I've heard several of you speak of using cauliflower for various things. Mashed potatoes? Potato salad? Rice? Can you share a little wisdom on using this versatile veggie? Does it actually TASTE like potatoes or rice? How do you prepare it?

Cisco

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Jody,
I think there are several recipes here in the cooking section that might get you started.

For mashed faux *ta-toes* I just cook fresh cauli flowerettes(about 1/3 of a head)(don't like the stock/stem) in the microwave with a little bit of water until tender. I then pour them in a collander and let them set for 5 min or so. Then toss them in the blender with about half a teaspoon of butter buds and 1-2 T cream cheese, S&P to taste, whirly them until creamy. After I plate them or put them in a bowl, I them top them with some butter spray or a pat of butter; sometimes I'll sprinkle on some grated cheese and bacon bits. The thing with making the cauli mashed fauxtatoes, is you have to be careful of adding *liquids* as it will make them *runny*.

For a rice type dish, I cook the flowerettes the same way, but after they are drained, and slightly cooled, I *push* them through my collander to get the *rice* look. I spray on a little butter spray, S&P, and ta-da!...a darn good rice substitute!

Faux- tato salad...use the same cooking method and let cool/drain well. I usually cut the flowettes a little smaller for tato-salad. Then add all your usual potato salad ingredients(sugar free sweet pickles, chopped hb eggs, a touch of onion, etc). I mix up a mayo and mustard dressing(using mostly mayo for the creamy taste) in a separate bowl with S&P, and a dash of paprika. Pour on the dressing mixture and lightly toss. Refridgerate for an hour or so before serving.

This is how I do my cauli dishes. Others may chime in with their versions. I think we have many good cooks around here!

As far as tasting like potatoes...let me just say this. Cauliflower never touched my lips until I started low carbing. LOL! Now I buy a head of it every week when I grocery shop.
I'm perfectly happy with it in my WOE and in the past, I was pretty much a *tater'* girl! LOL!

hth
s

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Hi Cisco!

Cauliflower has little taste of its own so it lends itself to tasting like whatever you flavor it with. Probably my favorite way to make fauxtatoes is MarcieLynn's : Cauliflower-Brie Puree which you canfind on this site A New Twist on an Old Favorite: Cauliflower-Brie Puree | LowCarbEating

Here's a link to our cooking section, just type the word cauliflower in the search box and you'll get lots of excellent ideas.
Low Carb Cooking | LowCarbEating

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I especially like "cali-rice" because, well, rice doesn't have a lot of flavor, so as long as you get the texture right and have the right stuff to put on it, calirice works great. I use it for stuffed peppers (just omit the extra liquid and the rice cooking time from your recipe), for mock Chinese - a bag of frozen Chinese veggies and some soy sauce, maybe adding some SF sweetener or xanthan gum to thicken it, etc.

i also take a bag of frozen cauliflower/broccoli mix, nuke and cool it, then run it through the food processor, and mix it up with some melted Velveeta and a touch of cream, maybe a Tbs. or so of Ricotta, topped with crushed pork rinds, bake and it makes a great broc/"rice" casserole. very creamy and comfort-foody without the guilt factor. spicy pork rinds give it a little extra kick.

I like to microwave cal. in those Glad cooking bags, and then let it drain and cool for a while as it's less wet that way and seems to work better. then i run it through the food processor until i get the texture I'm after for whatever the purpose. I've made potato salad stuff with it; it wasn't perfectly passable as potatoes the times I've tried, but it was still good.

i also like Marcie's recipe rob linked to, but usually use Havarti cheese as it's easier to work with sans the wax covering Brie has.

and some sliced turnips cooked in the bottom of your Crockpot with a roast can easily pass for potatoes.

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I have recently taken to adding a little oat fiber (this is NOT oat bran which is higher carb) to my fauxtatoes since it seems to make it "hang together" better.

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Thanks everyone. It's going to be a cauliflower kind of weekend for me!

Cisco

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