On the way to make burgers I discovered a mash!

Since Sylvia discovered her love of cauliflower (or cauli as she calls it or kolly as I recently saw it spelled) this vegetable has been making a more frequent appearance in our kitchen. I bought a whole cauliflower this week and got inspired to make burgers. I found a recipe but as often happens I never made the burgers.

Sylvia was spending time with Zinc. She is much gentler now at patting Zinc and hardly pulls at her fur but she can pat a bit hard at times. She also loves to point at and to name body parts especially on the face. Zinc finds it a bit confronting to have a toddler’s pudgy finger try to land on her eye. So I was distracted with supervising baby and cat and got behind with dinner.

The upshot was that I got as far as mashing the potato and cauliflower and adding some ground almonds, breadcrumbs and flavourings. It tasted so good and was getting so late that I decided to stop right there and eat it as a mash for dinner. I have seen others do cauliflower mash for a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes and it seemed a better alternative to eating dinner at 9pm.

E and I loved it – though Sylvia preferred her cauliflower boiled and plain! It was great with vegies on the side or just spread on a piece of fresh bread like a dip. I think I can see more of this coming our way soon. I might even experiment with other flavours using some of these ideas:

• Cauliflower Celeriac Mash: Vegan Visitor
• Cauliflower Parsnip and Bean Mash: Diet Dessert and Dogs
• Creamy Cauliflower and Millet Mash with Tahini: Healthy Blender Recipes
• Mashed Cauliflower with Cheese and Dill: Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Parmesan and Cauliflower Mash: Taste.com
• Potato, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash: Vegan Dad

I am sending this cauliflower mash to Anh of A Food Lover’s Journey for this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging (#261). This event that features food bloggers' use of fruits, vegetables and other plant food is overseen by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything and was founded by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Thanh Nga Nine - Vietnamese vegetarian appreciation
This time two years ago: Indulgently frugal fudge slice
This time three years ago: Whimsical nutloaf and salad

Curried Cauliflower Mash
Serves about 4

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
80g breadcrumbs, fresh (optional)
60g ground almonds
½ tsp salt
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp cumin powder

Cook potatoes and cauliflower in a large saucepan for about 20 minutes or until they are soft when pierced with a knife. Drain well and mash with a potato masher. Add remaining ingredients and mash or stir to combine. Serve warm.

On the stereo:
Adagio 2: Karajan