Mashed Cauliflower: Soft White Food but Healthy

I love soft white food. Grits with butter and cheese. Mashed potatoes made with cream and topped with butter. Fettucini alfredo. Creme brulee. The list goes on. But I do attempt to keep my circumference less than my height so healthier soft white food is welcome, too.

Mashed cauliflower and light Laughing Cow cheese wedges (any flavor) come to the rescue. A whole head of cauliflower only has about 100 calories, depending on size. Three Laughing Cow light wedges have only have 35 calories each. A quarter cup of skim milk is only about 20 calories. With a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg these make a large bowl of yummy creaminess with about 225 calories in the whole bowl! If, like me, you like a touch of sweetness in your veggies, add about a teaspoon of brown sugar. A rounded teaspoon of brown sugar only adds about 20 calories.

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, green leaves and central stem removed
• 1/4 cup milk
  
• 3 wedges light Laughing Cow cheese
• salt, pepper & nutmeg to taste
• optionally 1 rounded teaspoon brown sugar
  

Procedure:

1. Roughly chop the cauliflower and place in a microwave-safe bowl
2. Sprinkle a little bit of water on the cauliflower to provide some steam
3. Cover and microwave until soft, approximately 5-6 minutes
4. Add the milk and cheese and mash or whir with a stick blender.
5. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg & sugar (if desired) to taste.
6. If necessary, heat briefly in the microwave to bring back to serving temperature.

Bill and I find we can polish off a whole head of cauliflower between us served this way. The other night, the cauliflower accompanied some salmon patties.