Cauliflower-Broccoli Mash

This past weekend, I was gabbing on the phone with my sister-in-law and she asked me what she should do with all this cauliflower she had at home. She, like my parents, are members of a co-op where they receive a weekly basket of organic and local produce. (I am so jealous — wish I could do it here in NYC.  But because I am on the west coast all summer and very few programs do partial shares, I do not do it. If anyone knows of a CSA – Community Supported Agriculture – in NYC that offers partial seasons, let me know! I am definitely interested). In any case, when you participate in programs with baskets of vegetables, you never know what you are getting. So, this past week, my brother’s family had a huge load of cauliflower to deal with.

white and green

White and green!!!

I knew exactly what Katie and her family should make…Cauliflower-Broccoli mash! I used to make it all the time, but for some reason, it has been years since I last made it. So I was excited to make it again this week! And yes….for some reason, all my recipes (1) end up green (2) are mashed (3) require a vitamix…not sure what that is all about….

Ingredients:

Ingredients

Simple list of ingredients that are usually always in the fridge/cupboard.

* Cauliflower

* Broccoli

* Salt and pepper

* Butter or margarine

* Some type of dairy (unflavored soy, almond, or cows milk)

* Optional: any type of grated cheese (parmesan, gruyere, cheddar are my top three favorite)

Directions:

* Wash the cauliflower and broccoli and then cut them into florets. I would cut the cauliflower into slightly smaller florets than the broccoli since cauliflower can take slightly longer to steam.

florets

Super easy to cut broccoli and cauliflower into florets. Although, it does make a little bit of a mess with all the kernels falling all over the place.

* Steam the cauliflower and broccoli (8 minutes)

steam

Put the veggies into the steamer and let them steam (lid on) for 8 minutes.

* Put the vegetables in a blender/vitamix/cuisinart with a heavy splash of milk and blend!

smoothie?

Could be a spinach smoothie? Or delicious cauliflower-broccoli mash!

* Add some butter and seasoning (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, etc…)

* Put in dish and add some grated cheese, and voila! Healthy version of mashed potatoes (and way yummier, I might add).

blender

In the blender. So good that you want to eat straight out of it!

green mush

In the dish! Ready to serve!

cheese

I like to add grated cheese on top -- you can eat as is, or put in the oven for 10 minutes to get a crustier top. Both ways are equally delicious.

Notes:

* To make it more like a gratin with a crusty top, you can melt the cheese in the oven or even add panko/bread crumbs to create a nice firm crust.  I definitely suggest baking it for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees with one of the above toppings, but it is not necessary.

* You can make this vegan if you want (margarine instead of butter, and no cheese) or as full fat as you want (heavy cream, lots of butter, cream cheese instead of butter). Whatever floats your boat.

* You can dress this up anyway you want — with additional spices, garlic (not a big fan), nutmeg (yum), truffle oil (decadent), etc…

Simple, easy, and quick. Great for a side dish for any meal, and a good portion of veggies. Let me know what you guys think.

Have a great weekend!

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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8 Comments

  1. This is the Josie Girl’s husband, Ken. I am not always a huge fan of the healthy recipes, but this one is legitimately good, and really is a great substitute for mashed potatoes. Especially if you load it up with cheese.

  2. I love mushy foods – this is right up my alley. Tell Katie another way to serve cauliflower is to cut ink florets, toss in olive oil, and coat with curry powder – any will do. Bake at 400 till soft. They are so good and easy! Thanks for another yummy recipe!!

    • I love mushy food, too!!! But your recipe sounds great as well! Thanks for sharing!

  3. It looks delicious and easy to prepare, thanks for the share! It is worth trying a new side dish. Always enjoy looking at all your high taste of fashion and now with this yummy healthy looking dish.

    • Definitely try it! And I hope you like it as much as I do! Thanks for reading the blog!

  4. Thanks for the recipe!

    As far as finding produce goes, I suggest just Googling an organic veggie box program for your area. The first thing that popped up was Urban Organics delivery in NYC, but I’d bet there are others if you do a little research. It might not all be local, like a CSA, but produce should be organic and a better overall cost than buying organic at a market. The plus side of this sort of program over a CSA is that you usually don’t have to buy in to it and you get a much better variety of produce. Some would also argue that even organic produce shipped from South America leaves less of a carbon footprint than local conventional produce. I used to own this type of business until I sold it to a friend last year (www.organicsu2.biz). I still buy from them, and really thoroughly enjoy it 🙂

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