One of the greatest loves of my life is potatoes. I’ll take them in any shape and form – fried, shredded, mashed, waffled – you name it, I’ll eat it. Unfortunately, potatoes are very high in potassium and are my no-no list. But I’ve found an alternative…cauliflower!
(Picture is from foodnetwork.com)
Cauliflower is like the new kale. It’s trendy and you see it everywhere, not necessarily as the original vegetable, but rather, cut up, shredded, diced, etc. It now takes the place of traditional carbs like rice or noodles. But it also works great in place of potatoes!
Now, if you haven’t had rice cauliflower or any of these other forms of cauliflower carbs, I will forewarn that it doesn’t exactly taste the same. It does taste a bit like…well…cauliflower. But that’s not a bad thing and in face, after a few bites, I find it tasty in its own way. And the good part is that it has the same consistency of a potato and when you add spices and other yummy ingredients, it no longer has the same cauliflower taste.
Here is a recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes from the Food Network, which again, I’ve altered per the below instructions, to make it CKD-friendly. This is delicious, healthy, and an excellent side dish, even if you don’t have CKD.
Original Recipe here: Food Network “Mock” Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Revised Recipe Below: Me 🙂 Jackie
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon sodium-free chicken bullion cube
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish
- 3 tablespoons margarine
Directions
Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.
Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.
In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, chicken bullion, and pepper until almost smooth.
Garnish with chives, and serve hot with pats of margarine.
Note: My changes to this recipe were to essentially add more spice and make it smoother. I punched up the garlic an added some sour cream (and replaced margarine vs butter). If you don’t like it super garlicky, make sure you select a smaller-sized clove. Also, if you want to save time, feel free to buy the “riced” cauliflower but make sure to read the label to see if there are any additives (like salt)!
Enjoy!
Spilling the Beans 