I’m just finishing my first CSA box of foods and decided to make mashed cauliflower accompanied by a salad of my remaining salad greens.
The wonderful thing about cooking with fresh, local foods is you don’t need to do much to make them taste good … they’re at their peak of freshness.
Mixing the lettuce with a dab of your favorite salad dressing is all it takes to make a delicious salad. I used a vinaigrette on this salad. If you’d like to make your own dressing, here’s a quick recipe for an olive oil and vinegar salad dressing.
The mashed cauliflower was also super simple. As I was cooking for just my husband and me, I used only half the cauliflower. Just double the following recipe to use the whole head.
Yogurt Salsa Dip
I cleaned and separated the total cauliflower into florets and stored the remaining half in a plastic bag in the fridge. It should keep well for at least four days; use by adding to salads, eat as is, or serve with a dip.If you have some salsa and yogurt in your fridge, try combining two parts plain yogurt with one part salsa for quick, flavorful dip (for example, mix 1 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup salsa). Or, roast the cauliflower; directions follow below the Mashed Cauliflower recipe.
Mashed Cauliflower
MASHED CAULIFLOWER
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1-1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1 small clove garlic, minced OR 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt (if desired), to taste
- 1/4 cup grated cheese (you can use any cheese)
Directions
- In a large sauce pan (use a Dutch oven if cooking the entire cauliflower), bring an inch of water to boil.
- Add cauliflower; cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender. (Test by sticking a fork into the cauliflower.)
- Drain the cauliflower and return to the pan. Add the milk, butter or margarine, garlic, pepper and salt. Mash with a potato masher until combined. OR, place the cauliflower and other ingredients (except the cheese) in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer. (NOTE: I prefer to stop mixing while the mixture still contains some small chunks of cauliflower than until it is perfectly smooth. This is a matter of personal preference, however.)
- Stir in the cheese.
Credit: Recipe developed by Alice Henneman, MS, RDN
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted Cauliflower
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
Roasting adds flavor to the cauliflower and reduces the volume slightly. You may be surprised by how much you and family members eat when you roast cauliflower. (NOTE: Just halve the following ingredients if only using half a head.
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Remove outer leaves of cauliflower. Cut florets off the stem. Wash and drain.
- Combine oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss the cauliflower florets in the oil mixture.
- Spread cauliflower on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven at 450 degrees 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower starts to soften and begins to brown.
- Sprinkle with cheese. Continue to roast for 5-10 minutes.
Recipe source: University of Maryland Extension. Food Supplement Nutrition Education Program at USDA’s What’s Cooking.
My husband and I enjoy eating healthy foods, but they must taste good and be quick to prepare.