Today I was bored. And hungry. And we all know that is not a good combination. But I am trying to be healthier, which means not chocolate chip cookies at the moment. Or chocolate lava cake. Or cheesecake. Or really anything with sugar.
This decision might also stem from the fact that I have no chocolate in my house at the moment. Or cream cheese. Or butter. I might have stocked up, but only on the first level of necessities. You know...something to sleep on, cans of soup, light source, silverware...and according to my mother, half a fridge worth of fruits and vegetables.
Now, I'm all for fruits and veggies. I love them, really I do. It's just, like many people, I find it easier to pop a bag of popcorn into the microwave than wash, peel, cut, prep, etc. Buying pre-prepped things is much more expensive, and I really don't trust their "Already Washed" job anyways. And although I learned how to make about every iteration of meat, potatoes, and fattening foods from my boyfriend, sometimes you need to suck it up and eat the good stuff.
So, I decided to use up the leftover cauliflower from my mother's initial stocking of my fridge. Sure, you can eat cauliflower raw. Or steam it and cover it in cheese. But there's all that hullabaloo about mashed cauliflower: "Exactly like mashed potatoes!", they say. "Yeah, right", we're all thinking.
But they are pretty delicious. Word of warning: it helps to have mixer, potato masher, or equivalent kitchen gadget. The first time I tried this, I used a fork. The cauliflower was a little too stiff and ends up crumbling into tiny little florets. Cheesy, delicious florets, but they aren't smooth and creamy like mashed potatoes. I used a blender the second time, but it wasn't quite wet enough and the blender had trouble pulling the larger chunks down into the blades.
And of course, you could always mix them into mashed potatoes to sneak in some vegetables for you or your picky eaters of any age.
(Image courtesy of wholefoods.com, you can find their recipe here)
Mashed Cauliflower and Cheese
Since I was cooking for myself, I used about 1 1/2c of cauliflower, washed and cut into manageable sized florets. Place them in the microwave with about a tablespoon of liquid (I used half-and-half, but you can use water, milk, cream, etc). Nuke them for a few minutes, stir to break up, then add a minute at a time until they are nicely steamed/soft. I had a problem with the stems not softening up, which is where it's useful to have a mixer, food processor, or other electronic gadget.
At this point, add more liquid (around another tablespoon to start with) and some cheese (I used finely grated chedder, because that was what I had on hand) and mix using your kitchen gadget of choice.
Add liquid, cheese, butter, or anything else to taste (I topped with cheese and gave it another 30 seconds ing the 'wave to make sure it was all melted; there is nothing like small chunks of unmelted cheese in a dish to weird out your sensory organs). I was going to add cayenne powder, but got distracted and ate my second batch before I remembered. I sure it would have been delicious, though.
Once sufficiently mixed, enjoy! The flavor is definitely reminiscent of potatoes, although I don't think I'd call it exactly the same. And I'm sure it depends on what you add in; butter and cream will probably make them more "classically" mashed potato-like. Either way, they lose that particular taste I associate with cauliflower. The recipe is definitely worth a try. And check back later; I might experiment with this one more for a better result.
Thanks for reading!
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