I first heard about mashed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes almost 10 years ago, when I was doing the South Beach Diet. My first attempt at making it was a failure. I didn’t blend it enough and I only mixed it with skim milk. I remember thinking “What the hell, this doesn’t taste like mashed potatoes at all!”

My second time making it was last year. I did a lot of “research” (a.k.a. surfing the web reading recipes) before settling on what seemed like a potentially amazing recipe. And it was. In fact, it was so delicious that I STILL remember what that first bite tasted like. Mmmm. Now I understood what all of the fuss was about.

The problem with that recipe, however, was that it called for a lot of fatty and potentially unhealthy ingredients, including two cheeses, heavy cream, and butter. (I mean, with ingredients like that, how could something NOT taste good?) Thus began my quest to make a healthier version of mashed cauliflower.

It wasn’t all that hard. I removed one of the cheeses, reduced the amount of butter, and switched from heavy cream to low-fat half and half (or regular milk, depending on what’s in my fridge). After some trial and error I came up with two versions, which I’m sharing below.

One thing that I REALLY love about mashed cauliflower is that it pretty much eliminates my need for condiments. I love ketchup, and mayo, and especially ketchup and mayo mixed together. And when I’m eating something like a dry ass chicken breast, I have a tendency to overdo the condiments. But when I eat mashed cauliflower I don’t use any condiments at all, I just use the cauliflower kind of as a dipping sauce for my meat.

Mashed Cauliflower – Recipe #1

This version is my favorite.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cauliflower
• 2-4 tablespoons of low fat half and half (depends on my mood. Sometimes I like it creamier.)
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Steam the cauliflower, then let it drain.

2. Saute the garlic in the butter.

3. Add everything but the salt to your blender or food processor (I use a Ninja) and blend until it reaches whatever consistency you like. I like it super smooth.

That’s all there is to it! Add some salt and serve it with anything you’d like!

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Mashed Cauliflower – Recipe #2

Since there’s no butter, this is definitely the healthier of the two recipes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cauliflower
• 2-4 tablespoons of low-fat half and half
• 2 wedges of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese spread
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Steam the cauliflower, then let it drain.

2. Add everything but the salt to your blender or food processor and blend until it reaches whatever consistency you like.

3. Add some salt and you’re done!

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Each recipe makes three or four portions. AND you can freeze your leftovers if you want, which is always a good thing. Just make sure to use an airtight container.