No-Fail Cauli-tatoes (Blended Cauliflower)

I actually really like cauliflower prepared almost any way, but my family is not the same. :-) That's why this recipe is so useful - not only do I love it, but my husband and even my kids do as well. It has so much flavor and is so easy! Here it is:

Ingredients

• 1 large head fresh cauliflower, stems trimmed and florets roughly chopped
• filtered water
• 3 tablespoons pastured butter or ghee (or other fat of choice, such astallow or lard)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper (omit for AIP)
• fresh herbs of your choice, such as parsley or chives

Instructions

1. Makes approximately 3 cups.
2. Begin by cutting up the head of cauliflower. Remove as much of the stems from the florets as possible. Too much stem in your cauli-tatoes can give them a funky taste.
3. Then rough-chop the florets to be pea-size or smaller. You could also pulse them a few times in a food processor, but chopping them does the trick and gives you fewer dishes to wash later.
4. Next, steam the cauliflower. I don’t have a steamer basket, so I use a stock pot with a lid and a stainless steel colander. I put an inch of water in the bottom of my stock pot, place the colander inside the pot, add the cauliflower to the colander, then cover with the lid.
5. On medium-high heat, steam the cauliflower for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring twice during steaming. The cauliflower pieces should be just fork tender, but not mushy at all.
6. Transfer the steamed cauliflower to a high-speed blender.
7. Quickly add butter or ghee, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
8. Pulse a couple of times to get the blender going, then blend on low speed for 20 to 30 seconds, until smooth. Don’t over-blend or the cauli-tatoes will be too runny.
9. If desired, sprinkle with your favorite chopped herbs.
10. Serve immediately.

Helpful Tips

• ALWAYS use fresh cauliflower — not frozen!
• Don’t be tempted to boil the cauliflower directly in the water. This adds too much moisture and will leave you with runny cauliflower sauce, not caulitatoes. Trust me. 
• Have a hankering for super healthy mashed potatoes and gravy? Substitute these caulitatoes for potatoes and whip up a batch of my Garlic-Tarragon Gravy to smother on top. YUM!
• Use up any leftovers within a day or two. After that, the flavor isn’t as appealing.
• Reheat leftovers in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
• If you don’t have a high-speed blender, try a food processor or regular blender. I can’t promise the same silky-smoothness, but it will still taste amazing. Just don’t use a hand mixer.

It definitely looks like mashed potatoes... but is it as good as mashed potatoes? Well, I guess it depends on how much you like mashed potatoes, but probably not. :-) However, it really is so good and one of my favorite ways to eat a veggie! Try it!

Also, I didn't even add any fresh herbs to it at the end and still loved it. I'll definitely make it again!