My Affair with Cauliflower

Cauliflower is the next B.I.G. thing! So, a few years ago I read a recipe for people who didn't want to eat sugary starches like potatoes, which basically suggested using cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes. So I boiled one up and tried to mash it and serve it for Thanksgiving or Christmas (don't remember) to Matt's mom. She tried so hard to be nice about it, but we all knew deep down inside that it wasn't the same. I abandoned the cauliflower until about a month ago.

I don't eat dairy or wheat, which makes life a little challenging when it comes to new and exciting foods. I have been getting into juicing and raw foods though, thanks to mom, which has opened up a new world of avacado smoothies with wasabi and such creations. Anyway, I decided to try cauliflower again, now that I have been armed with a new knowledge of how to puree veg.

I boiled a cauliflower and tried to "mash" it for dinner for Matt and I in the blender. I left the blender on a little too long though, and was sad to see that I had turned the "mashed" idea into more like "puree". Matt ate it anyway, as good husbands will try to do for experimental cookers, and near the end of the experience suggested that the goop might make good soup base. I almost leapt off my chair! A few days later, I made this recipe, and was thrilled with myself. It is delicious, it tastes just like a really thick, rich chowder, but it has almost no calories, no wheat, and no dairy. Woo hoo! I can use the same principle now to make corn chowder, cream of mushroom soup, etc. Hallelujah, creamy soups are back in my life.

Karie's Seafood Chowder

Boil 1/2 cauliflower until very tender. Blend until pureed. You may want to add a little water or almond milk, but you don't need to...

Sautee fresh veggies, such as carrots, onions, celery, whatever you like to have in chowder...

In a soup pot, bring 2 cups of broth (I used chicken broth) to a boil. Add the vegetables and let them simmer for a few minutes. Add seasoning or spices that you like. Then throw in about 1/2 a bag of frozen seafood mix, or freshly cooked fish, or whatever. I have used frozen mussels, calamari, clams, octopus, lightly cooked white fish, shrimp, etc. It all works. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, but not too long because you don't want your seafood tough. Remove from heat and stir in pureed cauliflower. Serve. This serve two HUGE bowls full of chowder, or four appetizer-sized bowls.

YUM YUM YUM YUM!!

P.S. KRAFT has launched a new KD that is made from...you guessed it...

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/Products/J-L/KraftDinnerBrandPage.aspx