Swap This Food in To Make Your Favorite Dish Healthier
What can’t cauliflower do? With its ability to transform into any number of forms, unassuming cauliflower is a veggie with serious superpowers. It can be fried, pureed, mashed, roasted and more, all with a flavor that feels more indulgent than the vegetable truly is. Now that this hearty and versatile vegetable is in season, use it as a stand-in for some of your favorites, whether it’s as an appetizer, a side dish or a main.
Buffalo Wings
Nibbling chicken wings off the bone is an American pastime that isn’t going anywhere, but Food Network Kitchen has developed a no-meat version of the bar and party snack that everyone can dig into. Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, Buffalo Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Sauce (pictured above) is sure to please, with a spicy Buffalo coating and a cool, creamy blue cheese dipping sauce. Plus, it comes with a fraction of the calories and fat of Buffalo wings.
Tater Tots
Good old potato tots will never stray far from our hearts, but the beloved finger food is even better when reimagined using better-for-you cauliflower. These Healthy Cauliflower Tots are just like the cafeteria favorite, with a crispy exterior (thanks to a rice cereal breading and a hot oven) and creamy interior.
Rice
Before you spoon carb-loaded rice onto your plate as a side, consider making Healthy Cauliflower Rice with your food processor instead. With one-quarter of the carbohydrates in rice, this easy-to-make replacement can be served with anything you would normally eat with rice, whether it’s a stir-fry, beans or something else.
Steak
Sizzle a different kind of steak for dinner tonight. Treat your veggies like a slab of meat by fixing Food Network Kitchen’s Cauliflower Steaks with Raisin Relish, which are 1 inch thick, and meaty in a different way. Brown them in a skillet, top with a savory-sweet relish and take it down with a fork and knife.
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes may be the go-to when it comes to mashing, but the same technique works for hearty cauliflower. Trisha Yearwood’s Garlic Mashed Cauliflower is creamy and satisfying, so it can stand up to gravy lakes just as well.
Potatoes au Gratin
Indulgent potatoes au gratin is a must-have on your holiday table, but Ina Garten’s comforting reworking of the dish does it one better by swapping in cauliflower. Load cauliflower florets into a casserole dish and shroud with a creamy sauce of Gruyère and Parmesan cheese. Upon baking, this make-ahead vegetable side becomes a cheesy, bubbling winner: Cauliflower Gratin.
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