How is it the week of Thanksgiving already?! I feel like this month is flying by, but I’m not complaining. I love the holidays and Thanksgiving is definitely the kick-off of the winter holiday season. I’m continuing my Thanksgiving recipe series with today’s recipe: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes. Tomorrow I am posting a recipe for vegan and gluten free Easy Mushroom Gravy—so make sure to cook up both recipes together!
Let’s talk more about these Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, though! Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite foods on the Thanksgiving table, but the calories and carbohydrates in potatoes can add up quickly. Subbing out some of the potatoes for cauliflower reduces the calories and carbs while also increasing vitamins and minerals. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that has great nutritional value. It’s known to fight cancer, boost heart and brain health, help support detoxification and reduce inflammation. It also has a very creamy, potato-like consistency when boiled and mashed.
For this recipe, I used mostly cauliflower, but added a few regular potatoes to keep the dish more authentic. It is a holiday, after all! Potatoes do have health benefits on their own (high in potassium, rich in Vitamin C to name a few), so I definitely did not want to forgo them completely. I kept the flavor really basic because I made them to be served with gravy. If you’re not using gravy, you can add garlic or chives to amp up the flavor a little.
Give these Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes a shot this year! I know you will love them as much as I do.
NOTE: I do not peel my potatoes. It saves me time and I also truly do enjoy the taste and texture of mashed potatoes with the skin. If you like smoother, skin-less potatoes, simply peel before boiling.
NOTE 2: You can use regular milk and butter if you’re not vegan
Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower 3-4 medium Yukon gold potatoes ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper
optional ingredients: garlic, chives, etc.
Directions:
Fill a large pot with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, cut the florets off of the cauliflower, discarding the large pieces of stem. Roughly chop into 1-inch pieces. Wash the potatoes well and cut into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot of boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces a potato.
Drain in a colander and add the potatoes and cauliflower back to the pot. Add the almond milk, butter, salt and pepper, and mash with a potato masher or mix with a hand-mixer (if using a hand-mixer, mix until creamy but be careful not to over-mix). Add an additional tablespoon or two of almond milk as you mix in order to achieve your desired consistency.
Transfer the potatoes into a serving tray and serve hot.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 105 Fat: 4g Carbs: 15g Protein: 2g Sodium: 452mg Sugar: 1g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
