The Best Cauliflower Mash

Level

Easy

Time

20 Min

SErves

4

Calorie

92

Fat

5.8 g

Sat fat

0.4 g

Carbs

6.1 g

Sugar

2.3g

Fiber

3.7 g

Published: October 17, 2022 by Dr. Stephanie Gray

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Cauliflower mash is a creative twist on the classic mashed potato. Cauliflower mash is a super popular dish among those trying to reduce fast carbohydrates. This cauliflower mash side dish is a staple recipe that can be made over and over again! This recipe is easy, thick and creamy and similar in texture to white mashed potatoes. Serve cauliflower mash as a side with any meat or fish. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, ketogenic and paleo.

The Nutritional Science Part…If You’re

Interested

I love cauliflower. It’s so versatile and readily works with different spices. It is nutrient dense and offers a host of health benefits to those who regularly eat it.

Cauliflower is most known for being rich in indole-3-carbinol (IC3). IC3 is a substance found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, brussel sprouts, turnips, rutabagas and cauliflower. It offers protection from cancer by way of helping the body metabolize (break down) estrogen to favourable estrogen metabolites.

To be clear, estrogen is a wonderful and beneficial hormone that aids in normal cell function and growth. It protects our bones, promotes healthy pregnancies and aids in cognition. But estrogen imbalance or excess estrogen is a common issue that can lead to a cascade of undesirable symptoms and serious health problems.

When your body no longer needs estrogen, it is the job of the liver to break it down, so it can be excreted in the stool or urine. Without getting too science-y on you, the liver breaks down estrogen to 3 different metabolites. One type is considered “favourable” and two types are considered “unfavourable” that are associated with growth of breast and uterine tissue, including cancer. Cruciferous vegetables have been shown to help estrogen break down to the favourable type of estrogen. IC3 has been shown to do other things too, like induce cell death of cancer cells, inhibit tumour growth, upregulate other enzymes that promote cell death, activate anti-inflammatory pathways and tumour suppressor genes. Who knew cauliflower had such super-powers!

People of all genders need to be concerned about the effects of estrogen on the body as we are all environmentally exposed to estrogen (think plastics, food, water supply, etc). Also, all fat cells produce estrogen. In short, it matters how your liver deals with estrogen and cauliflower can help it get the job done properly!

Now that you know more about IC3 than you ever thought you needed to know, I’m going to share with you my favourite mashed cauliflower recipe. This recipe will adequately serve 4-6 people if you use a large sized cauliflower. Double the recipe if you are serving a crowd.

Now let’s get on with the recipe!

What do you need for this recipe?

1 head of cauliflower; cut into florets
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken/vegetable broth or water
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
sea salt
almond milk (optional)

How to make The Best Cauliflower Mash

Step 1:In a soup pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.

Step 2:Add cauliflower florets and saute for a couple minutes.

Step 3:Add 2 cups of broth or water and bring to a boil by turning up the heat to medium-high. Let simmer for 7 minutes or so until the cauliflower pierces fork tender. Do not drain water.

Step 4:Use an immersion blender to process cauliflower until it looks like rice.

Step 5:

Add almond flour, 1 cup at a time and continue processing until you achieve a smooth texture.

Step 6:Stir in nutritional yeast and season with sea salt to taste.

Step 7:Add a little almond milk (any milk will work) if you want a creamier texture.

Step 8: Finish with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions:

almond flour– almond flour is recommended to thicken the cauliflower mash. I haven’t tried other “flours” to see if they would work.
nutritional yeast– nutritional yeast is recommended to add flavour to the cauliflower as cauliflower can be a bit bland. If you don’t have any, the recipe will work without it. Parmasean cheese could also work.
almond milk– almond milk is recommended to be added if the end if you need a more creamier result. Any nut milk (or regular milk/cream if you aren’t concerned about dairy) will work.