Instead of potatoes.....

I know...the title of this post will probably make you think I don't like potatoes. I love potatoes and have a few potato recipes I intend to post for you that I think you will enjoy. The potato, when eaten plain, is high in fiber and low in fat which is very good for you.  BUT.....who eats a plain potato??!! I know I don't! Give me potatoes fried, scalloped, au gratin, slathered in butter, with cheese, sour cream or gravy. Come ON!

So.....for those times that I reeeeeeeeeally want some mashed potatoes, but am feeling a bit "fluffy" (as my mom would say), I choose to make Mashed Cauliflower.  Do NOT snub your nose at this until you've tried it.  In fact, if you try this and hate it, I will make a public apology to you.

I have a great memory of my friend Suzi when we were in grade school. I would go next door to her house, wanting to play, and her mother wouldn't let her leave the dinner table until she ate all of her dinner (which included vegetables). So I would eat her food and we'd go play!  I remember asking Suzi to try something (who knows what it was - probably a vegetable). She would refuse, and I would say, "But you don't KNOW if you don't like it until you TRY it. Just TRY it and then if you hate it, I'll stop asking you to try it". She was as stubborn as I was. Even though she wouldn't budge, I still loved her. We are still very good friends ....although I think she needs to eat more vegetables.

Tonight I cooked a piece of "White Ruffy" (you can get it from Trader Joes - it's the only frozen fish I'll eat because it is always very moist!) in Martha Wrap with some tiny tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, garlic, parsley, lemon and olive oil. I served it over mashed cauliflower. YUM!

Just for grins, here are the pictures I took: the first is before the fish went into the oven. The second is the fish in Martha Wrap. The last is my dinner....you really can't see the delineation of the fish from the mash....but oooooohhh  it was yummy. Also, that's an iced tea....not Bourbon on the rocks.

This recipe happens to be another original. Go ahead. I dare you.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into flowerettes

2 cloves garlic, minced,

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 C 1/2 & 1/2

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower until soft then drain in a colander.

In the same pot, melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook over low heat til soft - don't burn the garlic!

Add cooked cauliflower back to the butter/garlic mixture.

Add the 1/2 & 1/2 (you can use heavy cream if you like) and the Parmesan and S&P.

Cook on low until heated through, about 2-3 minutes.

Get out your immersion blender and blend until creamy but not liquefied. Let it cook for a few more minutes to get thick.

Enjoy!