Purely Paleo Mashed Cauliflower
(note the PURELY PALEO part...after these initial 30 days, we'll talk about the D word (dairy) and how some little bits of this and that can transform these).
Some people like lumpy mashed potatoes...other like them gluey. Some like them light and fluffy, while others will only eat them with gravy. Me? I grew up on mashed potatoes that came from a box, except for special holidays. As I soon learned some things culinary, I became a mashed potato afficianado (horseradish cheddar mashers anyone?), rosemary smashed red potatoes with garlic and rosemary...until I found out a good old baked potato had a higher glycemic index than table sugar.
Enter my love affair with the Zone, and mashed cauliflower was born. It's not perfect, it's not my smashed red taters, and it doesn't have things like smoked cheddar cheese mixed in (but dayummm it should), but it still fits the bill. There is a certain CFer who actually stole a second helping of these mashers while another one slept/passed out the other weekend. We served these to a gathering of 10 people Memorial Day weekend, and all were devoured. Prepare them to the consistency you like, and don't be afraid to mess around with herbs/spices you like. See below for some info!
Mashed Cauliflower
(remember that I hardly ever measure anything - so tinker with this to your heart's content).
- 1 head fresh cauliflower, chopped into smaller florets (for a good link on how to do that, go here: http://www.cookthink.com/blog/?p=232)
- Anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup gluten free chicken broth or stock (make sure it does not have modified food starch added)
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 cloves fresh crushed garlic (NO, the stuff already in a jar is not acceptable. No, not because Paleo man didn't eat it, but because it tastes like crap. Get fresh garlic. Cheaper and better). To have a nuttier tasting garlic, roast in the oven first
- Seasonings/spices of your choice
Instructions: Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/ medium-high heat, and cover, allowing to cook for 20 minutes or so until the cauliflower is very tender and easily mashed with a fork. You may need to add more stock if everything is dried up...or if you have a lot of liquid still remaining, pour most of it off into a bowl and reserve. MUCH better to start with too little liquid than too much (you can always add more if needed).
Carefully pour cauliflower and all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, or keep in pan and use an immersion blender or hand mixer to mush. If the mashed cauliflower seems too dry, add in some of the reserved liquid or additional chicken stock. While you could use a hand potato masher, it won’t get very smooth.
Here’s the fun part: flavoring. Even the basic with some garlic or roasted garlic and rosemary is perfect. Try some Hungarian smoked paprika (my favorite). Or go with some crumbled up bacon and fresh chopped chives. If you want a kick, opt for some horseradish or wasabi. Maybe a drizzle of olive oil and fresh chopped basil. So many possibilities even without dairy!
Give it a shot and let us know how it turned out. Again, best to go with a much drier start than you think. Cauliflower holds a ton of liquid, so start with less than you think necessary.
For those of you feeling REALLY ambitious, oven roast your cauliflower first. To do this, chop cauliflower as above, and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss cauliflower with olive oil and fresh garlic. Spread out on a sheet pan, and roast in the oven 45 minutes or so until golden brown and soft. NOW mash these guys up in your food processor, adding olive oil or chicken broth as your liquid, and whatever seasonings you want. These will have a nuttier taste, won’t be as creamy, but will be pretty darn tasty!
Jules
Reader Comments (27)
Jules...I do mashed turnips on occasion...Any major nutritiional differernce between the turnip and the cauli????? I haven't a clue...
Good question, Brad. So I did some digging.
First of all, found a recipe for mashed cauli and turnip (basically do the same as above, just peel and cut up the turnips into smaller pieces - might need to add more chicken broth).
Then found this:
http://www.organicfacts.net/nutrition-facts/vegetables/nutritional-value-of-cauliflower-and-turnip-root.html
(looks like nutritionally, very similar in calories, and both offer a good assortment of vitamins and minerals. Either way, both are very solid choices!).
Another great option for turnip greens is to shred them (food processor is best...or with a cheese grater) and cook them like hash browns or just scramble them in with your eggs.
You can do the same with the cauliflower stalks or broccoli.
Celery Root makes great "hash browns" as well!
