Basic Fauxtatoes
from BostonKitty

- 1 head cauliflower, steamed, drained really really well or dried by wrapping in kitchen towel and twisting ends of towels to wring out moisture; otherwise, your mashed cauliflower will be too 'soupy'.
- butter, salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream

Mash cauliflower either by hand or with electric beater. Some people like it a little lumpy, others prefer it smooth.
Add butter, S&P, cream to taste.

Variations:
- steam & mash a small turnip or two with the cauliflower
- add crispy, crumbled bacon
- add chopped onion that's been carmelized (cooked & cooked until it's a dark golden brown)
- add a dollop or two of sour cream
- add a couple ounces of cream cheese
- add some roasted garlic
- add chopped chives, rosemary, other herbs / spices
- mix in some grated cheddar cheese, or bleu cheese or parmesan
- add a Tbl or more of horseradish
- add a beaten egg in for extra richness
OR -- add combinations of these "extras"

Also, try putting the mashed fauxtatoes in a casserole dish, making sure there are lumps on top (not smooth). Add some grated cheese and / or melted butter on top (drizzle it on), baked in oven til top is crispy & browned a bit.

Or do what Helen in CA suggested, pop some of your mashed mixture into muffin cups and then in the freezer (topped with parmesan cheese). Just defrost & nuke a muffin to go with your dinner.


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CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE
by BostonKitty

1 large head cauliflower, steamed & drained
1/2 cup butter
2 (3 oz ea) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 jar (2 oz) pimiento, drained
1 small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cream
1 tsp salt

Steam cauliflower until tender; drain and mash.
Add butter and cream cheese; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until consistency you like (I like it kind of chunky).
Stir in 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and next 6 ingredients; spoon into a lightly greased 11- x 7- x 1-1/2-inch baking dish.
Cover and chill, if desired. Remove casserole from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Serves 8.

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BACON FAUXTATO SALAD
by BostonKitty

1 head cauliflower
6 hard cooked eggs
1/2 med onion
1/2 lb bacon
1 c mayonnaise
salt to season
1 Tbs celery seed
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 hot water
1/4 c Artificial sweetener of choice

Steam cauliflower and after it's cooled enough, cut up into bite-sized pieces.
Chop onion and eggs & add to potatoes.
Fry and crumble bacon. Drain fat.
Mix vinegar, water & sugar with bacon and then heat. Pour over potatoes.
Add mayonnaise, salt and celery seed.
Refrigerate.

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CHEESY FAUXTATO CASSEROLE
from WillsMom

1 head cauliflower, steamed, and wrung dry in a tea towel
2 - 4 T butter, to taste
1/4 - 1/2 C heavy cream
1/4 C sour cream
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
S & P to taste
1 C shredded cheddar or your fave cheese

Mash cauliflower with potato masher. (Mine looked more like rice than mashed potatoes when I finished). Mix in everything except cheese. Spoon 1/2 the cauliflower into a greased casserole, cover with 1/2 the cheese, add remaining cauliflower and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 about 20 minutes or until heated through.

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MOCKAFONI & CHEESE USING CAULIFLOWER
from Todd

Two packs frozen cauliflower
boiled to desired softness and chopped to small florets
3 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (maybe more)or mix in other cheeses for taste

pour a very fine layer of cream on the bottom of a baking dish add a few thin slices of cheddar place 1 tbsp cream, 3 oz of cream cheese and remaining chedder in microwave safe dish and zap until all can be stirred together easily
Pour drained cauliflower into baking dish (do this while cauliflower is still hot)
Pour microwaved cheese mixture over the cauliflower
Stir this together thoroughly
Sprinkle some parmesean over the top
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes
Allow to stand a few minutes

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CAULIFLOWER LASAGNA
from Todd

Two packages frozen Cauliflower boiled to desired softness
1 container Ricotta (12 or 16 oz - I can't remember)
1 6oz can tomato sauce (simmer sauce on stove seasoned to taste, I add garlic, oregeno, basil...)
1 Egg
1/4 cup Parmesean cheese

Boil and thoroughly drain the Cauliflower.
Mix egg and Ricotta together
In baking dish pour a thin layer of sauce
Dump in the cauliflower
Pour Ricotta/egg over top (the hot cauliflower will losen the ricotta)
stir all thoroughly.
Pour remaining sauce over top
Sprinkle Parmesean cheese over the top
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

This is delicious. You can add ground beef, sausage or peperoni to this.

