Mashed "Cauli-tatoes"

In light of the impending "snow storm" last evening, we cancelled our weekly Young Professionals LIFE Group/Bible Study.  So, not wanting to be out in the yucky weather with a less than reliable car, I went straight home after work (a very rare occurrence for me!), and thus actually had time to cook for the 2nd night in a row! I honestly don't remember the last time that happened...

Anyway, for dinner on Wednesday, I tried a new recipe that I found online for my favorite Indian dish, Navrattan Korma....I was super excited about it, but as with many cooking experiments, it failed to meet my high expectations and turned out just "meh" instead of knock-your-socks-off delicious. So, it was edible, but not worthy of a blog post until I do some serious tweaking...stay tuned for that new and improved recipe at a later date. :)

However, all was not lost, as that experiment left me with extra ingredients that needed to be used, including half a head of cauliflower, gold potatoes, and half & half (fat-free, of course ;)  I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of eating raw cauliflower...even drenched in hummus, ranch dressing, or the like, there's just something about the texture that I don't enjoy. However, cooked cauliflower, in the right dish, is a different story. Thus, I decided to create my own version of mashed cauliflower that would use up some of my leftover ingredients....ladies and gents, I present to you my recipe for "Mashed Cauli-Tatoes!" :)

Mashed Cauli-Tatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large head of cauliflower, broken into small florets (You can totally use an entire head of cauliflower for this recipe and omit the potatoes OR use both and wind up with extra servings of Cauli-Tatoes :)...I will most likely go that route the next time I make this, but again, I was just using up the ingredients that I had on hand)
• 2 large gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. crushed garlic (I was lazy and used the kind from a jar, which works totally fine...however, if you use roasted garlic, I'm sure that would make this dish even better!)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper (To be honest, I never actually measure out pepper...I just grind it directly into the mixing bowl and stop when I think I've added enough. I accidentally went a little crazy with the white pepper, but I am a huge fan of pepper in general, so it just added extra deliciousness in my opinion :)  So, the 1/2 tsp is just a guesstimate of what I think would probably be ideal...but I'm pretty sure I used more than that)
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1-2 shakes Butter Buds sprinkles
• 1/4 cup (fat-free) Half & Half
• 2/3 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (reduced-fat)
• 2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream (if desired)

Directions:
Pour veggie broth into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add cauliflower florets and potatoes. Cook on medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes, or until tender.

Remove from heat and drain off 1/4 cup of the veggie broth and disgard (unless you used a full head of cauliflower AND the potatoes, in which case you can ignore this step).

Add garlic, black pepper, white pepper, parsley, Butter Buds, and half & half.

Blend on medium speed with a hand mixer until smooth.

Purple nail polish is optional, although I highly recommend it! ;)

Add cheddar and parmesan cheeses. Blend on low speed until cheese is incorporated.

And voila!!! Yummy, creamy, cheesy CAULI-TATOES!!!! :D

I know, I know...the idea that I'm wearing a Harvard shirt is laughable...however,  I bought it as a souvenir when my close friend Avie, her fiance Brian, and I visited Boston and walked around the campus one afternoon last spring. I thought the irony of it would make for a fun conversation starter :)

Taste testing...

...and it meets the chef's approval!

Hope some of you will try out my Cauli-Tatoes recipe and share your results and tweaks with me!  Have a wonderful and sun-shiney weekend, y'all! :)