The Magic of Cauliflower Cream

Your personal comfort food is as individual as a thumbprint but many of us can agree on a few things — fried, creamy, cheesy — these are all good places to start. But what if you are trying to eat more vegetables and still meet that comfort craving? Cauliflower is here for you.

Yup, I said cauliflower.

Wait! It comes off as a bland cruciferous vegetable with subtle nutty undertones but that’s just cauliflower’s disguise. Steamed and pureed, it is magically transformed into a blank palette for whatever goodness you want to add to it, like cheese, roasted garlic or everyone’s favorite, nutritional yeast. I promise you will catch yourself slurping it up, really.

You will feel so smug knowing your creamy goodness is not only low in calories, it is actually highly nutritious. While it lacks the superfood title of kale or even broccoli, cauliflower is a quiet, nutritional powerhouse of its own, with high amounts of vitamin C and potassium, along with some protein and even vitamin B6.

Cauliflower cream will become your new go-to ingredient. I use it as a replacement for bechamel sauce in lasagna or in a creamy, hot spinach dip. Below, it is the base for the blue cheese cream sauce that makes a deconstructed Buffalo-inspired chicken and (more) cauliflower dish even better. Come yell at me if you don’t agree.

Buffalo chicken cauliflower with blue cheese cream and lime. Photo by Kirsten Lindquist

Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Cream and Lime

You can substitute chickpea flour for the white flour if you prefer a gluten-free dish. Gorgonzola or roquefort are good options for the blue cheese. Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

1 boneless chicken breast, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets
1-2 ounces strong blue cheese, chopped in pieces
Lime wedges
2-4 tablespoons cilantro, minced, to taste
2 tablespoons hot sauce|
3 tablespoons butter
Oil for frying
Salt
Pepper
Sriracha (optional)

Toss chicken with flour and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat butter and hot sauce over medium low heat until butter melts, whisk to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a deep, lidded pot or wok with a lid, place cauliflower with a ¼ cup of water over high heat, covered. Steam until cauliflower is tender but still firm, 3-5 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the pan and drain it. Select ½ cup of the smallest cauliflower florets, ones that will be super tender, and set the rest aside for the moment. Using a blender or immersion blender, puree the small florets plus 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to create a thin, pourable cream. Add blue cheese and puree until smooth but still pourable. If you find the cream is too thin, just add another floret or two. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Return your pot or wok to the stovetop and heat on high for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides. Add the remaining steamed cauliflower florets to the pan and toss with the browned chicken for 2-3 minutes to warm the cauliflower. Pour butter hot sauce mixture over all and toss to coat, cooking over medium heat to infuse with the sauce. Squeeze half a lime over all and place in a serving dish. Add celery, all but a teaspoon of minced cilantro and toss well. Finally, drizzle with cauliflower blue cheese sauce, turning gently to coat and garnish with remaining cilantro, lime and sriracha as desired. Serve remaining cauliflower blue cheese sauce on the side with extra celery sticks. Enjoy!