Bang Bang Cauliflower

I have a confession to make.  I've been trying to make this recipe for months and have thrown away a decent amount of cauliflower in the process.  I throw it down in my veggie tray, eat everything else and then by the time I remember that I have cauliflower it's time to throw it away.

I finally remembered the cauliflower and made this dish. It was good and a nice thing to do with cauliflower but it's not a substitution for Bang Bang Shrimp.

Bang Bang Cauliflower:
(Around the Table)

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
1 head cauliflower
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
Green onion

Sauce:
1/4 cup lite mayo
1/4 cup Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

Slice your cauliflower florets. Place the beaten egg in one bowl and mix the salt, pepper, and panko breadcrumbs in a different bowl. 

Dip florets into the egg and then coat with panko mixture.  Put them on a sheet pan and bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until brown

Mix all of your sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Coat your breaded cauliflower florets with the sauce, top with green onion, and serve.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower was on sale last week.  It made me stop and think about how little I use it and how little I know how to make with it.  This is basically the same recipe as this mashed cauliflower recipe but it was good, so I decided to change it up a bit and make something new from something known.

I still have a ways to go but at least I have found another way to enjoy cauliflower.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash:

1 head of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable stock

Roast the garlic:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top of the garlic off.

Place the head of garlic in a piece of parchment paper or foil and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic up and cook for 30 minutes.

Make the cauliflower:

Place a pot of water on the stove top to boil. Cut up a head of cauliflower and let it boil for 5-6 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and pat it dry with a paper towel. Add the cauliflower to a food processor along with the salt pepper,

Mashed Cauliflower

It's no secret that I love potatoes.  There are tons of potato recipes on this blog, but sometimes it's nice to change things up.  Some of my coworkers have been telling me that I need to try mashed cauliflower.  They were right, it's really good and really easy.

I will say, don't go into this thinking that they are an exact substitute for mashed potatoes, because they aren't.  They are really creamy and really tasty though.  Cauliflower is a good base to add whatever flavors you like.  In this case I used Parmesan and garlic.

Mashed Cauliflower:

(Food Network)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower

1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

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 food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, butter, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper until desired consistency.