Carpe Dinner: Spicy Cauliflower Mash

Mashed potatoes are one of my ultimate comfort foods. When I was little I was the 'designated masher' in my family's kitchen. While regular mashed potatoes are wonderful, I wanted to share this healthy alternative I have been making lately. Cauliflower is a great substitution in this dish; it is an anti-inflammatory, high in vitamins K, B6, and C, and is a great source of fiber, among other benefits. On top of being healthy, it is also delicious! For those who do not like spicy I have included a cheesy garlic cauliflower mash variation -- it is very easy to make both at the same time.

Spicy Cauliflower Mash 

Spicy Cauliflower Mash 

Ingredients:
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 tsp Olive oil (or butter which ever you prefer)
1 tsp Garlic
Crushed red pepper
Salt ( to taste)
1/2 cup water
Sriracha (to taste)

**Cheesy Garlic Cauliflower Mash 
Ingredients:
(Same as above)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Green onion to garnish
Remove crushed red pepper

Method

1.) Chop or tear cauliflower into 1-inch pieces (to make the job easier on your food processor later). I like to leave a fair amount of the stems on because of the fiber. However, if you are really going for the mashed potato consistency you will have better luck removing most of the stem and working primarily with the floret.
2.) Dice garlic
3.) Bring water to boil in a pot on stove top
4.) Place all of the cauliflower into pot, cover and let steam for 8 minutes
5.) Once steamed drain water and place cauliflower into food processor (if you do not have a food processor do not worry, the first few times I made this I did it the old fashioned way with a manual potato masher - you may want to leave the cauliflower steaming for a couple of extra minutes to really soften it up for this)  You may need to do this in a couple of batches depending on the size of your food processor

6.) Add chopped garlic, olive oil (or butter) and crushed red pepper (if you are making the cheesy garlic cauliflower add half of the cheese at this time)
7.) Blend and pulse until the consistency is that of mashed potatoes
8.) Place into serving dish, add remainder of cheese (if applicable), garnish, and enjoy!

If you have one spicy eater and one cheesy eater it is so easy to make both batches at the same time, just be sure to make the cheesy batch in the food processor first!

Cheesy Garlic Cauliflower Mash 

Best of both worlds