Last week for our anniversary dinner, we feasted on beautiful rib-eye steaks. And as beautiful as they were, they are sure costly in fat grams. That meant I had to think about having a bit lower of carbs with my meal to balance it out, especially since I was going to enjoy some dessert (Chocolate Cobbler). Instead of going with just roasted veggies, I decided to try out a cauliflower puree, and I am so happy I did.
Now, these are not mashed potatoes. Nope, they are not. Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite foods, and it feels wrong to compare them to cauliflower. However, the cauliflower turned into a silky smooth puree that was wonderfully flavored with garlic and Parmesan. And, if I was going to make a lighter carb swap, this cauliflower puree does a nice job of mimicking its texture and flavor. But, don’t go into this thinking that they taste the exact same as mashed potatoes, because they do not. If you can get over that, I think you’ll love them. And what you’ll love even more are the macros! For 1/4 of the puree, it’s rounded to 3F/8C/4P, or 75 calories. Real mashed potatoes would cost you double that, at least!
Garlic & Parmesan Cauliflower Puree
Ingredients
- 2 12 oz bags frozen cauliflower
- 3 chicken bullion cubes + 3 cups of water (or 3 cups of chicken stock)
- 7 g butter (1/2 tablespoon)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 30 g light sour cream (2 tablespoons)
- 10 g grated Parmesan cheese (4 teaspoons)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a pot place the frozen cauliflower and the chicken broth cubes and water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the cauliflower is fork tender.
- Drain the cauliflower, but save the cooking liquid!
- In a blender or food processor combine the cooked cauliflower, 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and 1 tsp of garlic. Blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to add additional cooking liquid to get it to be completely pureed. Add a tablespoon or two at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Once everything is completely smooth, place it back into the cooking pot and turn it on medium/low heat. Stir in butter, sour cream, and Parmesan cheese. Taste, and add salt, as desired.