
Oh, and the "L", that stands for Larc, my brother in law.
You see Larc figured out the secret behind really good Cauliflower Mash... RAW ONION.
I’ve made Cauliflower mash a handful of times without this secret ingredient and always enjoyed it but I’m telling you guys the raw onion takes this side dish from “really good” to “WHOA, OVER THE TOP, OFF THE CHIZZY CHAIN, INSANELY DELICIOUS”. And that’s no joke…so here’s a big shout out to Larc!
Ingredients
-
I do think these are best made a little bit ahead of time, so they have time to "settle". In a perfect world, I would make these the day before and then re-heat them when ready to serve.
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 head of cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
- 1 5.3 oz container plain, fat-free, Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup of Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 tbsp. Earth Balance (or butter…whatever you have)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Serves 4-6.
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil (now, if you are interested, boil your cauliflower in some chicken broth…it will add a bit of extra flavor), add cauliflower and cook for about 8 minutes or until fork tender. Drain.In a food processor, blend onions and garlic. Add cauliflower, Earth Balance, yogurt, cheese, salt and pepper and blend some more. You want the finished product to be like a thick puree.
Once everything comes together...taste it. Is it too thin? Add more cheese… A little bland? Another hit of salt! It’s in you’re hands…do you’re thing and remember…Enjoy!!
Comments
kate :
Hey this doesn't sound bad at all. With the Pecorino, garlic, and Greek yogurt I think this would taste amazing, even if it s cauliflower. Brilliant idea !
posted on November 16, 2007 8:54 AM
Dani :
Kate - I'm telling you...it's really, really good!
posted on November 16, 2007 10:31 AM
Linda :
Dani,
What is the green sprinkled stuff on top of the mash? Is it Italian parsley?
posted on November 18, 2007 10:36 AM
Sondra :
I think I must finally be a grown up, because I'm loving cauliflower these days. This is lighter than my light version. I use reduced fat sour cream and chicken broth. Also - after blanching the cauliflower for a little - I saute it with a little olive oil and garlic 'til it's browned a little. It's not so perfectly white, but it gives nice flavor. I'm gonna try this though, 'cause a few extra calories saved means - like you said...room for more dessert!
posted on November 18, 2007 1:29 PM