Getting Creative with Cauliflower ~ Mock Custard Pie & Cream of Onion Soup ~ low fat, low carb, low cal

Mock Custard Pie ~ made with pureed cauliflower ~ OK, here is a very different & unique spin on the traditional, homestyle Custard Pie.  My pie is made with cauliflower instead of cream, (yeah, I know, who knew it would work?) so it's dairy-free, as well as low carb, low fat & low cal. It has a similar taste & texture to a real custard pie ~ Yipee!  I was inspired by this Fat Flush Plan friendly recipe I found on the web.  Roy really likes the dessert & that tells me it's good. :)

Mock Custard Pie ~ made with Cauliflower instead of cream ~ dairy-free, low carb, low fat & low cal

• 2 fresh eggs
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 6 packets Equal or your favorite sweetener (or to taste)
• 3 cups well cooked cauliflower, cooled  (steam or boil until nice & soft)
• 3 whole sheets cinnamon graham crackers
• Pam cooking spray 
• extra cinnamon/nutmeg for sprinkling
• Fat Free Cool Whip (or favorite kind of whipped topping) ~ optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a glass pie dish with Pam & place the cinnamon graham crackers in the bottom of the dish, cinnamon side up. Break apart the graham crackers, as needed, to cover the bottom of the pie dish as best you can.

Put the 2 eggs into a blender & blend on low speed until uniformly mixed. 

Add next 6 ingredients to the blended eggs~ vanilla whey protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, lemon zest & Equal packets.  Blend on low speed, until well combined.

Add cooked/cooled cauliflower to the egg mixture & blend on high speed ~you want to completely puree the cauliflower/egg mixture & turn it all into a thick, smooth liquid.

Gently pour the cauliflower mixture into the graham cracker 'crust', making sure it is evenly distributed.  Dust top of the 'custard pie' with a sprinkling of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

Bake pie at 350 degrees, for about 20-30 minutes, until well set & the 'custard' separates slightly from the edges of the pie dish.  

Serve warm or cold, with some Fat Free Cool Whip (or your favorite kind), if desired  ~ optional 

                                        Enjoy!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cream of Onion Soup ~ More fun with cauliflower & another dairy-free dish using cauliflower instead of cream!  I simmered 1/2 a head of chopped cauliflower & one whole, sliced onion in about 6 cups chicken broth, until soft.  (use a veggie broth for a vegetarian version)  I then pureed it, returned it to the pot, added some sauteed (in a little sherry) chopped onion, a few of my favorite  herbs & let it all simmer on low for 10 minutes.  When serving, I sprinkled the soup with a little French's French Fried Onions, just to add a final layer of crunchy, oniony goodness.  The soup turned out very tasty, with a nice thick & creamy texture.  And it's another low cal, low fat & low carb recipe for my cooking rotation ~ Oh, yeah!  The cauliflower puree would make a great base for other 'cream' soups. Hmmm, I wonder when mushrooms will go on sale... :)

Bangers & Mash ~ Cauliflower Mock Mashed Potatoes

Bangers & Mash ~ A meal both the English  & the Irish call their own.  This would be a perfect meal for a St. Patrick's Day celebration, or for any time.

Bangers & Mash ~ We often eat this meal in our home, it's a dish that satisfies our need for a bit of English 'pub grub'.  The only thing better would be to be eating it in a real English pub, in England, with a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale.  One can wish.  :)   This meal is also a favorite in any Irish Pub you go to, either here or abroad.  Good pub grub, is good pub grub ~ wherever you are.

OK, I must confess.  This time when I made my Bangers & Mash, I tried something just a little bit different.  This 'mash' isn't my usual traditional mashed potatoes ~ I actually made these out of CAULIFLOWER!  I've read about how versatile cauliflower is & all the info was true.  It comes out sooo much like spuds, without the high carb guilt.  You've got to taste them to see why I'm so excited about this new way to make 'mash'.   You may never go back to regular mashed potatoes again.  Or, if you just want to cut down on the carbs in your regular mashed potatoes, make it with a 50/50 split of potatoes & cauliflower. 

Since I try to watch how much fat we eat, I have found a sausage that I love, it's from Trader Joe's ~ Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Sausage.  It is so good!  I use it in all sorts of dishes, it lends itself to many ethnic recipes.  It has only 6g fat per link & it's REALLY tasty.  Perfect for a quick meal since they are already cooked. Just heat & serve.

If you are looking for something easy for St. Patrick's Day celebrating, are longing for a bit of English pub grub, or just want an easy & quick weeknight meal ~ give Bangers & Mash a try.  I think you might just love it as much as we do.  Enjoy!

Cauliflower Mock 'Mashed Potatoes'

 serves 3-4

1              large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tbsp      butter or margarine, or to taste ~ the less you use,
                the lower in calories/fat it is
1/2 tsp     onion powder, or to taste
2  tbsp     lowfat or fatfree cream cheese, or to taste 

~              salt & pepper, to taste
~              milk, if needed to thin the mash


1)   steam cauliflower ~ until it is very tender

2)   drain the cooked cauliflower, make sure it is as dry
      as you can get it

3)   put cooked cauliflower in a food processor (in batches if necessary)
         ~ add butter, cream cheese  & onion powder
         ~ blend until smooth, like whipped potatoes
         ~ add a bit of milk, but only if needed to thin out the mash
         ~ salt & pepper to taste
             
4)    serve just like regular mashed potatoes, topped with butter or gravy