need some inspired, healthy cauliflower ideas, beyond cauliflower cheese, roasted cauliflower and aloo gobi...

[prima]

Bored with my usual approaches. Especially interested in recipes without cheese/cream. Thanks for any suggestions.

[mamachef]

Well, I hate to be obvious but there's always good old cauliflowerets with some sort of nice roasted onion dip. I also love lightly-steamed cauliflower in a marinated salad with olives - using an Italian-inspired dressing for the marinade. You could get a few more veg. and make a gardiniera, too....cauli, pearl onions, carrots, celery, broccoli if you want, more of those olives...and my FIL used to add high-quality tuna to his, in which case it was more of a main than a side.

[alkapal]

i thought i'd posted this, but i just saw a neat idea for cauliflower "steaks" rubbed and grilled like beef. http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2012/02/the-perfect-his-and-hers-steak-dinner-and-another-liebster-blog-award/

also in a spanish cookbook, i just saw a recipe for warm cauliflower with a seville orange dressing made with two cloves garlic, four tablespoons seville OJ, one tsp. sea salt, four tablespoons olive oil, and one medium cauliflower. steam golf-ball size floret bunches for three minutes or so. dress with the OJ mixture in which you've crushed the garlic and set aside to rest for ½ hour. top with fresh cilantro at last minute. (seasonal spanish food, josé pizarro).

this salad looks great, too -- with pomegranate and orange: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl...

[LisaPA]

Pickled! There's a place near me that serves house-made pickles with all their meals, and they use what's in season. I was pleasantly surprised to see cauliflower in the mix, along with carrot, long hots, and green beans.

[Bacardi1]

Yes - cauliflower is an integral component of Italian "Giardiniera" vegetable pickles.

[njmarshall55]

break into large-ish pieces, boil until almost done. Bread with flour/egg/breadcrumbs, and fry in shallow pan. A platter of that does NOT last long at all.

[TeeBeeinSD]

I rice cauliflower in the processor nearly every week, and substitute it as appropriate. Works great under curries, stir fry, and even in hand rolls...

[Charles Yu]

How about ' Cauliflower Couscous' a la Eleven Madison Park??!! Ha!!

On a more serious note. I like stirred frying the florets with Chinese dried shrimps and just a touch of oyster sauce and Chinese cooking wine. Simple but nice!

[janeh]

Ottolenghi's cauliflower and cumin fritters with yogurt sauce - yum! In the Ottolenghi Cookbook ........just found it on line;

http://hestiaslarder.blogspot.com/201...

[prima]

thanks!

[chocolatetartguy]

Patty Unterman has SF restauranteur Peggy Knickerbocker's super easy, super tasty recipe for pasta with cauliflower:

1. Boil water.

2. Cook pasta and cauliflower stalks in the same water.

3. Drain water.

4. Douse with good olive oil and toss.

5. Top with good sharp cheese. I like Piave.

6. That's all folks!

[blue room]

Mrs. Poole's Fresh Cauliflower Salad
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
3 tablspoons butter
9 to 10 cups Romaine lettuce, torn bite-size
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, mashed
salt & pepper to taste
1 half head of cauliflower, grated

Brown the bread crumbs in butter and cool. Mix mayo,Parmesan,lemon juice, garlic. Add s&p. Toss salad with this dressing, then distribute crumbs and cauliflower over top, don't toss, serve.

[Bacardi1]

My favorite way of enjoying cauliflower is in any type/style of Indian curry. There are lots of recipes for it out there, & really any type of curry works really well with cauliflower - either on its own or mixed with a protein. Nice on a bed of basmati, Jasmine, or saffron rice.

Another favorite is to break into small florets, steam, & toss with extra-virgin olive in which you've sauteed a few cloves of chopped garlic, some crushed red pepper flakes, some chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, a few dashes of dry seasoned bread crumbs, & a couple of optional chopped anchovy filets. This can even be served on a bed of pasta for a more substantial dish.

[vicarious]

A favorite of ours is cauliflower in yogurt sauce. The basic approach is to mix some yogurt with cumin, salt, and pepper; then stir in steamed cauliflower florets and peas. There are a lot of good variations of this.

[goodhealthgourmet]

- roast with tahini
- steam until crisp-tender and toss with capers, toasted pine nuts, a pinch of cayenne, a touch of anchovy paste, fresh parsley, & a lemon vinaigrette
- combine blanched florets with crisp diced apple, shredded carrot, caraway seed, toasted sunflower seeds, and a creamy yogurt-based dressing
- red lentil or chickpea curry with cauliflower
- biryani: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/bas...

[prima]

Thanks for including the biryani link. Haven't used cauliflower in a biryani before.

[goodhealthgourmet]

here's a slightly different, more cauliflower-centric take on it:
http://www.divyascookbook.com/2012/02...

[splatgirl]

Cauliflower-Bacon Salad

Equal proportions of cauliflower broken or chopped into very small pieces, and lettuce chopped or torn small--the original recipe calls for iceberg but I often use romaine.

cooked chopped bacon--as much as you want, don't be shy.
handfull chopped parsley, especially if you've used pale iceberg lettuce.

