Hurry.. help!! I need a side to go with sauerkraut and pork!!
 

Ok I just started dinner... we are having sauerkraut and pork... which we have always served with mashed potatoes, but because we no longer eat white potatoes I'm not sure what to put with it! Any fast ideas... I have quite a few varieties of veggies including sweet potatoes, I wish I had more canned beans but I only have 1 small can of black eyes and the rest I have are dry in the bag.

I thought about mashing some sweets... do you think the family will think I'm crazy? Thought about doing it with a little sweet n low (usually we use real brown sugar on them but we are out)

I make a "sort of" mashed potatoes with cauliflower and potato. I do use some white potato, either one small fresh potato or one servings worth from a box of mashed potato flakes or granules (the cheapest brands often have the fewest ingredients - generally only dehydrated potatoes and sometimes a bit of vegetable oil. The oil amount is too small to add fat calories, but prevents the dehydrated potato pieces from clumping together).

Mashing just cauliflower makes a pretty good imitation of mashed potato, but adding one serving of real potato (even instant) adds only about 100 calories for the whole batch, and the taste and texture comes MUCH closer to real mashed potatoes.

Using one large head of cauliflower and the one small potato or one serving of instant potato flakes makes AT LEAST 5 servings (I think I got 8 half cup servings out of my last batch) so each serving is only getting an additional 12 to 20 calories from the potato.

I use chicken stock (one can or water and soup base or a bouillon cube) about 2 cups. Then put in the whole trimmed cauliflower head (the water doesn't cover the cauliflower) and cover the pan and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. I drain out any of the broth into a cup (in case I need extra moisture). I microwave the potato in the mean while (if I'm not using flakes). Then I mash the cauliflower with a potato masher (I mash the potato with it, or add the flakes as I mash) with a little bit of skim milk (maybe a quarter cup) and a little bit of the reserved broth. Sometimes I toss in green onion (the white and an inch or two of the greens), sliced thin right before draining (they're also good tossed in raw during the mashing instead).

Personally, I like them better than the typical mashed potatoes. They have a lighter, creamier texture and just melt in your mouth - Almost a cross between colcannon (and if you add the onions) champ, two irish mashed potato dishes (recipe link below).

http://fall-recipes.suite101.com/art..._champ_recipes

Baked sweet potato strips....kinda like fries. My brother served some of those over the weekend with a baked pork loin, some cauliflower "mashed" potatoes and a bunch of other veggies....pretty good!

This is an odd one and I doubt you have any, but I actually had it with Sauerkraut and spicy pork last week and it was great - white pumpkin, I just chopped it up, tossed on a touch of sea salt and steamed it in the micro. Delicious.

Green beans always go nicely

This sounds like a great idea :)

Well I went with mashed sweet taters.. they were ok, kind of a strange contrast but it worked.

I will have to try the mashed cauliflower/potato next time! That sounds good!

Thanks for all the suggestions!!

My fave dish with pork and sauerkraut is baked apples with cinnamon, and green beans :)

My hubby too. He does like some veggies, and even liked cauliflower - so I thought the mashed cauliflower with potato would be a winner, but he was NOT impressed (he said "it's ok," in that tone of voice that tells you it really isn't).

So now, I make it just for me, and he doesn't get any (more for me, yay).

I've been buying the cauliflower frozen, so I can make just a very small amount, rather than having to have mashed caulitaters every day for a week.

It is traditional in this area to eat Pork and Sauerkraut on New Years Day for luck. My birthday is New Years. I HATE sauerkraut...really not a birthday meal. That being said (lol) I know this reply is way too late for you, but around here the side dishes are green beans and baked apples, as Lyn said. My Mom actually puts apples in with the pork roast to add sweetness to the dish. (She always makes some pork without sauerkraut for me. :) )

My sisters hate sauerkraut, but love pork cooked with sauerkraut. I love the sauerkraut, so I always tried to load up on the sauerkraut and go light on the pork (but the pork was so good too).

It was funny though watching them try to dekraut their pork chop or piece of porkroast -using their fork to scrape off every tiny shred, into a little pile on their plate. My dad would always say "one strand of kraut isn't going to kill you, just EAT it."

Fun family memories.

So, when can I move in? You always have such good ideas for food and sound like you love to cook. Your husband is so lucky! I hate to cook, unfortunately so I end up eating food, for the most part, that you don't have to do much to. I recently embarked on making my own yogurt so that's big for me.