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JESP's DEEP-FRIED CAULIFLOWER

I was making hamburgers on Saturday night and planning to eat them with steamed cauliflower. As I took the burgers out of the pan, I thought about how one the hamburger joints used to fry their french fries in beef tallow and it made them taste realy good. So I threw the cauliflower into the drippings from the burgets and cooked them till they became golden, then drained them well. Wow, were they good.
So, Sunday night, I was baking chicken leg quarters. About 20 minutes before they were done I added par-cooked cauliflower to the roasting pan. The cauliflower tasted even better.
Maybe everyone's thought of this before but it was a great discovery to me. And there was nothing fancy to it.

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DEEP FRIED VEGGIES
by JustAskin'

I just made some deep fried cauliflower, mushrooms, and zucchini. I used pork rhinds (ground) w/ parsley flakes, salt, Mrs Dash seasoning and pepper for the crust and egg w/ heavy cream for the dipping. Had to coat it twice. Then I just fried the veggies. The cauliflower takes longer and still remains a little crunchy - but very good! Instead of using ranch for dipping, I used a sour cream dill dip - 1 c sour cream, 1 TBSP dill weed, 1/2 tsp season salt and a little water to thin it.

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BROCCOLI-CAULIFLOWER SALAD
by Shelly

Ingredients:
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 hard cooked eggs, diced,
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
sugar-free sweetner to equal 1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:
1 Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
2 In a medium sized salad bowl, layer in order the broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, cheese and bacon.
3 Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sweetner and vinegar. Drizzle dressing over top and serve.

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SUPER SIMPLE CAULIFLOWER
by Dottie

serves 4 - 20g total -5g per serving

1 medium head cauliflower (about 6" diameter) (15g)
6 slices bacon
3 green onions -sliced thinly -green and white (3g)
2 T reserved bacon fat
4 T parmesan cheese-grated (2g)
salt and pepper to taste

Steam cauliflower until just soft.
Fry bacon until crisp, then crumble. Reserve 2T fat.
In a casserol or large bowl, roughly break up cauliflower.
Pour bacon, grease, salt and pepper over and mix well.
Top with parmesan cheese (or mix it in if you like).

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LENTILS & "RICE"
by Dottie

serves 4-6 - 34g total - 8.5 or 5.7g per serving:)
1/4 cup dry lentils (13g after fiber)
1 cup water
2T dehydrated onion (4g)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 medium head (6")cauliflower (16g after fiber)
3 cups water
1 stick (8T) butter
1 tsp curry powder (1g)
additional salt an pepper to taste

Rinse lentils and put them, 1 cup water, the dehydrated onion and the first salt and pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until tender(add water if needed -but you want the liquid to reduce to almost nothing). Stir often to keep from sticking and burning.
Meanwhile, chop raw cauliflower roughly and cook in 3 cups water for 10 minutes or until soft, but not mushy. Drain well, then chop more finely.
In a large skillet, melt butter. Add in cauliflower, salt, pepper and curry powder and cook until all the butter is absorbed. Add in the lentils(with remaining liquid) and mix. Heat through.
Note: this is not suitable for induction, too carby.

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CAULFLOWER CASSEROLE
by Kristin

1 lg head of cauliflower -broken into florets
1 lb seasoned breakfast sausage - cooked and crumbled
1 lb mushrooms sliced - sauted and drained
1 bunch green onions chopped
Mix in: 1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo
1 Tbl dry parsley
2 cups shredded cheddar
Pour into greased, sprinkle with paprika and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 min.

