Monday, April 9, 2012

Some Family Favorites with Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"


Several years ago, we traded in potatoes for cauliflower and have never looked back! Below are some of the girls' very favorite recipes. The BarbequeTurkeyburger "Cupcakes"  are also yummy just made on the grill as burgers minus the mashed cauliflower "icing."  Likewise, the Big Easy Shrimp tastes great with rice instead of the cauliflower "grits".  And of course, you could use real mashed potatoes instead of cauliflower for the cheeseburger pie.
P.S. Let's just be honest here - using real mashed potatoes really make these old favorite family recipes the most delicious!


BBQ Turkey Burger “Cupcakes”
1 ½ ground turkey     
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg beaten

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons bottled barbeque sauce
 (or South Beach Diet recipe for BBQ below)
6 green onions, sliced

¼ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)    

¼ teaspoon garlic
1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
Mix the meat, bread crumbs, barbeque sauce, green onions, egg, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and garlic powder.  Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cups in a muffin tin that has been oiled or is nonstick.  Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  While the “muffins” are baking, cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it until the flowerets are very tender.  Drain the water and with a hand mixer or immersion blender, mash it up along with the margarine, the other ½ teaspoon of salt, and the other ¼ teaspoon pepper.  When the “muffins” are baked, take them out of the muffin cups and “frost” each one with the mashed cauliflower.   Drizzle the tops with the remaining 3 tablespoons of barbeque sauce.

South Beach BBQ Sauce – From South Beach Diet Book
1 (8-ounce) can Tomato sauce
2 tablespoons White vinegar
2 teaspoons Chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder

Combine all ingredients together. Refrigerate in a plastic container.



Big Easy Shrimp with Cauliflower “Grits” from The South Beach Diet Cookbook

2 strips of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled  
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped

½ green pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, cut length wise and sliced

1 garlic clove, put through a press    

1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
                                                                       
 1 teaspoon salt (divided)

 1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce

1 head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

Over medium heat, cook the onion, green pepper, and celery in the olive oil until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.  Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it until the flowerets are very tender.  Drain the water and with a hand mixer or immersion blender, mash it up along with the margarine, the other ½ teaspoon of salt, and the other ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside. Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook until it completely turns pink. (Or, if using already cooked shrimp, cook just enough to warm the shrimp.)  Add the bacon crumbles. Serve the shrimp and sauce on top of or beside the cauliflower “grits”.

Cheeseburger  Pie – adapted from a Pillsbury recipe
1 ½ pounds extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup ketchup                                                    
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt (divided)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (divided)
1 head of cauliflower, cut up into flowerets
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
2 green onions, sliced
Mix the meat, bread crumbs, onions, ketchup, mustard, egg, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper together and press into a pie pan.  Put in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. While the meat in baking, cook the cauliflower in enough water to cover it until the flowerets are very tender.  Drain the water and with a hand mixer or immersion blender, mash it up along with the margarine, the other ½ teaspoon of salt, the other ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ a cup of the cheese. Remove the meat from the oven and carefully pour off any grease.  Spread the mashed cauliflower over the top of the crust.  Put the rest of the shredded cheese on top.  Return to the oven and cook 10 minutes more.  Before serving, sprinkle the top with the diced tomato and sliced green onion.  Cut into slices to serve.







3 comments:

  1. I like that you call them cauliflower "grits". No matter what I try, I can't get the exact texture of mashed taters. A reader of mine pointed out that he thinks they are almost like a creamy polenta. I'm going to try your shrimp and "grits", but with regular bacon.

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