Mashed cauliflower is a great side dish to have with your meal when you want something light in substitute for mashed potatoes. My background is Eastern European – a blend of Polish, German and Austrian. In my culture, mashed potatoes is very popular to have as a side dish but it can also be heavy. Mashed cauliflower is great to have when you want a lighter side. Running short on time? Cauliflower cooks faster than potatoes.

 I like to pair steamed broccoli with mashed cauliflower; it is a great dance in your mouth having the blend of mashed cauliflower and broccoli in your mouth! Yummm

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

3 tablespoons Hemp milk*

2 tablespoons, Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 tablespoon, Trader Joe’s vegan sour cream

Freshly grounded salt & pepper

Minced chives (or scallions), optional

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1. Separate the cauliflower into florets and chop the core finely.

2. Bring about 1 cup of water to a simmer in a pot, then add the cauliflower. Cover and turn the heat to medium. Cook the cauliflower for 12-15 minutes or until very tender.

3. Drain and discard all of the water (the drier the cauliflower is, the better) and add the butter, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper and mash with a masher until it looks like “mashed potatoes.” Top with chives.

*Hemp milk gives it a somewhat sweet taste. I also like to use rice milk to have a more subtle taste, depending on the main dish I am serving.

*I like to use the hand masher rather than puree to get it to be chunky. If you will puree, I would suggest having the cauliflower drier. One time I made this dish and it would have came out better if I did dry out the cauliflower. The cauliflower doesn’t absorb the water as well as potatoes. The water tends to leach out.

*I like to add the butter first to let the cauliflower (or anything that I will mash) so it is easier for it to melt thoroughly. Less work for you. Than add the sour cream, milk, and spices for flavoring.