I've been wanting to make these for awhile, but work and life travels have kept me away from my kitchen! After a successful first attempt, I'm happy to share this recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes.

You may be asking, why on earth would I do that? Potatoes are a vegetable so they are healthy, right? Not exactly.

Technically potatoes are a vegetable, but chemically to our body, they are a very starchy carbohydrate. If you are on a low carb or paleo diet, making these "faux" mashed potatoes can be a great substitute.

The main issue with classic mashed potatoes is their preparation - lots of butter, lots of salt. This recipe nixes most of that, and doesn't leave you with that heavy full feeling afterwards. It also works great made ahead of time and heated in bakeware later (ahem Thanksgiving leftovers!)

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary 

1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 package Trader Joe's peeled garlic (or 8-10 cloves)
2-4 tablespoons butter
2 sprigs rosemary
Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
Chopped chives (optional)

I modified this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo (thanks girlfriend!) and loved her tip on using TJ's peeled garlic. In fact, all the ingredients for this you can easily grab at Trader J's and throw together in under 15 minutes.

Put a pot with a few inches of water and a steamer insert on to boil while you chop the cauliflower and garlic. I only used 8 cloves because I felt like that was alot, but I could have used more. It's getting steamed so a little more is ok.


Add half the cauliflower (stems and florets) and all of the garlic to the pot and salt liberally. Add the other half of the cauliflower and finish with salt. Cover and steam for about 10-12 minutes.

Don't worry about overcooking, it needs to be soft to process. After about 10 minutes, add fresh rosemary leaves, cover, and finish steaming.

Whole Foods has fresh bunches of herbs for $1.99 for the holidays

Drain, and season with salt, fresh ground pepper and nutmeg. I of course, randomly did not have nutmeg so I used cinnamon.


Add cauliflower to a food processor with butter. The butter can be straight out of the fridge - the warmth of the cauliflower will start to melt it. Process until smooth. Top with chives.


You can either make ahead and put in a dish to heat up later, or eat it right then. I made this while I was baking paiche. 15 minutes, done and done!



I thought it tasted amazing with the garlic and herbs, and I didn't have that uncomfortable full feeling afterwards. My husband said it was an "excellent vehicle for hot sauce" and my dog was obsessed with it for some reason. I made the mistake of giving him some, and then he followed me around for the next 2 hours trying to get more.

So, if you're looking for a healthy substitute this Thanksgiving, give it a try! Or if you fear your family's reaction to a missing plate of the "real" mashers, try it with leftovers this weekend.

Happy to be back after a crazed last few weeks of travel! Check back for my FGK Holiday Survival Guide - I like to have my pie and eat it too.

#LiveHealthy,


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