One of my favorite healthy foods to hide is cauliflower. Because of its subtle taste and versatile texture, cauliflower can be hidden in many foods, the easiest of which is mashed potatoes. Most people cannot jump right into mashed cauliflower alone, so a 50:50 mixture is a good place to start.
From the family "Brasicaceae" (I don't know how to say that either), cauliflower is related to broccoli, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts and collard greens. For the long history of cauliflower breeding, see Wikipedia. In one cup of raw cauliflower alone, there is only 25 calories, yet 10% of your daily recommended fiber and over 75% of your daily vitamin C! Bet you didn't think a boring white veggie could help fend off colds, but it's true. It has no fat of course, but also not much protein, which is acceptable. I don't recommend mashed cauliflower alone as a meal. The World'sHealthiestFoods website recommends cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower a minimum of 2-3 times per week. Cauliflower has nutrients that help support the immune system, anti-inflammatory system, and antioxidant systems. It has been linked to some amount of cancer protection, likely because of these protective effects.
Ingredients:
1/2 head of cauliflower
4-5 potatoes
1 1/2 cups stock (chicken, beef, veggie, homemade)
Garlic salt
Step 1: Peel the potatoes, dice them, and cut the cauliflower head into florets.
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| This is veggie stock I made myself in a slow cooker earlier. |
Step 2: Put the stock (or water) into the crock pot and then add in potato and cauliflower.
The cauliflower should break apart easily in your hands.
Leftover scraps of potato and cauliflower will go in the freezer until I have enough to make another batch of vegetable stock.
Step 3: Cook on low 2-3 hours or high 4-5 hours. Mash the potato and cauliflower together, adding any spices or more liquid if needed. You can now serve or doctor however you would normally use mashed potatoes. If you don't tell, no one will even know the difference!
What's you favorite way to use cauliflower?
Labels: cauliflower, cheap, cheap and healthy, cheap recipes, cheap side dish, crock pot, easy, fast, healthy mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, potatoes, side dish, slow cooker, vegan, vegetable stock, vegetarian