SO did the BOD POD yesterday and JD could not have been nicer! Not to mention it was a lot easier than the dunk tank. The results are SCARY but they can only up (or down?) from here, right?
Are we sending the results to some one? What about our benchmarks? Just want to make sure I haven't missed a step!
For those of you who have access to the internet but may not have access to MS excel to track your food during the day (like me), try thedailyplate.com . I've been tracking my food there and then switiching over at night.
Hey all: if you can please add your Bod Pod and benchmarks to your food log as follows (two options for you):
We'd like you all to add the measurements and benchmark to your week 1 food log - you can
either add it to the Week 1 tab - somewhere at the bottom of that spreadsheet, or
if Excel and creating worksheets doesn't freak you out, create a separate tab with
"Bod Pod/benchmark results". If you do more than one benchmark, include both or all.
You don't need to add every measurement taken if you don't want. What we do
want to see is the following:
% fat
% fat free mass
fat mass
fat free mass
body mass
Also, on the food logs, make sure you're recording how you feel after certain meals. Example: after yesterday's lunch, I fully expect Sydney to jot down how she was feeling that afternoon somewhere on the sheet. Any of you experiencing headaches or other things, jot those down..
YUP.. got all the highs and lows of yesterday documented and food as well... Ate lots of veggies last night for dinner and felt much better. Can't wait for bod pod appt. on Thurs... Congrats to all who made it thru the 1st day of what was very tough Paleo challenge. it only gets better from here.
Jules, thanks for posting the mashed cf recipie... I am gonna take this bad boy for a whirl tonite!
thanks for posting, Jules
Quick fat/nut question: Are roasted nuts allowed? Yes, I asked myelf if paleo woman would eat roasted nuts, and as a gatherer, it is my belief that she just might have. I'm thinking of making my own so not bad additives, but I want to experiment with my food to some degree.
Hey Charles, I received that email and read it, hence the reason why I referred to it in my comment. Since I can't make it to the gym on 6/4/2009, I'd like to know if I could do Christine today instead of the 5K. Obviously, the CF Total was for 6/1 only and the 5K gym route can be completed on any day. Sorry, I don't want to assume that I can substitute since nothing in the email referred specifically to "Christine." Thanks!
I just got back from Body Metrics. Test was super easy and quick. While I was there, one of the guys told me about almond milk. He said it was Paleo, but I wanted to be sure. It's delicious, so I hope it works...
I'm glad someone asked about the almond milk....the ingredients look a little sketchy to me. I used the Almond Breeze brand for a couple of months. Will the Great Paleo Minds take a gander at this and let us know if this is a wise choice....Ingredients: purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E).
Sara:
Following is the ingredient list for Blue Diamond's almond milk.
Ingredients: Purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, natural flavor, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E).
You tell me if it's Paleo! FYI, soy lecithin is an extract of soy beans.
Unless you are making your own almond milk (and I'd be curious to know how that turns out), stick to whole almonds or almond butter. I know you might be missing milk. Just 28 more days, and we might discuss that as a possibility.
Jeanie, we must have posted at the same time.
Here's the thing: for the next 28 days (yes we're now down to 28) try to stick to foods that do not have "tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin" as part of the ingredient list. No, we're not hunting our own food like paleo man did, I get that. But what exactly is the benefit to you of tapioca starch and soy lecithin?
Try - just try - for these initial 30 days to play by the rules if you can. That means stick to the list of foods if you can. If you absolutely positively just can't go another day without almond milk, it's a better choice than regular whole milk from cows. But really and truly, do you need it these next 28 days? What is the purpose or void in your life it is filling? If you're drinking it instead of water, it's not doing you any favors.
Thanks for the feedback. I was skeptical and didn't get to look at the ingredients, so thanks for clearing that up. I can definitely live without it.
I'm just curious and I think I may know the answer, but I thought I would defer to experts, but is benefil(Fiber supplement) or carob allowed. I'm pretty sure carob is not, but not sure about the other.
