Healthy Cauliflower Puree

I love potatoes just about any way you make them, but I don’t always love the extra starch and full feeling I am left with after eating them. Don’t get me wrong…potatoes on their own are not necessarily bad for you.  They are packed with vitamins B6, C, copper, manganese, potassium and fiber, but let’s be honest….we don’t just eat a plain potato, and a normal serving should be no larger than your computer mouse!   Normally potato dishes are covered in butter, fried in oil or have cheese and other high fat ingredients, oh, and they are the size of your head!  

Over the past year, I fell in love with cauliflower puree in place of mashed potatoes.  They are seriously the best, because they offer that creamy texture and comfort food feel without the guilt.  Plus you’ll get all of the recommended vitamin C for the day as well as B5, B6, Folate and Omega-3 oils that you wouldn’t otherwise get from a potato.  Cauliflower is high in antioxidants and aids in cell detoxification and strengthens the liver during this process.  Potatoes can also raise your blood sugar rapidly which if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic…this is a BIG “NO-NO”.  Potatoes are a 98 on the glycemic index (a system that rates foods on a scale from 1-100 based on their effect on blood sugar) but cauliflower is a mere 15!!!

For these reasons, I will keep choosing cauliflower over potatoes and I hope you will consider trying it too!  

     

Healthy Cauliflower Puree       Serves 4-6

Alice Conradt

2 heads cauliflower (core removed and cut into florets)

2 cups vegetable stock, low fat milk or chicken stock (your choice)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp butter (good quality) (optional unless you are vegan)

Place cauliflower florets in a large skillet with your stock or milk.  Add salt and pepper and set temperature on med/high heat.  Turn burner down when liquid comes to a boil.  Cover pan and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Remove cauliflower from pan and place in a blender or food processor along with HALF of your liquid and 1 Tbsp butter.

Add additional pan liquid until you reach your desired consistency.  (Do not add liquid all at once or you could end up with runny puree rather than a mashed consistency).  Add additional salt or pepper if necessary and serve.  

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