A NEW TAKE ON CAULIFLOWER PUREE

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

Regular readers of my blog will likely say to themselves – there she comes AGAIN, with yet another recipe for mashed cauliflower.  When is she going to stop?  Probably not in the near future, because I keep finding interesting ways to enjoy one of my favorite side dishes. This version turned out pretty tasty,  so I must share with you, magnanimous person that I am. I got the idea from a post over at  Closet Cooking, and made a few changes to use what I had around in the fridge.  The spinach adds a lot in terms of flavor and nutrients.  This one will definitely be a regular appearance at our table.

Cauliflower Puree

 

CAULIFLOWER-SPINACH PUREE
(modified from Closet Cooking)

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 ounces spinach
squeeze of lemon juice (1 or 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup Greek yogurt, full-fat if you can find it (good luck!)
freshly ground nutmeg
almond milk to taste
salt and pepper
fresh chives, minced

Place the cauliflower in a steamer over boiling water and steam until fork tender, about 10 minutes. While the cauliflower cooks, sautée the fresh spinach in olive oil until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, add a little lemon juice and reserve.  Place the cooked cauliflower in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the feta cheese, yogurt, nutmeg, salt and  pepper, and process until well combined.  Add the reserved spinach, process for a few seconds.  If too thick add almond milk until you reach the right consistency.   The puree can  be warmed up for a minute in the microwave if the cold ingredients added to it cooled it down too much, but probably it will not be necessary.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I loved this take on cauliflower puree so much that I made it again the following week,  using kale instead of spinach, and adding a little bit of sun-dried tomato to the mix.  It turned out almost great, but not quite.  A few details that I should have paid more attention to compromised the quality of the dish. I used chopped kale, pre-bagged, thinking it would make my life a lot easier. Well, it did, but it didn’t.  In the bagged version, the stems are chopped together with the leaves, so because I cooked them very little to preserve that nice bright green color, the stems were a bit tough.  Not pleasant in the middle of the smooth cauliflower puree.  So, my advice is to either go for spinach, or if you like the assertive taste of  kale, buy the leaves, and chop them. If the food police is not around, you can discard the stems, but if you have guilty feelings about it, cook the kale in two steps, stems first, leaves at the end.

This is such a nice side dish, it goes well with almost anything, from seafood to beef, and leftovers keep well in the fridge.  I bet they could be wonderful made into little fritters, adding an egg, maybe a bit of almond flour. This spinach version I shared today we enjoyed a while ago with Chicken Thighs with Roasted Tomato Salsa. The kale variation was matched with another interesting recipe from Cooking Light magazine, which I shall blog about in the near future: a Cremini Mushroom Meatloaf, which is actually a lot more mushroom than meat. Great recipe, stay tuned…   😉

ONE YEAR AGO: In My (NEW!) Kitchen

TWO YEARS AGO: The Lab Move and New Beginnings

THREE YEARS AGO: Honey-Oat Pain de Mie

FOUR YEARS AGO: Carrot and Leek Soup

FIVE YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana 101

 

45 thoughts on “A NEW TAKE ON CAULIFLOWER PUREE”

  7. I do love cauliflower puree, so please go ahead and keep posting your variations! I was just chatting with my friend who shares Thanksgiving with me and my children about preparing cauliflower mash instead of potatoes. The problem is my son complains he knows the difference in a not so good way! I’m trying to “trick” him otherwise by testing different ways. I know it will never completely replace potatoes but I keep trying!

    And that bagged kale made me smile. My daughter loves my kale salad and tried to make it with the chopped kale…same thing, they chop up all the tough stems! Definitely didn’t taste the same!

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  8. Bummer. I have bagged kale for my soup tonight. I hope I don’t run into similar issues. I figured it would be a good time-saver tonight. Let’s hope I don’t pay for that! Your puree looks good. I bet it has a wonderful, fresh taste with the lemon and yogurt in there. Have a great day Sally!

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  10. It’s almost like spanakopita in cauliflower puree form! And I feel you on the crunchy kale stems. I’ve made that mistake OFTEN and having to chew through those can really turn you off from a dish!

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    • You and I fully agree on this one… The only thing I dislike about cauliflower (and broccoli, and Brussels sprouts) is their smell while cooking. Other than that, no issues!

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  14. Oooh, what a great idea to combine cauli with spinach in this wonderful dip ~ the lemon and feta are curling my toes. Kevin is full of drool-worthy inspiration. I can well imagine how all of these ingredients conspire to create a delicious and satisfying bite. p.s. Perhaps a little bit of ‘massaged kale’ would have eased the pain? (wink!!).

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  16. I agree about feta and spinach in anything is good but I love the yogurt, lemon and cauliflower too. This is a wonderful dish.

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  17. Keep posting these cauliflower recipes, Sally. I’d grown tired of cauliflower and wouldn’t be eating it at all if people hadn’t started posting puree recipes. Yours here is one of the most flavorful that I’ve seen. You’re right, too, about the packaged kale. I made that mistake once, realized my error, and spent far too much time finding and trimming away the thick ribs. What a time saver! Never again! 🙂

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