Mashed cauliflower is my favorite low oxalate comfort food. Add Paleo meatloaf (recipe upcoming) and some fried apples and that’s all I need to feel warm and cozy after a stressful day at school. The funny thing is I didn’t like mashed cauliflower the first time I tried it at Ruby Tuesdays Restaurant. It was grainy and watery, and although the taste was good, it wasn’t worth the other drawbacks.
Mashed Cauliflower with Paleo meatloaf and broccoli -- the perfect low oxalate Paleo, GAPS or GFCF meal for toddlers and pre-schoolers. And hey, not too shabby for us adults either!
I didn’t try mashed cauliflower again until I made it by mistake one evening last fall. The boys and I fixed cauliflower soup for dinner and in a moment of overtired mommy forgetfulness I forgot to turn off the burner. My cauliflower soup simmered for three hours into the perfect mashed cauliflower consistency. One spoonful and I couldn’t stop eating it! It was so yummy! That’s also when I discovered the secret to fabulous mashed cauliflower — put it back on the stove top or in the oven after pureeing it to pull out the last bit of moisture and add some creamy fat. Adding an onion doesn’t hurt either!
Hope my creamy mashed cauliflower brings you as much comfort as it does me. When making big dietary changes like the low oxalate diet it’s really nice to have a few low oxalate comfort foods to keep you going.
Mashed Cauliflower
Two heads cauliflower, broken into pieces (or use about 2 lbs frozen)
One small onion, roughly chopped (optional)
1/4 cup cream (or use 3-4 T butter, bacon fat or olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
Steam the cauliflower and onion in a steamer until it’s soft (or boil to reduce the oxalate content of the cauliflower from about 2.7 mg. per half cup to about 2.0 mg. oxalate per half cup). Pour the cauliflower into a metal colander and let it drain well. If you have a stainless steel stick blender, put the cauliflower and onion back in your cooking pot and puree with your magic soup wand. Or you may puree the cauliflower in a blender or food processor. (Note: If your processor or blender has plastic bowls, you may want to let the cauliflower cool until lukewarm or room temperature before pureeing, so the plastic doesn’t leach nasty chemicals into your food). Add cream (or fat) and salt and mix well. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Makes 8-10 servings
Low Oxalate Info: All ingredients in mashed cauliflower are low oxalate or very low oxalate. Each half cup serving of mashed cauliflower has about 3 mg. of oxalate. The fat choices are all very low oxalate (1 mg. oxalate or less per tablespoon) and interchangeable in this recipe, so use the fat that matches your dietary needs best. My family prefers to make mashed cauliflower with cream and add butter at the table.
Equipment Note: I don’t own very many cooking gadgets–just the basic high quality pots, pans, knives and one or two toys–but my stainless steel stick blender is hands down my favorite kitchen gadget for making my life easier! It is very easy and quick to clean, it minimizes the amount of time I spend transferring soups etc. into other containers or pots, and it allows me to finish my cooking in one process without having to let things cool because of concerns over plastic chemical contamination. I love my Cuisinart model and highly recommend it (buy a Cuisinart stainless steel stick blender here). Behold the magic soup wand!
Other Diets: Mashed cauliflower may also be appropriate for Paleo, GAPS, SCD, vegetarian, GFCF and vegan dieters with the appropriate fat choice.
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