I know all those on low carb diets at some time will have made 'cauliflower mash', there is a knack however to getting the texture right, I make sure it's well cooked, over cooked compared to eating it normally, then drain thoroughly, blast in the microwave to 'dry it out'. I add a little butter, sometimes a little parmesan.

I also use cauli mash as a topping for Shepherd's Pie, Fish Pie, Tamale pie (that's a spicy kind of cottage/Shepherd's pie).

Something sweet ? I top Nairn's oatcakes (Supermarkets do their own brands) with berries mixed with fresh fromage frais, add a little artificial sweetener, xylitol is best but aspartame can be used, if you aren't worried about a few carbs, a tiny little bit of honey will do ! I also use fructose ( a natural fruit sugar) it's sweeter than sugar with a much lower Gi and GL so goes a long way and doesn't cause blood sugar 'spikes'.

If you are low-carbing (which in my opinion is wiser than no-carbing) oat bran is brilliant, it's nice as a porridge( much higher in fibre than ordinary oats). I add it to curries, meatball mixes, meat loaf mix, it holds burgers together, better than breadcrumbs.

Thank you for the tips!! I am trying to stick closely to a very low carb diet. I am not having so much trouble with giving up sweets... it is the mashed potatoes (or ANY kind of potatoes, yum), and the pasta and bread that I hate to give up. I tried mashed cauliflower but wasn't awed by it as a stand-alone side dish. But I can see using it on Shepherd's pie. That is a great idea!

I'm not sure what oatcakes are, but I'll check out the oat bran. Thanks for the suggestions!

I hope you can manage to find oatcakes Becky, though it may be difficult in the US. They are a type of savoury biscuit, made mostly of oats, they are a Scottish traditional recipe. They taste nice especially with cheese, and are around 5 grams carbohydrate per biscuit. They have a very low glycemic index too. Very filling.

http://www.nairns-oatcakes.com/content/


Give the cauli mash another try, It does work with fish and meat. Black pepper helps too ! or nutmeg if you like the taste.

The good thing about oatbran is that you can add it to stews, curries etc and it is virtually undetectable, it helps to thicken and bind. It lowers cholesterol too.

I am like you, I don't really miss sweet things, but I do miss starchy things.

I found with the cauli mash that it is great if you mash it in the food processor. Only problem is that it gets cold so fast. When we first tried the cauli mash we didn't tell the kids. They both loved it and asked if they were low carb potatoes. We now have to make it.

I'd never thought of mashing cauliflower, sounds like a really nice idea.