Food Kuel Category Expert: Janet Neustedter
Cauliflower mash, it seems to be all the rage this year. I absolutely love it and find it to be a great alternative for mashed potatoes.
The key to making a different and deeper tasting dish is using nutritional yeast as one of the ingredients.
Nutritional yeast is not a baking ingredient, but rather an ingredient that became popular in vegan cooking. Nutritional yeast is a flaky, powdery product that is savory. It adds a nutty component to dishes and is terrific as a thickener. (When I make a white sauce now, I use nutritional yeast and it takes it over the top). If you have not used it before you can find it at Thrive Market (online grocery), Whole Foods, Sprouts and of course Amazon.
Cauliflower Mash:
Ingredients:
- 1 whole organic head cauliflower cut into large pieces
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk, or whole milk organic only
- 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried oregano or herb of choice
- 1 handful parmesan cheese
- Sea salt and pepper
- ¼ – ½ t cumin
Directions:
- In a large frying pan place the cauliflower. Add water to coat bottom of pan, about ½ inch. Salt the water.
- Set the pan to medium high heat. Cover and let it cook the cauliflower about 5 minutes. (Cauliflower should look pale and a little soft. Does not need to be mushy).
- Drain the cauliflower, and then in a large chopper, place the cauliflower with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse several times to get to desired consistency.
- Taste for seasonings.
Additional Notes:
I use it as a base for any protein, and a clever addition to that is to use it as a layer in lasagna!
You can use the same recipe for sweet potatoes, but I like to bake the potatoes and then scoop the meat out.
Join Janet In Her Kitchen:
About the Author:
Janet is a restaurant trained chef, who has always had a healthy cooking interest. After being exposed to the term Functional Medicine, Janet became energized with the connection of food being medicine and food potentially being harmful (in the case of allergies). That connection inspired her to become certified in Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Functional Medicine is about identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. Food is often a part of that link. People with stomach “issues” may just need a simple adjustment in the food they eat to have less pain. People trying to lose weight can do it without 100 burpees or running marathons. As a certified Functional Medicine coach, she helps clients identify what foods can help meet specific health goals. You can learn more about Janet on her site – Here4You.