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CAULIFLOWER IN CURRIED TOMATO GLAZE
by BostonKitty

1 large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1-inch florets
1/2 T. ground coriander
1/2 t. curry powder
3 T. water
1/2 T. mustard seeds
2 T. melted butter
1-1/2 c. chopped tomato
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 T. chopped cilantro

Steam the cauliflower until half-cooked, 4-5 minutes; set aside. Combine the coriander and curry powder in a cup and blend with the water.

Heat a large nonstick wok or casserole over moderate heat. Drop in the mustard seeds; cover and fry until they pop and sputter. Add 1 T. butter and the liquid spice blend. Cook until the water has nearly evaporated; then stir in the tomato and cook until the mixture is reduced to a chunky sauce, 10-12 minutes.

Fold the cauliflower into the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat slightly, partially cover, and cook until the cauliflower is fork-tender and the tomato liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Just before serving, fold in the remaining butter and garnish with cilantro.

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CAULIFLOWER SALAD WITH GREEN OLIVES AND CAPERS

For the sherry vinaigrette:
1-2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 hard-cooked egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 T. sherry vinegar or aged red wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
6 T. extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:
1 small firm head of cauliflower
2 c. watercress or inner escarole leaves
2 scallions, including an inch of the greens, thinly sliced
1 c. diced celery heart with leaves
1 small green pepper, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
12 pimento-stuffed Spanish green olives, halved
1 T. capers, rinsed
1/2 c. parsley leaves

To make the dressing: Pound the garlic with 1/4 t. salt and the hard-cooked egg yolk in a mortar until it breaks down into a paste. (Reserve the egg white for the salad.) Combine the garlic mixture, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl, then whisk in the oil and season with pepper. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary (the dressing should be on the tart side). Set aside.

Quarter, then thinly slice the cauliflower. Be sure to include the stalks, too, peeled and thinly sliced. Remove the large stems from the watercress and coarsely chop the rest. If you're using escarole, select the pale inner leaves and tear or cut them into small pieces.

Dice the egg white and toss it with the vegetables and greens, olives, capers and parsley. Add the vinaigrette and toss again. Makes 4 servings.

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BROCCOLI/CAULIFLOWER WHIP
by Bridget

Believe it or not this is divine. Just steam broccoli and cauliflour, add butter, cream, a little salt and pepper. Whip in a blender or food processor, whatever you have. It is fabulous as a side dish or extra veggies. Has the consistency of mashed potatoes, but does not keep very well.

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MUSTARD/MAYO CAULIFLOWER
by KTYeomans

Cauliflower head
Shredded cheddar cheese
Mustard
Mayonnaise

Directions:

Place small amount of water (1-2 tablespoons)in the bottom of a microwaveable dish, place cauliflower head in dish. Put cauliflower head in microwave for 15 minutes (depends on the power of your microwave) until the head is soft, but has a slight firmness within.
While cauliflower is cooking mix mustard and mayo together until it is to desired taste (creamy and slightly tart for us). You'll need to make enough to cover entire cauliflower and have some left over for the insides that aren't covered.
Once cauliflower is finished cover entirely (be liberal) with M/M mixture. Then grab your cheese sprinkle liberally over top as well.
Place cauliflower back in microwave until cheese has melted, take out and serve.

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SCALLOPED CAULIFLOWER
by MichelleNJ

Ingredients:
2 bags frozen cauliflower
1/2 small white onion - finely chopped
12 oz bag finely shredded cheddar cheese (sharp, if you like)
1 cup whipping cream
salt and white pepper
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
crumbled cooked bacon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350?Open frozen cauliflower bags one at a time into a
collander and run cool water over each to separate the pieces and slightly
thaw, but don't use warm water. Spray large casserole dish with Pam (or
butter it well) and layer 1/2 (1 bag's contents) of cauliflower across bottom of dish. Season with salt and pepper; then layer with bits of onion, thinly sliced "pats" of butter, and 1/2 of cheddar cheese. Repeat. Pour cream over top and place dish in oven. If dish is very full, put a cookie sheet under it to prevent bubble-over in oven. Bake 45 minutes. 10 min before completion, add crumbled bacon if you opt to. Bubbly and delicious - this will cure your craving for scalloped potatoes!

