We’ve been traveling a lot recently (hence the sporadic posting here!) visiting family in Illinois and Long Island. In Illinois we celebrated my nephew and sister-in-law’s graduations. So proud of them! My sister-in-law decided to go back to school to finish her college degree when my niece was two (she will be 21 this year). She really stuck with it and kept working towards her goal, while raising three children, and working full-time as a teacher’s aide for several years. Sometimes she could only take one class a semester. For several years, she had to take a break from it. But in the end, she did it! And she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education this summer.
So proud of this woman!!
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Before all of our travels and family events, I had meant to post a couple of simple veggie recipes that I make daily. The cauliflower ones are low carb and make a good substitute for starchier vegetables like potatoes. I tried once to sneak in some cauliflower into my husband’s plate but he wasn’t having it. He barely tolerates me cooking it, complaining about the smell. I usually light a scented candle and continue with my cooking.
I made a hearty meal of meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes, but for myself, I made mashed cauliflower. You basically make it the same way as mashed potatoes. Just added heated milk/cream, butter and seasonings.
I love the versatility of cauliflower. I have also used it in place of rice sometimes, but processing it in a food processor and microwaving for about 4 minutes.
You process it until it has the consistency of rice.
Another great way to prepare it is roasting at a high temperature — around 400F for 20 minutes, flipping and roasting for another 10 minutes. I can seriously it a whole half of a head this way in one sitting.
For my guys, though, I made mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and parmesan cheese. It also was quite yummy.
Silky smooth
With gravy…
They like it with absolutely no lumps or grainy texture, so I whip the whole batch up with an immersion blender. It makes it silky smooth! When Jamie was a baby, I used to make all of his food like this (sans seasonings). I’d just steam or boil the vegetable and then puree with a blender with some liquid, like milk, water, or broth. It’s a really easy way to make a lot of baby food. I used to freeze extra too in ice cube trays. I’d transfer the cubes to freezer bags, and I’d always have a portion on hand to serve. Apparently, though, there are some foods, I learned later that you should not make for babies. Check it out here.
Which do you prefer? Potatoes or cauliflower? Do you prefer your potatoes smashed with texture or completely smooth?
Mashed Cauliflower
1/2 head to 1 whole cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
butter to taste
about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup warm milk or cream to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1. Steam or boil a half or whole head of cauliflower
2. Process in a food processor. While processor is on, add some butter, warmed milk or cream to the desired consistency.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
Cauliflower “Rice”
1/2 to 1 whole head of cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
1. Process raw cauliflower in food processor until it has the texture of small grain rice or couscous
2. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with saran and microwave for about 4 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Cauliflower couscous: I added butter, roasted sliced almonds, and dried cranberries to the cauliflower “rice”
Roasted Cauliflower
1/2 to 1 whole head of cauliflower washed, and cut into quarters, then eighths
olive oil
kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice pieces of cauliflower into 1/4 -inch slices. Toss in large bowl with olive oil.
3. Spread on one or two baking sheets in one layer. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Roast undisturbed for 20 minutes. Flip and roast for 10 more minutes.
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Parmesan
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
2 lbs. Yukon potatoes, diced
1/2 cup to 1 cup warm milk or cream
kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut off top of garlic. Drizzle with oil, wrap head of garlic in foil. Roast for about 30 minutes. Unwrap and squeeze cloves out. Set aside.
3. Place potatoes in water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. While potatoes are simmering, warm milk or cream (but do not let boil).
4. Drain potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Season with warm milk, roasted garlic, parmesan cheese and salt, a bit at a time, tasting along the way. Stir with a spoon to incorporate. When you are satisfied with the flavor, whip smooth with an immersion blender or mixer (if you want it perfectly smooth — some people prefer there’s mashed with more texture and feel the smooth way is too “gummy”, so it’s up to you)!
