Bacon Garlic Cauli-Mash
Over here in the MRC kitchen, we can’t think of any side dish more satisfying than a nice heaping scoop of mashed potatoes. Add all the fixings to them, and you’ve got a recipe your great-grandmother would be proud of! However, our waistlines don’t always love this carbohydrate rich delicacy so much; so we’ve taken the potatoes out and replaced them with nutritious cauliflower. Why? You can obtain the same consistency without all those carbohydrates – leaving us room to use things like Unsweetened Almond Milk to make this a creamy and cheesy dish like no other!
This recipe calls for a hand blender. But if you don’t have one, any upright blender can be used in its place. Because this recipe makes two servings, we can use two healthy fats: bacon and butter – YUM! This recipe, though typically considered a side dish when made with potatoes, would actually serve as a meal: replacing 1 protein, 1 healthy fat, and 1 vegetable serving. Accompany with your favorite carbohydrate serving (we suggest corn!), and you’ve got a meal that would rival even the best mashed potatoes out there! Or, if you're not ready to go completely "potato free" you could even boil and blend in 4 oz. of potato into your mash (and that would count as your carbohydrate serving)!
Ingredients:
- 150 calories uncured bacon
- 16 oz. cauliflower florets, raw
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ C. unsweetened almond milk^
- 1 TBSP grass-fed butter
- To taste: sea salt and black pepper
- 1 TBSP chives, minced
- 4-6 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded*
*MRC Clients refer to your menu for exact protein portion size. This recipe uses 2 servings of hard cheese.
^because we are using a minimal amount per serving, this will NOT need to count towards a carbohydrate serving
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Fill a large pot with water and allow to come to a rolling boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, cook the bacon until crisp in a skillet. Set aside on a paper towel. Once cooled, crumble the bacon into smaller pieces.
- Add garlic and cauliflower to boiling water and allow to boil until the cauliflower is soft; about 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
- To the pot, add the almond milk, butter, salt and pepper. Puree with a hand blender or an upright blender. Note: you could also use a hand masher here (keep in mind this will create a less smooth texture to your mash).
- Mix in the chives, transfer the mixture to an 8 x 8 in. casserole dish, and top with the shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.
- Bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown slightly, approx 5-7 minutes.
Makes 2 Servings | Serving Size: 1/2 casserole dish | One Serving Replaces: 1 protein, 1 healthy fat, 1 vegetable
