Mashed NotPotatoes Cauliflower

(Printable recipe)

There are just a few secrets to making a great flavored alternative to Mashed Potatoes if you're trying to avoid all the starch and carbs and get a few more cruciferous vegetables into your day. Cauliflower, like broccoli, brussels sprouts, bok choy, and cabbage falls into that category of cancer fighting highly detoxifying vegetables. But, as a member of the cabbage family it can turn pretty stinky if not cooked correctly. One of the biggies with cauliflower is to rescue it from the heat as soon as it has cooked through but before it becomes soft or mushy. Another little flavor helper is this: simmer it in chicken broth instead of water. All you need to add is a some low fat cream cheese or Laughing Cow in your favorite flavor and your whole family will be digging in without complaint.

Add just enough broth to mostly cover the cauliflower and reduce the heat as soon as it comes to a boil. An easy simmer instead of hard boil keeps the flavor good! Check in 10-15 minutes and as soon as a knife slides easily into a floret take it off the heat.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the cauliflower to food processor (draining it well). Any extra liquid makes the final mash too soupy. However, add some of the cooking broth and a 1/2 cup of grated cheddar and you'll have a very tasty cream soup without the explosion of carbs and calories in real cream soups.  Back to Mashed NotPotatoes:

Add 3 or 4 Laughing Cow cheese wedges or 3 or 4 Tbs of low fat cream cheese, flavored type if you like.

Process until smooth and finish with salt and pepper or a blend you like such as my all-purpose favorite used here: salt, pepper, garlic powder. (Always out on my counter.) This is ready to serve now or holds well in the fridge for days.

This spring we're all blogging together with the Food Network and we'll be doing lots of Sensational Sides. Check out these other great ideas for mashin' it up:

The Wimpy Vegetarian: Mashed Celery Root with Blue Cheese and Watercress
Creative Culinary: Leek, Bacon, Garlic and Thyme Smashed Potato Cakes
Dishin & Dishes: Jalapeno Spaghetti Squash Hash Browns
Weelicious: Mashed Potato Cakes
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Spicy Roasted Eggplant Mash
Taste with the Eyes: La Purée de Pommes de Terre de Joël Robuchon
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Carrot, Onion & Garlic Mash
Red or Green: Cauliflower & Beet Mash with Chile Infused Olive Oil
Swing Eats: Italian Style Smashed Potatoes
The Mom 100: Perfect Mashed Potatoes
FN Dish: 5 Crazy-Good Ways to Do Up Mashed Potatoes