Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/mock-garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

Shown here served with vegetarian honey mustard pretzel-crusted "chicken"

Ingredients:


1 medium head cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/4 cup grated (or shredded) Parmesan
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon "better than buillion" veggie base
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives
1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine (optional)

Directions:



Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.

In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, buillion, and pepper until smooth. Mix in the chives and earth balance.

Jerk Soy Curls with Caribbean (Cauliflower) Coconut Rice & Beans

Recipe from: http://quicheaweek.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/jerk-seitan-andor-tofu-over-caribbean-rice-and-beans/

The first step is to prepare and marinate the soy curls. The marinade is homemade, so I recommend making a night ahead and marinating the soy curls overnight to have it ready the next day.

Marinade ingredients:


2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
juice from two limes
3 tsp brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 a medium sweet onion
2 green onions, sliced a little past where it turns green
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 (or a whole) scotch bonnet (or habanero) pepper, carefully deseeded and chopped

~3 cups Butler soy curls

Directions for marinating soy curls:
Soak the soy curls in water or veggie broth for 10 minutes. Drain and press most of the liquid out.
Combine all the ingredients above except for soy curls in a food processor and process (I used my Ninja).
Add prepared soy curls to a tupperware and pour marinade. Mix to coat.
Store in the fridge, covered, for at least a couple hours (preferable overnight).

Ingredients for "rice":


one small head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 medium-large sweet onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger (I used jarred ginger)
3/4 cup lite coconut milk
3/4 cup vegetable stock
juice from 1 lime
1 scotch bonnet (or habanero) pepper, intact
1 15oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
green onions for garnishing (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Saute the soy curls over medium heat with any excess marinade until it begins to brown.

Meanwhile, make the "rice".

Process your cauliflower florets until they are the consistency of rice. Set aside.

Spray a wok or a big pot or a skillet or something with some cooking spray and saute the onions, garlic, and ginger until softened. Add the coconut milk, stock, lime juice, pepper, and cauliflower. Cover and bring to a boil. Take down to a strong simmer and continue to cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the cauliflower, 15-20 min. It still might be a little sloppy and that’s cool too. Add the kidney beans and cook a bit. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. Remove the pepper. Add the pineapple and stir. Top with green onions before serving.

Baked Cauliflower Curry

http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/06/baked-cauliflower-curry.html

Ingredients:
420 gm cauliflower (half of a very large head of cauliflower)
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp curry powder
250 ml (about 1 cup) vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
120 ml (about 1/2 cup) coconut milk
2 Tbsp thickened cream (I used silk soy creamer)

Thickening:
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Method:
Rinse cauliflower and cut into pieces. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 395 F.
Heat butter in a wok or sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add turmeric powder and curry powder until fragrant. Pour in vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and bring it to boil. Cook until reduced to 2/3, about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and thickened cream. Season with salt and sugar. Toss back cauliflower and coat with sauce well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add thickening and cook to the preferred consistency.
Transfer cauliflower together with sauce into an oven-proof baking dish into the preheated oven. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes and let the cauliflower well absorb the sauce and softened. Serve hot.


verdict:
I thought it came out pretty well, however my sauce was nowhere near as thick because I was impatient when thickening it. In the future, I would keep the sauce separate until it is thickened, add the cauliflower to the baking dish and pour the sauce over it before putting it in the oven.


serving:
I ate it with some chana masala and basmati rice.