I consider it a personal challenge to sneak frightening vegetables into my children’s food on a regular basis. And to be honest, this is one I have to sneak onto my own plate too, because I really don’t like cauliflower.
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The good news is, cauliflower is the ninja of the vegetable world. Nevermind how much it makes me want to gag, I have to admit it’s really rather bland when you get right down to it. You can hide it in just about anything. First, though, you need to cook it. I usually buy mine frozen, because I’m lazy, and cutting up a head of cauliflower makes a gigantic mess on the countertop. But whether it’s fresh or frozen, just boil it in a pot of water for a good 15 minutes or so, until it’s very tender.
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When you drain the pot, save the water in a separate bowl, because you’ll probably need some of it back in a minute for consistency’s sake. You should be able to mash the big pieces up with a fork quite easily.
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Add in a Tablespoon or two of Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine (not the Original salted flavor,) because that always improves the taste of just about anything, really.
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Then beat everything to a fine pulp with a hand mixer (or even a blender, if your kids are very sensitive to texture,) adding some of the reserved cooking water back in a little at a time until it’s approaching smooth. You could use fresh water if you wanted, but the cooking water contains whatever nutrients you lost in the boiling process, so why not use it?
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Eventually you will get something that kind of resembles mashed potatoes, but not really. I actually once tried to serve this to the kids straight up, pretending it was mashed potatoes, but they weren’t fooled. However, mix it into a full batch of real mashed potatoes, so your ratio is only maybe 30-40% cauliflower, and they’ll have no idea. Other places you could hide this ninja vegetable puree include soups, smoothies, or any strong-flavored dish with a thick sauce base. Start with just a tablespoon or two if you have to, and before you know it they’ll be eating cauliflower by the floret.
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Happy Eating!
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Mashed Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, or about 12 oz. frozen
1-2 Tbs Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine
Ugh, is it worth the trouble to change the appearance, change the taste, and hide it?
My kids assure me it is. 🙂
Because it’s a good source of Vitamin C and A and a fair source of iron, I like the idea of using mashed cauliflower in my mashed potatoes or soups. The only way I currently eat it is if it is in an Indian curry dish. I used to eat it raw or cooked with cheese sauce, but somewhere in my 30s I began avoiding it. Thanks for the re-introduction! Aunt Beck
Geez Reblang, there must be a better tasting way to get A, C, and iron, but if the kids like, case closed. ;o)