WHIPPED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Jan 19, 2013

smitten ⋅ bacon, fruits and veggies, gluten free, quick and easy, sides, spices ⋅ cauliflower, garlic, greek yogurt, low fat, roasted ⋅ 4 comments

•This one is for my hubby, not because this is something that he requested I make (far from it), but because he tried it with divorce papers in hand much hesitation and enjoyed it!!  You see, he is a mashed potato fanatic.  I try to make some sort of potato side dish a couple nights a week, but to be honest mashed potatoes aren’t my most favorite….the peeling, the boiling, the gravy…..uhg!  Give me a french fry or twiced baked potato over mashed any day.  I was still on rocky terms since the quinoa salad incident, but thought I would still give this a go.  We both enjoyed the nutty and spicy flavors of roasted cauliflower and I though, why not whip it.  I’ve seen a bunch of recipes with boiled or steamed cauliflower whipped up, but not much on roasted.  I also wanted to roast some garlic and cut back on some of the fat by using greek yogurt, but still keep a little butter and sour cream.  To get him to even look in my direction, I knew I had to have some melted cheese and bacon on top, that was a no brainer.  Final verdict…”Well it sure isn’t mashed potatoes, but it’s good and I would have it again in a heartbeat♥”  This isn’t going to replace mashed potatoes or even fool them, but it’s a different healthier side dish to try.

 

 

 

 

1 large head if cauliflower-cut into florets

2 cloves garlic-keep whole and in the skin

2-3 tbls olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4  tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbls plain greek yogurt

1 tbls sour cream

1 tbls unsalted butter

1/4-1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock or broth-can use vegetable stock

3/4 cup shredded cheddar

3 slices cooked bacon-crumbled

2 green onions-sliced

 

serves 4-makes approx 3 cups

prep and cooking time-1 hour

400°/350°

 

Pre heat oven to 400°  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil-set aside.

Wash and dry cauliflower.  Cut into florets and toss on the baking sheet.

Drizzle over the olive oil.

Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Let the garlic join the party and toss it all together with your hands until everything is well distributed. 

Spread out evenly and pop into the oven for 20-30 min, rotating pan and stirring a couple of times.  It’s done when the cauliflower is softened and the edges are crispy.  Set aside-reduce oven to 350°

In a blender or food processor, add in the greek yogurt

the sour cream

the butter

and 1/4 cup of the chicken stock

Remember these beauties?  You have officially roasted garlic (maybe not the chef way) but a quick version.  These should squeeze right out of the skin, add to the blender.  Puree or blend this all together before you add the cauliflower.

Add in the cauliflower, they shouldn’t be hot, but to be safe, hold a towel over your blender in case of steam. 

Blend away, scraping down the sides a couple times.  Add more chicken stock to get the consistency you like.  I added about 1/2 cup total chicken stock.

Divide into ramikins and palce on a sheet pan or spoon into a small shallow baking dish and put back into oven for 15 min to heat through-this would also be a good time to cook off the bacon on a separate sheet pan.  If you want to bake these off later, hold in the fridge uncovered. until completely cooled then cover with plastic for up to 2 days.

Sprinkle on the cheese and back into oven to melt.

Top with crumbled bacon, green onions and sour cream or greek yogurt if desired♥Enjoy

 

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