Vegan Mashed Potatoes And Cauliflower Delicious Recipe And Review Of Vegan Holiday Cooking

Vegan Mashed Potatoes And Cauliflower

Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower are my slightly modified version of the Cauliflower-Potato Mash from Kirsten Kaminski's Vegan Holiday Cooking ~ a beautiful, enjoyable and easy to read cookbook you will reference over and over.   Her original recipe is a perfect blend of ingredients and flavors, are much lower in fat than traditional mashed potatoes, and are super delicious.  Their flavor is boosted by adding sautéed garlic and shallots in a little vegan butter or oil, along with some nutritional yeast. 

 

Vegan Holiday Cooking:  Scroll to the end for a sampling of some of her
drool worthy dishes in this beautiful, simple, healthy holiday cookbook

Years back, I used to make mashed cauliflower and other mashed root vegetables, sometimes with a little potato as an alternative to traditional mashed potatoes.  Many of the earlier macrobiotic teachers tended to minimize or avoid using potatoes, considering them to be of a tropical origin, and therefore not as ideally suited for those living in temperate climate zones.   I personally indulge in potatoes whenever the craving strikes, as they are loaded with many health benefits, and have the highest satiety index (SI) of all foods tested.  

My Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower are modified by adding a sweet potato to provide a bit of sweet creaminess, and a nice bit of orange color like bits of cheddar cheese sprinkled throughout.  I also learned from watching a holiday cooking video by Chef AJ that you can roast garlic in an air fryer, which I never would have thought of.  It's quicker than roasting garlic in an oven.  

Try these Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower with either roasted garlic, or sautéed garlic and shallots, as per Kaminski's original Cauliflower-Potato Mash recipe. 

I used these Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower to top off my Vegan Chickpea Shepherd's Pie, which came together kind of by accident.  They were ingredients which had to be used up when our refrigerator broke down over the holiday weekend.  

The pictures below are of the Vegan Chickpea Shepherd's Pie with the Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower on top.

Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower Recipe Ingredients + Steps

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 small to medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 small head of cauliflower, or about 1/2 large head
• Water and optional Edward & Sons Garden Veggie Bouillon Cube (see notes, below)
• 1 Tbsp. vegan butter, extra virgin olive oil, high oleic sunflower oil, or rice bran oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 -3 cloves garlic, minced (or use 3-4  cloves of roasted garlic)
• 2 Tbsp. plain, unsweetened soy milk 
• 1-2 Tbsp. additional vegan butter
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley, optional
• Pinch or two of nutmeg
• Cracked black pepper to taste

STEPS:

1. Place potatoes and cauliflower in a pot, and cover with water.  Add optional bouillon cube.  Bring water to a boil, then simmer on medium heat about 25 -30 minutes, until super soft and tender.  
2. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan to sauté garlic and shallots in 1 tablespoon of butter or oil,  and cook 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.  Alternatively, cut the top off a head of garlic, and place on a small piece of foil.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil, then fold up foil to make a pouch. Air fry at 380º for about 18-20 minutes, until garlic is soft.  Carefully open pouch, and pop out garlic cloves when cool enough to handle.
3. Once potatoes and cauliflower are soft, drain, retaining cooking water for later use.  (See notes.) Place potatoes and cauliflower back into the pot.
4. Add garlic and shallots, soy milk, and additional butter, and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency, being careful to not over mash.  They should be fluffy and creamy versus gooey.
5. Stir in nutritional yeast, optional dried parsley, nutmeg and pepper.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  (See notes.)

NOTES:

1. I like keeping the potassium-rich, sweet cooking liquid to use when making soups or other sauces.  It will keep for a few days in the fridge.  Just remember to use it!  
2. If wanting to keep it very low-fat, use some of the cooking liquid as needed in lieu of the vegan butter or oil, or add more soy milk.  The taste will be a little less creamy and rich, but should still be delicious.
3. I don't add salt if using the low-sodium bouillon cuber, or vegan butter which is already salted.  Adjust according to your taste preferences.

Head over to my website (tracymatesz.com) for this delicious Vegan Chickpea Shepherd's Pie recipe.  

I highly recommend Kirsten Kaminski's Vegan Holiday Cooking. 60 Meatless, Dairy-Free Recipes Full of Festive Flavors.   It's filled with delicious, mostly simple recipes categorized by holiday, with mains, sides and desserts most commonly enjoyed for Thanksgiving, Christmas. and Easter, and a separate section titled 'Festive Appetizers and Drinks.'  

Some examples include: 

For Christmas:

Mushroom Wellington with Gravy, Chickpea Loaf with Balsamic Glaze (which we enjoyed during Thanksgiving, 2022), Miso Tahini Roasted Cauliflower, Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear, Spiced-Apple Red Cabbage, and Chocolate Yule Log, Festive Gingerbread Cookies, and Marzipan Challa.

For Thanksgiving:

Stuffed Butternut Squash, Barley-Nut Roast with Cranberry Sauce, Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa Stuffing, Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Sage Butter, and Cauliflower-Potato Mash, the base for this recipe, along with Spiced Pumpkin Cream Roll, Layered No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Cinnamon Apple Pie.

For Easter:

Chickpea Leek Frittata, Dijon Scalloped Potatoes, Vegan Egg Salad, Sweet Onion and Asparagus Quiche, Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns, and Carrot Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting.

Festive Appetizers & Drinks:

Nutty Vegan Cheeseball, Black Bean Hummus and Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread, Vegan Eggnog, and Creamy Pumpkin Latte.

That's just a sampling of her many festive, fun, and elegant holiday meals.  The color photos throughout entice the taste buds, and stimulate memories of past gatherings with family and friends over the holidays. So far, I've loved everything I've tried, including her Cauliflower-Potato Mash which I've made several times now.  I sometimes modify her recipes based on what I have on hand, which has always been how I roll, so nothing new there.  Aside from a few more elaborate desserts or main entrées, the majority of recipes are pretty simple, using commonly found ingredients.

I am sure you will reference this book as I do, often throughout the year!