Loaded Mashed Cauliflower

Let me start by saying this, I am not going to tell you that mashed cauliflower tastes just like mashed potatoes. It doesn’t. Many times I think we thwart ourselves on our journey to better health with false expectations. The only thing that tastes just like mashed potatoes is mashed potatoes. And there is no sin in eating mashed potatoes once in a while. But if you are on a journey trying to slim down, then regular white potatoes tend to work against you. Even if you are at an ideal weight, white potatoes are higher on the glycemic index, so they need to be moderated to keep our blood sugar even. Because of that we seek to find substitutes.

This is a substitute, and it is a good one. Even though it is not starchy, it helps to satisfy that desire for a starchy side. You can load it up just like mashed potatoes to make it even more festive. As long as you start with the right expectations, I think you will love this side dish. I’m going to give you some alternatives so that you can make this either a rich, S side dish or you can keep it lighter with a few tweaks. As written, without optional ingredients this recipe is a THM S. With all the optional ingredients it is an heavy S. Using the tweaks marked with an * you can make this recipe a THM FP.

Mashed Cauliflower ~ THM S or FP

Ingredients

1 pound cauliflower (fresh or frozen, whole, florets or riced)
1 cup liquid (water or chicken broth/stock) I recommend the broth/stock for flavor
1/2 tsp mineral salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 TBSP butter*
~Optional ingredients~
1-2 oz cream cheese*
1 – 2 TBSP sour cream*
2 TBSP heavy cream*
1/4 cup chopped bacon*
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other cheese of choice)*

Directions

Cook cauliflower in liquid until soft (you don’t want any “crunchiness” left at all.) If you are doing fresh cauliflower you may want to steam it and it may require extra liquid.

Once the cauliflower is soft enough to mash you want to drain off the liquid into a separate container. Keep this liquid in case you need it later.

At this point you are going to mash the cauliflower. How you choose to do this depends on the texture you want to end up with. If you want a very chunky mash you can just use a potato masher. If you like a smoother mash with just a little texture a hand mixer would be your tool of choice. If you want a completely smooth texture I would suggest a food processor.

Begin the mashing process before you add any other ingredients. After you have the mashing process started you can add all of the other ingredients, including the optional ones EXCEPT for the bacon bits and cheese. Continue stirring/mashing until you have reached your desired consistency. If the mixture is too thick, use some of the cooking liquid you reserved to thin it out.

When you have the texture you want you can stir in the bacon and cheese if you are using it or just use them as a garnish on top. I chose sour cream, cheese and bacon for my add ins. Yummy!

FP Option

To keep this recipe an FP you are going to make the following changes to the recipe. The cooking and preparation methods are exactly the same, but the ingredients are tweaked to keep the fat low. The changed ingredients are marked with an *.

Ingredients

1 pound cauliflower (fresh or frozen, whole, florets or riced)
1 cup liquid (water or chicken broth/stock) I recommend the broth/stock for flavor
1/2 tsp mineral salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp butter extract*
~Optional ingredients~
2-3 wedges light laughing cow cheese*
2 TBSP almond or cashew milk*
1 – 2 TBSP Greek yogurt*
1/4 cup chopped turkey bacon*
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese*

Be sure to keep checking back. I will be posting all of the recipes that I like to have on hand to keep me on track during the upcoming holiday season. I will eventually compile them all into a Holiday Menu post to be published on November 1st.