A couple years ago, I blogged about a Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon dish. That meal was awesome but time-consuming. Today, the big head of cauliflower sitting in my fridge inspired me to make a simple mashed-potato-like side dish.
I decided to load this up with roasted garlic, chives, and nutritional yeast. I used vegan margarine, but a drizzle of olive oil would be really tasty too.
The result is a wonderfully light and flavorful side dish that you wouldn’t feel too bad about if you ended-up eating a whole bowl full. Who me? Never…
I always like to include a couple cloves of roasted garlic in my mashed potatoes (or in this case, mashed cauliflower), but if you don’t have the time, feel free to substitute a fresh clove of garlic.
Roasting Garlic Cloves
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Cut off the end of the garlic cloves to expose the flesh. Place them on a piece of foil and drizzle them with salt and pepper.
- Wrap the cloves up with the foil and place them on baking pan. Bake them for 1 hour. The cloves should be soft and fragrant.
- When cooled, pop the cloves from their skins, and mash them up before incorporating them into your dish.
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- 1 large cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 big cloves of roasted garlic (or 1 clove raw garlic)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp vegan margarine
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- salt & pepper
- Chop the head of cauliflower into small florets.
- Place cauliflower in a large pot and fill with just enough water to cover the florets.
- Bring the water to boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Steam until tender, about 6 minutes.
- Drain the cauliflower well.
- Place the cauliflower in a large bowl, and puree with potato masher or immersion (stick) blender.
- Mix in remaining ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Looks fantastic.
2013 = Year of Less Carbs and More Veggies.
Thanks!
I couldn’t agree more! Thanks for stopping by :)
Mashed cauli was a big staple in our house whne we were going no carbs for dinner. I need to bring it back – so good!
Agreed – it’s a great alternative! Thanks for stopping by :)
This recipe sounds absolutely wonderful and delicious! I’m going to try it as soon as I pick up some nutritional yeast. I’m always looking for comfort foods that are vegan, so I don’t jump into all the heavy carbs. Thanks for this.
You’re so welcome! Let me know what you think of it… :)
That looks awesome! I tried mashed cauli tonight for the first time and unfortunately it bombed pretty hard. I roasted them but don’t think they were in there long enough. They were still pretty firm. Do you find you need to get them pretty soft in order to get the mashed potato consistency?
Did you make the mashed cauliflower from this recipe? Yes, the cauliflower has to be pretty soft before mashing it… hope that helps?
Well I didn’t use your exact recipe no. I roasted the cauliflower in the oven to brown them and give extra flavor then tossed them into the food processor with some of the broth from the moroccan chicken to moisten it up. The flavors going into the mash were solid but the consistency was gross :)
Hmm… sorry it didn’t work out. Maybe try making it as-is next time to see if it works out better for you?
A divine & tasty recipe! I made this yesterday for the very 1st time & loved every bite of it!
I ate it with baked tofu & my husband ate this with an organic pork chop: so good, so tasty too! :)
I am not a vegan but do cook, bake & eat vegan 5x/week. I also blog about it! Check me out! x
Hi Sophie – Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m so glad that you both enjoyed this recipe! I’ll add your blog to my RSS reader now :)
Hi there. Your recipes sound fantastic! Im going to try this cauli mash. Just wondering what is the reason for the addition of nutritional yeast? What does it taste like? Is there a generic name for it?
Helen.
Hi Helen – Nutritional yeast imparts a “cheesy” flavor. Feel free to leave it out if you don’t have any on hand, but it’s a great addition to any vegan kitchen. Read my post about it here: http://www.vegangela.com/2011/04/20/nutritional-yeast-nooch/
Hi Angela, I got the nutritional yeast and Ive tried this recipe 3 times since. Its fantastic. My cauliflower-hating friends just thought it was delicious! Its definitely going to be on my repertoire of recipes from now on. Thanks so much.
Hi Helen, I fixed the “typo” on my name, he he! :) I’m so glad you picked up some nutritional yeast – it’s such a great ingredient. I put it in everything!
This is really yummy!!!
So glad you liked it! :)
I made this tonight and it was really really good! Yay to cauliflower and thank you for the simple and tasty recipe!
Yay for cauliflower indeed! I’m glad you liked it, thanks for taking the time to comment ;)
Oh my god, these are heavenly. Thank you for posting! These are perfect for comfort food when you’re vegan and trying to cut carbs/fat out for sports. I made them without the margarine and they still are amazing…will quickly become a staple in my house. Thanks again!
Agreed – they’re like the perfect “comfort yet healthy” food. I’m so glad you liked them, thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Tried it tonight. Turned out great!
The kids were a little sceared, but they cleaned their plates :-)
Just found your sire today, will definitely try some more recipes
Philip
Happy to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to comment :)
Out of all the recipes out there, I chose yours solely based on the amazing pictures. It was scrumptious!
Thank you! Glad you liked it :)