Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

I hate instant mashed potatoes.  Some people will hear that and scream, "Blasphemy!"  To me they always tasted dry and paste-like.  More often than not I'd run into clumps of unmixed potato flakes that would make the whole thing even less appetizing.  You may say, "Well they weren't fixed right, that's why you didn't like them!"  No, even when fixed right they still had an off taste and texture to me.  I grew up eating the real deal, and I always missed that when I had to eat instant.

Mr. Monkey, on the other hand, loves instant mashed potatoes.  Why?  Because homemade ones either were lumpy or runny and tasteless in his experience.  I thought this was a shame that he had never experienced wonderfully made mashed potatoes.

Of course mashed potatoes aren't considered to be the most healthy things on the planet no matter how many warm fuzzies they give you.  A friend of mine swore up and down that you could make a dish with cauliflower that was just as good as mashed potatoes.  I thought this was humorous.  Cauliflower always seemed to be the bland and weirdly textured friend of broccoli.  When I found this recipe I figured I'd finally give it a shot.  The problem was getting Mr. Monkey on board.  That's when I decided to load them up with a garlicy good taste which I knew he would love.  My friend was right; the taste and texture were very similar to mashed potatoes!  This is a great substitute if you're looking to eat healthier.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 lb bag of frozen cauliflower
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (or less) of milk - I used buttermilk
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Garlic Powder to taste
• Garlic Herb Blend - optional

Directions:

1. Add the cauliflower to a large pot of water.  Bring the water to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Cauliflower is done when you can easily mash it with a fork.
3. Place the cauliflower, butter, and milk in either a blender or a food processor.  Puree until smooth.  I recommend trying about half the milk at first, and then increase it if you want to thin out the mash.
4. Add salt and pepper to your tastes.  With the garlic powder I ended up using approximately a tablespoon, but not everyone wants that much.  Start with a teaspoon and work your way up.  Blend the seasonings in with the food processor (or blender) after adding so they are well incorporated.
5. At this point they are technically done, but you can also put them in the oven for a little bit to help them set and warm them up more if they cooled off while pureeing.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Put the mashed cauliflower into a small casserole dish and top with a garlic herb blend (either Kitchen Secrets or Mrs. Dash is what I use). 
8. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mash is slightly bubbly.

Serves 3 to 4