{Side Dish Bliss: Cauliflower Mash}

If you've been reading the blog the past few weeks, you probably already know that my husband and I are on a mission to get fit.  I've been doing squat and crunch challenges that you can read about here and here, and I found this awesome workout that I do while little Kate naps.

In addition to exercising regularly, I have also altered our meal plan a bit to try to shed those unwanted pounds.  The first thing I did to aid in our healthy eating efforts was to eliminate most of our carb intake at dinnertime.  I love carbs...Always have, always will...But I have learned over the years that I can't get the body I want by eating too many of them.  In order to satisfy my carb cravings without wrecking my diet, I've decided to test out some healthy alternatives and substitutions for my favorite side dishes.

Who needs mashed potatoes when you can make cauliflower taste just as good?? :)  This picture caught my eye one day while I was perusing Pinterest, and I decided I'd test out my own cauliflower mash recipe.

{inspired taste}

I'm sure there are plenty of great ones out there, but here's what I did...

CAULIFLOWER MASH

2 bags of frozen cauliflower or 1 large cauliflower

1 cup of Greek Plain Non-fat Yogurt {give or take a little depending on your preference}

1 cup of shredded cheese {give or take a little depending on your preference}

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add cauliflower to boiling water and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until a fork can easily be pierced through the cauliflower.  Drain cauliflower then throw back into the hot pot (off the heat) and cover with lid.  Let stand 2 to 3 minutes.

Mash Cauliflower with potato masher.

Add the Greek yogurt {I used Chobani Plain Non-fat Greek Yogurt}, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to the cauliflower. Then, use your potato masher to achieve desired consistency.  {I made ours with more texture rather than too creamy.}

Stir in a couple handfuls {or as much as you'd like} of shredded cheese, and then spoon mixture into a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  I topped ours off with a little more cheese before serving.

As a stay-at-home mom with a baby on my hip most evenings, I'm all about EASY and QUICK dinner recipes...This one is just that, and it's so delicious and healthy.  Side dish jackpot! Enjoy!!

xoxo,

Katherine