Makes 10 Servings. 4 carbs per serving.

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MOCK POTATO DUMPLINGS
by AliciaG

1 head of cauliflower (2 cups mashed)
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp parsley
2 tsp nutmeg
8 Tbsp soy flour
2 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp butter

Boil cauliflower until soft, @ 25 min.. Mash. Add eggs, cheese, parsley, nutmeg, and soy flour. Shape into walnut size balls.
Bring large pot of water to rolling boil. Add salt. Drop balls into water. When they rise, remove with slotted spoon.
Heat butter in skillet. Fry balls until brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

total carbs 36
per dumpling- 1.5 g. carb (recipe makes 24)

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ROASTED CAULIFLOWER,
TASTES LIKE MASHED POTATOES WITH SKIN ON THEM
by NancyE

In a large, heavy 12" (or so) fry pan, melt 1/3 to 1/2 stick of butter. Over low heat, slowly cook a thinly sliced large shallot segment (or two small ones). Once the shallot is wilted, stir in a couple of tablespoons of Marsala wine -- and, still over low heat, let it carmelize a bit. Then, dump a cut up head or large bag of frozen cauliflower into the pan, and cover, cooking over medium heat. Do not add any more liquid and do NOT stir up the cauliflower, except when you first put it in the pan. Just let it stay in place.

(And here comes the "accident" part.) Keep a close eye and "nose" on it, checking occasionally under the lid, and when all liquid has gone, and you see/smell that the cauliflower pieces have started to crisp up and brown on the bottom, then take it off the heat. Importantly, be sure that the cauliflower does not actually *scorch* (that is, turn black instead of golden brown from the butter -- this is where it was a very close-call "accident" for me!).

Throw it in the food processor and blend on high, adding whatever you usually add (cheese, butter, cream, etc.)

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And a couple other 'sides' that are really good:

CABBAGE 'HASH BROWNS'
from hearts

This is not my original recipe but someone here posted it as I got it from a buleltin board.. but here goes.

1/4 head cabbage shredded finely
1 egg
mix together and fry in skillet with oil just as you would hash browns.. fry until browned on each side.

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O'BRIEN STYLE 'HASH BROWNS'
by Dottie

Serves 4 -17g - just over 4g each serving
2 medium turnips; peel and dice small (10g)
1/4 cup finely diced onion (3g)
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper (2g)
1/4 cup finely diced celery (2g)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
3 T oil
In a large skillet, heat oil and add diced turnips. Let cook, undisturbed, over medium heat for 2 minutes, then stir or flip. Add water, cover and let steam for 3 minutes or until the turnips are just getting tender. Add remaining ingredients and raise heat slightly. Let cook, flipping over occasionally, until they reach the desired doneness(maybe 5 minutes) and all the moisture evaporates.

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ZUCCHINI HASH BROWNS

1/4 Cup butter
1 1/2 lb zucchini (coarsely shredded to make 4 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 clove fresh garlic - finely minced
2 eggs
6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese - freshly grated is best

Combine zucchini with salt in a medium-size bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes. Squeeze with your hands to press out moisture. Stir in eggs, cheese and garlic. Melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Mound about 2 Tbsp of the zucchini mixture in pan; flatten slightly to make a patty. Repeat until pan is filled, but don't crowd patties in pan. Cook patties, turning once, until golden on both sides (about 6 minutes).
Lift out and arrange on a warm platter; keep warm. Repeat to cook remaining zucchini mixture, adding more butter as needed.
Makes 8 Servings. 6 carbs per serving.