I've spent the past 2 days working on baking, decorating and packaging 100 cupcakes for an event. Somehow, I keep finding myself in situations that call for inordinate amounts of baked goods to take over my tiny kitchen... and just about every surface of my living space.
When I work with sugary foods for long stretches of time, my body almost always craves nutritious meals to counteract all the sweetness. {Even if I haven't even tried one bite of whatever it is I'm making. Strange but true.}
And decadent treats have definitely been everywhere with Christmas only weeks away: At holiday gatherings, arriving in the mail and, of course, being cranked out of my own kitchen!
Last week I was craving something warm and comforting {even though it's a billion degrees here}, but still wanted to make sure there was some healthy goodness involved.
I had a huge head of cauliflower without any particular purpose just hanging out in the fridge, so I boiled it up, gave it a whir in the blender and tucked into a big bowl of the result. Satisfied, but wanting to experiment with jazzing up the flavor, I bought another head of cauliflower that weekend and tried a new version, blending in some caramelized onions and goat cheese as well.
It was so good!
This would make such a great side dish for a special dinner or a regular weeknight. To be honest, I ate an enormous bowl of this and this alone and was perfectly happy!
It's thicker than soup but a little thinner than mashed potatoes with a bit of tang from the goat cheese and a slight sweetness from the caramelized onions. In fact, if someone didn't know any better they might actually think it is mashed potatoes. Silky smooth, creamy and filling. And it's pretty healthy, too!
When you're sick of staring at cookies and cupcakes and frosting {I know it's hard to believe, but it happens}, switch gears with this super easy dish.
Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Mash
1 head cauliflower, florets separated
1 medium onion, sliced
¼ cup goat cheese*
Olive oil
Salt to taste
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Drop in cauliflower and boil for about 15 minutes or until very tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and a sprinkle of salt. Cook until very tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes. {If the pan starts getting dry, use a bit of water or chick broth to deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits up from the bottom.}
3. When the cauliflower is tender, drain and place in a blender. Add goat cheese, caramelized onions and about 2 teaspoons olive oil and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
4. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with extra goat cheese and caramelized onions if desired.
Serve immediately.
* I know not everyone cares for goat cheese... I'm fairly certain this would work just as well with your favorite cheese. 🙂