Substitute Teaching, Part 2: The Wonders of Cauliflower

More than meets the eye…

Who knew that cauliflower had such potential?

An entire medium-sized head of cauliflower has 11g of protein, 30g of carbohydrates (15g of sugar), and 1g of fat, for a total of 144 calories. Cauli comes in many colors and varieties; recipes here have been tested with the standard white variety that you will find at the store.

Apart from being a great raw vehicle for guac (avocado, lime, salt garlic, cilantro mashed together, all to taste) and other dips, cauli is a great stand-in for mashed potatoes and can work as a crust too. Here are a few favorites.

1. Pureed cauli: steam it (or microwave for 4 minutes in a bowl with a bit of water), and then puree in a food processor or blender. Oil is optional. Spread on a plate and put something else delicious on top. Makes a great “polenta” sub, or just call it what it is…cauli puree.

Cauli puree under scallops. Nom nom

2. Mashed potatoes: steam it and shred it either with a knife, or by pulsing in a food processor, or mash it with a potato masher. Add butter, and voila…fake mashed potatoes. I advocate garlic too; you can never have too much garlic!

Yes yes yes!!! Chives add color and flavor.

3. Crust: steam / cook it, squeeze out the water (put it in a colander and squash it with your hand or a big spoon), and mix it with eggs – two per head should work. Add some garlic, oregano, and basil, and then press into a pizza crust shape – large or small – and bake at 375′ for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, top it like a pizza, and there you go! You can also use this as a pie crust, but adding 1T of coconut flour helps, and obviously garlic and oregano need to be swapped for cinnamon or other appropriate spices (though garlic and apples kind of work together).

4. Roast it! Chop up a head of cauliflower, toss with olive oil, and put it in a 400′ oven for 15 minutes. Yum!

What have you done with cauliflower lately?

Next time: another white food with lots of uses!