Thanks jules & everyone for all the great answers and recipies/suggestions so far. For anyone like me that's subject to clincal-grade diet coke withdrawal, I have a suggestion that helped me knock down my 8/day (yikes!) diet soda habit. Try satisfying any carbonated beverage cravings with La Croix sparkling water with some fresh lemon/line added. I know paleo man/woman did not have cans nor machines to carbonate water, but for the sake of your sanity and the safety of your loved ones, this really helps in kicking the soda habit. Hopefully this will pass paleo-police approval...if not, I fully retract all of the above statements and have never even heard of La Croix water...
Good luck everyone!
LeighAnn - my posting of earlier went buh-bye. Here's what I found about what actually happens to nuts in the roasting process: http://www.ehow.com/how_4783327_organic-nuts-vs-roasted-nuts.html
Raw is preferred, but if roasted, try to do at the low temp suggested. If you buy roasted, just make sure they aren't sugar or crack coated. Crack is whack.
James: if you're getting your fruits and veggies in (and in good amounts), no way will you need additional fiber. Seriously. Make sure you're getting in some fiber-rich foods - blackberries, for example, are extremely high in fiber!
Carob tree is part of the legume family....
Lauren--
Funny you should mention that! JD at the Bod Pod gave me my first LaCroix yesterday. I must say I was not enamoured with the grapefruit flavor, but can foresee adding lime juice to it to make it more tasty! :)
Not sure that Paleo man had what the can refers to as "natural flavorings," but perhaps the unflavored version (if there is such a thing) is a-ok on the paleo front?
My clinical diet coke addiction has to do with the caffeine. I am having NASTY withdrawal migraines...but soldiering on to day 8 of not DC goodness. :)
Lauren--
Funny you should mention that! JD at the Bod Pod gave me my first LaCroix yesterday. I must say I was not enamoured with the grapefruit flavor, but can foresee adding lime juice to it to make it more tasty! :)
Not sure that Paleo man had what the can refers to as "natural flavorings," but perhaps the unflavored version (if there is such a thing) is a-ok on the paleo front?
My clinical diet coke addiction has to do with the caffeine. I am having NASTY withdrawal migraines...but soldiering on to day 8 of no DC goodness. :)
Drew - yes, there's a plain version with no additives - just nice pure (bubbly) agua. good luck with the caffiene - oh, how i've been there!!
It would seem to me that flavored water wouldnt be paleo, unless you squeezed your own juice and mixed it in. No giant food company is going to squeeze fresh fruit for flavoring, its going to be processed in some manner, with additives.
Jules....you are a doll...thanks so much for the effort of answering all the questions. Now, I have one too. You said in a post yesterday I think not to eat processed meats. I definitely get that if you are buying from the deli at Publix, but I did purchase some turkey breast from Trader Joe's. It's a brand that is also carried at Whole Foods. On the label it says there is no gluten, no grains, no antibiotics, no preservatives, and it mainly is turkey and herbs. I think you'll say that cooking a turkey breast and cutting it up myself is the best option, but am wondering if I use this for my salads, etc if it is a horrible choice. Can you comment? Oh, and last question.....are we to be concerned about measuring out portions at this point? Lastly....I bought some of the cocoa almond butter that you made Charles....it is ridiculously good. It was my treat after last night's dinner.
I love LaCroix and it makes me feel like I'm getting something, especially if at night, I serve it in a wine glass with a twist of lime. Please don't take it away Paleo Police.
With regards to the bodpod, my appt is at 10 tomorrow; I know it said that we shouldn't workout 2 hours prior, so that means a 7 am CFit or run is ok? Don't shoot me!
Levi and I were talking this morning and we are both LOVING the fact that we can eat a whole apple instead of half, no counting the grapes we are eating, and NO MORE WEIGHING! I still use the eyeball method but it is going well so far!
By the way, I will consider renting out my husband and his Big Green Egg (husband will only be rented for cooking!) because no matter how lean the meat is that goes in - it comes out delicious! I think he cooked 10 pounds of turkey, chicken and grass-fed beef for me so that I will be prepared for this week. I guess I have to figure out the going rate for home-cooked Paleo-correct BBQ...priceless?