So I was wandering Tumblr one day and came across some healthy food substitutions. I read through the post, but honestly can only tell you one substitution, because it stuck with me and made me curious.
The post said that cauliflower could be boiled and mashed to serve as a mashed potatoes substitute.
This intrigued me. I am a fan of mashed potatoes. It is one of my favorite foods. But it is quite heavy a food. And sometimes I just don't feel like eating potatoes. I also love cauliflower. I prefer it over broccoli, because it's easier to eat. So mashed cauliflower didn't sound too bad to me, and if it could be a substitute for mashed potatoes... then hell yeah!
I went out and purchased a... thing... what is it? A head? Of cauliflower and broke off what looked like a large single serving to drop in a pot with water to boil.
I boiled it longer than I normally would, hoping it would make it easier to mash. Then I drained it and started mashing with a fork.
After mashing, cauliflower retains quite a bit of liquid, so milk isn't needed. Then I stuck in some butter - the same amount I would have added to potatoes.
But I was hesitant. Could mashed cauliflower really work as a mashed potatoes substitute with just butter mixed in? So I added a very small teaspoon of sour cream. Just to help with the flavoring.
This picture was the finished product. You can see how lumpy it is. I only had a fork to mash it. I think a potato ricer would produce smoother results. I should get a potato ricer. Heh.
ANYHOO, time for the tasting. It tasted... good. Like, really good. I mean, you can tell it tastes a bit like cauliflower, but the texture and the butter and sour cream... it really did seem like mashed potatoes. I ended up loving it! I made it as a side for a noodle dish, and I wish I hadn't made the noodles and just made more mashed cauliflower!
I've had this three times since - once with butter and sour cream and twice with just butter - and I am in love. Seriously, addicted to mashed cauliflower. I hear a blender gives the cauliflower a closer consistency to mashed potatoes, but I probably won't be bothered. Smashing with a fork seems to work for me!
Overall, for me, mashed cauliflower is an acceptable substitution for mashed potatoes. And that's coming from someone who's in love with mashed potatoes! Mmmm.
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