I have never eaten cauliflower in my life. On Biggest Loser, Jillian's tip says that when cooked and mashed, it tastes just like mashed potatoes. So, I come to you as someone who might have used cauliflower before. How do you cook it?
I love to roast it. I cut it up into smaller pieces, put it in a big baggie with some curry and cayenne and a little olive oil and shake it up until it's evenly coated. Then, I put it in large metal baking pan (sprayed with a little PAM) and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes (shaking the pan often). I also add it to other roasted vegetables as a component (like when I make a big pan of roasted veggies, cauliflower is often one of the veggies).
I also like to chop it and add it to stir fries. I have never mashed it. I guess you would steam it until it was softened and then use a fork (immersion blender?) to whip it to the right consistency.
I have made the mashed cauliflower before and I really enjoyed it! I don't remember the recipe exactly, as it's been several years, but I do remember it had some low-fat cream cheese whipped in with it....it wasn't EXACTLY like mashed potatoes, but it was really good! I used a potato masher to get it to the right consistency, as I remember, but you could use a hand blender too.
Glory- I'm totally going to try your curry roasted vegetables recipe. That sounds amazing!
Cauliflower is without a doubt one of my very favorite foods. I eat it several times a week, which is down from about 5 - 6 days a week the year I was losing. It's low in calories and high in fiber. Oh and super yummy.
One of my favorite ways to eat it is roasted.
I spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. I then add the florets to the pan and spray them generously. I roast in the oven at about 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then I take it out of the oven and spice it heavily with , chilli powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, a little cayanne pepper and a little sea salt. I also at this time add a diced onion. Stick it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so. It is SOOOOOO good.
Like Glory, I also use it with a combination of other veggies.
And I also just like to steam it in a little chicken broth till it's soft-ish. Not too mushy. No reason why you couldn't let it get mushy and then mash it, hence the mashed cauliflower.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 03-28-2009 at 10:15 PM.
I've made it mashed, and while it's good, it doesn't taste like potato to me. I cook it till it's really soft and then use a hand mixer to whip it. I find that a little skim milk helps the consistency. You can also melt some Laughing Cow Light Cheese in it, which is good.
I like it roasted as well, esp with curry. I'll only eat it raw in a salad and then it has to be cut up really really small. Don't ask me why....
In our house cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, etc) equal gas for DH so they have been banned from the menu.
I did BBQ cauliflower with other veggies a couple of summers ago - toss with a little olive oil, cumin, coriander, and serve with hummus or a bit of balsamic vinegar thrown on after it's cooked.
And I like to blanch it (pour on boiling water, let sit for a minute and drain) for dipping. A little less daunting than eating it completely raw .
What I shame that I don't like curry. You all seem to like it so much. I will admit that it's been many, many years since I've tried it. I've always steered away from it, since I had such a dislike for it.
But I will have to say, my tastes have DEFINITELY changed the past couple of years. I'm wondering if my taste for curry might have as well. I might just have to give the old spice a try again.
Hum, usually I just put it in my rice cooker (it can be used to steam vegetables too), and then I add some salt and basil, and, uhm... I eat it just like that. ^^;
On the advice of this thread that I stumbled across, I bought cauliflower tonight and roasted the whole thing following RockinRobin's method of adding spices halfway through. All I added was olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper. I also added the diced onion you mentioned Robin. OMG It was unbelieveable.
It may have been so good because of the oil and the salt, maybe I added too much. But regardless, it was fantastic and I ate the whole cauliflower in one go!! Thanks for this great thread with all the great cauliflower tips!!
Here's a cauliflower soup I like to make--very filling and very low calorie:
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
1 cauliflower (try the colored ones!)
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 cups fat-free vegetable broth (or chicken?)
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
4 drops truffle oil (optional--expensive so I don't use)
Smoked Spanish paprika, to garnish
Preheat oven to 400. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place them into a large baking dish sprayed with oil. Lightly spray the top of the cauliflower with oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the onion wedges and garlic on top of the cauliflower, spray lightly with olive oil, and return to the oven. Cook for 20-25 more minutes, stirring once halfway through.
While the vegetables are roasting, heat the vegetable broth and add the chopped potato. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook covered on very low until cauliflower is ready.
Add the cauliflower mixture to the broth. Puree it, in batches, in the blender until very smooth. Return it to the pot and add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in a few drops of truffle oil, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve, sprinkled with smoked Spanish paprika.
Makes 4 large servings. Per serving: 45 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 11mg Sodium; 2g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core / 1 Flex Point
Mashed cauliflower is one of my secret weapons. LOL. While it doesn't taste like mashed potatoes, it gives me that gorged feeling as if I had too much starch. I love it with my 5 calorie margarine and salt and pepper.
"Rainbow Salad" a bagged produce item consisting of shredded cauliflower and broccoli stalks is a real staple for us in both salads and stir-fries. Adds a lot of bulk, crunch and not so many calories. In stir-fries the texture is much like mung bean sprouts.
When I was on Atkins i used cauliflower as a mashed potatoe sub. I boiled, mashed, and added garlic powder, white pepper, salt, cheddar cheese and cream cheese. It was good, but I still like potatoes better. Now I buy bags of frozen veggies that have broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, squash and zucchini. I put it on a pan, spray with Pam, season with Nature's Seasoning and broil till the broccoli starts to turn. My kids love it, they refuse to eat plain broccoli with cheese anymore.
Cauliflower cooking?
for DH so they have been banned from the menu. 
.
But regardless, it was fantastic and I ate the whole cauliflower in one go!! Thanks for this great thread with all the great cauliflower tips!!