Dressing:
Mix equal parts parm. cheese and jarred mayo or aioli
Sugar to taste.
A bit of vinegar.
salt and pepper
You're going for fairly sweet with a tiny bit tangy.

Mix all and serve immediately.

[laliz]

these only have a TB of cream cheese

"MOCK" MASHED POTATOES
Ingredients
• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese , softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon straight chicken base or bullion (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
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, chicken base, and pepper until almost smooth.
Serve hot with pats of butter.

[roxlet]

My mother used to make cauliflower this way: She would par-boil or steam the whole head of cauliflower. She would let it cool somewhat, then pry apart some of the florets and stick mozzarella cheese in them. When she was ready to bake it, she's roll the top of the cauliflower in breadcrumbs that she had seasoned with grated romano cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper. She'd bake it until the mozzarella could be seen bubbling out from between the florets.

[Dleeami]

At first I thought eww, but then stuck with two heads of cauliflower that NO-ONE else in the house would eat I gave this recipe a "what the hell, I will try anything once" It is my favorite cauliflower recipe and often make it for snacking.

Cocoa-Toasted Cauliflower
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/...

[MrsJonesey]

Dleeami, just wanted to thank you for this link. I looked around while there and found her Lebanese Onion and Parsley Salad and her Mediterranean Tuna Salad. Made them both the same day. They are both great and the onion salad gets better overnight.

[tcamp]

Just for fun, here is one I won't be trying. It may be delicious but the picture, to me, is a huge turnoff.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/re...

[tcamp]

And here is my absolute fav way to prepare cauliflower. The recipe does call for some manchego cheese but the dish is just fine without it. From Madison's Local Flavors:
Green Cauliflower with Parsley and Green Olives

The color doesn't much matter but one of those lime-green cauliflowers or a whorl of broccoli romanesco makes a stunning looking dish, as does a mixture of green and white cauliflower.

1 lg. head cauliflower, broccoflower, or broccoli Romanesco
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
2 Tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
1/2 cup chopped Spanish green olives
2 Tablespoons drained capers, rinsed
1/3 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Manchego cheese

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets; peel and dice the stems. Put the parsley, tarragon, and olives in a bowl with the capers, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and plenty of pepper.
2. Steam the cauliflower over salted boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Dump it into the bowl and toss well. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with a little Manchego cheese grated or shaved over the top.

[prima]

Looks interesting. ;-)

[katecm]

This is also great with some currants or raisins tossed in for sweetness.

[ctfoodie]

This is my favorite way to prepare Cauliflower. Even Cauliflower haters have been turned by this recipe.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[chocomel]

Reasonably healthy... ... Japanese curry with cauliflower. I like it when the cauliflower becomes really tender and breaks apart.. .gives a nice body to the japanese curry. I don't know anyone else who does this, but i guess it hits the spot for me.

Others options:
Mashed cauliflowers. Treat it like mashed potatoes, with gravy or even japanese curry/other curry gravy.
Pickled cauliflower

[Roland Parker]

Steam cauliflower until just tender then process it in the processor. It won't turn into a puree but into something similar to couscous. Surprisingly good.

Steam cauliflower florets until tender then toss with homemade vinaigrette. Mine is standard French: blend 1-2 tablespoons of french mustard with equal measures of red wine vinegar and add several tablespoons of olive oil, salt & peper to taste, blend. Drizzle over just about any steamed vegetables while they're still warm so it'll absorb the flavors better. To add jazz to the dish add 1-2 diced boiled eggs.

[GraydonCarter]

I had a South African friend who made a really nice African Spiced Vegetable Salad with cauliflower, carrots, red pepper and corn. I found something with ginger, cumin, coriander, nutmeg and salt.

I also like the sound of a Curried Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower with Green Beans

[Joebob]

Ginger-carrot-cauliflower soup. Delish!

[tweenietoes]

cauliflower pizza crust. this one has chevre in it, but there are vegan versions floating around the internet. i haven't tried it, so i can't tell you how it tastes!

http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-se...

[tcamp]

Wow, that is amazing.

[Kajikit]

I'm not into veganism or raw foods, but that website has some great ideas for getting a ton more vegetables into our diet, and substituting for some of the carbs that DH can't have with his diabetes! Thanks for the link.

[Bliss149]

Whole Foods had a shredded cauliflower salad with curry...you could probably season it other ways. It was shredded very very fine. Anyone done this?

[chowser]

I don't use a recipe but like stir fried cauliflower and pork. It's something along these lines:

http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/pork-and-c...

[magiesmom]

Cauliflower steaks , cauliflower soup, paprikash all wonderful.

[hungryabbey]

what did you do with cauliflower steaks?

[magiesmom]

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

We serve them as main course.

[monavano]

I've been making cauliflower puree lately. I too am tired of roasted cauliflower. What I love about it is that it makes a nice bed for the protein and veg.
I steam large florets, stems and all. When tender, I transfer into a food processor and season with salt, pepper, paprika, granulated garlic (add whatever you want here to season) and then add chicken stock and a touch of cream or half and half.
Puree away.
Pic-- Turkey Piccata with Pureed Cauliflower and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus.