Cauliflower allures

Traditionally, cauliflower is a vegetable that we boil or blanch and reheat with butter or serve with a bechamel sauce. You can do so much more with cauliflower. Cauliflower deserves a star treatment on the menu for us because the vegetable is so vitamin-rich and can enhance a meal in many delicious, versatile ways.

Nutritious boost

The allure of cauliflower is partly due to recent low-carb food trends. Cauliflower rice is often presented as a healthier alternative to potatoes or rice in a dish. Even if you're not avoiding carbs, using cauliflower as a substitute for starchy foods like rice is a good way to cut calories and eat more fiber. You can also make cauliflower puree instead of mashed potatoes. Adding cauliflower to recipes gives a nutritious boost and can help you meet the recommended daily serving of vegetables. We made a dish with cauliflower in 3 different ways: cauliflower cream with monkfish, arugula, parmesan, caramelized onion decorated with shaved cauliflower and cauliflower rice. We already share our kitchen secrets to get started with cauliflower in 3 ways.

Cauliflower purée

We made our dish with cauliflower puree. A way to make mashed potatoes healthy. Mashed potatoes aren't usually high on "healthy foods" lists for a number of reasons. Compared to potatoes, cauliflower is… lower in calories, lower in carbohydrates, higher in fiber, higher in antioxidants, a greater source of minerals and a greater source of vitamins. Mashed potatoes are usually bathed in butter and a lot of salt, milk and butter are usually added to make the mash creamy and thick. To make mashed potatoes healthier, we've made some simple, healthier ingredient substitutions, such as the following: replace white potatoes with cauliflower (which provides more fiber and protein for fewer calories) reduce the amount of salt in the recipe replace cream with unsweetened almond milk reduce the amount of Parmesan cheese. These changes all help make this mashed potato alternative healthier without sacrificing flavor or texture. Because the whole point of mashed potatoes is the velvety texture! Here are some additional tips for making mashed cauliflower creamy, just like you love your mashed potatoes. Let the cauliflower cool completely, this will dry out the cauliflower a bit as it cools, making it much easier to get a good texture. Add 1-2 tablespoons of plain full-fat Greek yogurt, which adds texture, flavor, and thickness. To thin out creamy cauliflower mashed potatoes, simply add a little more unsweetened almond milk and then reprocess to mix it in. What goes with cauliflower puree? We grilled a white, fixed fish (monkfish) and finished with arugula and parmesan cheese.

Shaved cauliflower

Slicing cauliflower gives it a new look and a new taste. On a mandolin, slice the cauliflower very thinly in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cauliflower, garlic, pepper and salt and fry briefly until the cauliflower is tender.

Cauliflower rice

One of my favorite things to do with this cruciferous vegetable is to make "rice" out of it. It's nice to replace a vegetable where there would normally be starch. Plus, it's a great way to get more servings of vegetables into your day. There are two techniques for making cauliflower rice. You can use a grater with the medium-sized holes traditionally used for cheese, or a food processor with the grater blade to chop it into small pieces. Both techniques aim for small pieces the size of rice. An extra step I like is to squeeze excess moisture out of the rice by transferring the cauliflower rice to a large paper towel or absorbent kitchen towel and squeezing/pressing to remove the remaining water. This way no excess moisture is left behind. Once you have your cauliflower rice, it's easy to finish! Simply fry in a large skillet over medium heat in 1 tablespoon oil. Use a lid to cover the cauliflower. Cook for a total of 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, and season to taste.