Cauliflower: the New Delish Side Dish

My husband announced he was going back on his no carb diet. "But you don't have to make anything special for dinner. I don't want to burden you." Very sweet. But I'm not going to make a casserole and watch him pick through the noodles/rice/potatoes for bits of protein. So, it's been a lot of protein and veggies. Which is fine. Very healthy. It's good for all of us. Truly. And just when I was running out of vegetables to steam (losing steam? Ha!) I found this recipe for mashed cauliflower*. I've been tweaking it for a while; I think you will like it.

1 head of cauliflower

4 oz of cream cheese (1/2 of a block) - you can go low-fat, but don't go fat free - we are not barbarians, after all

1/4 cup of shredded cheedar cheese or Mexican blend

1/4 cup milk or half & half (since our goal is low carb, the extra fat in half & half is not so bothersome)

1 tsp salt

optional: truffle olive oil - if you like the truffle taste, a teaspoon or two of this is pretty fantastic

Break up cauliflower into florets and boil in a pot for about 10 min. Test for softness - if you can stab a fork through the floret, it's done.

Drain and add florets to a food processor along with the cream cheese, milk, salt and cheese.

Process until smooth.

Taste and see if it needs more of anything.

*Please note that while this will resemble mashed potatoes on your plate, it will not taste like mashed potatoes. Kind of like when you eat spaghetti squash; it's fine if you go into it knowing you are not about to eat something that tastes like pasta. If you are unsure about all this veggie-ness, try half cauliflower and half boiled potatoes. My husband actually likes this better than potatoes now.