Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite foods, but they're not always healthy (forget about the carbs...it's also all the butter, cream, and cheese we put in them to make them so tasty). One good substitution is Mashed Cauliflower. It was pretty big a few years ago when the South Beach Diet was really popular. It's low in carbs and high in nutrients, and the cauliflower taste isn't very strong (for those of you who have an aversion to cauliflower). There are plenty of ways to make this delicious low-carb side dish. Here's how I do it.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower (1 lb of fresh or frozen florets or a medium head of fresh)
Fat Free Half & Half (1/4 cup)
Minced Garlic (to taste)
Grated Parmesean Cheese (to taste)
Paprika
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Place cauliflower and a little salt into a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Boil until cauliflower is fork tender (about 10-15 minutes). Drain well (the more water you can remove, the better the texture will be) and return to the saucepan. Stir in fat free half & half and minced garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mash with an electric mixer until smooth. (You can stop here if you'd like.)
I like to firm them up a little in the oven. So I transfer the whipped mixture to a baking dish, sprinkle the top with grated parmesean cheese and paprika and pop in a preheated oven at 350-degrees for about 20 minutes. This makes about 4 smalll servings.
It's easy, delicious, and low-cal, low-carb, low-fat. (I count a big heaping serving as 1 point for Weight Watchers purposes.)
Happy eating!
— Hannah
Print | posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 9:07 AM