Mmmm… Mashed “potatoes”, the My Simple Changes way! A healthier vegan version of this traditional side, with ingredients boasting more digestible fiber and less gut irritating substances. All while keeping the deliciously classic flavor. Did you know cauliflower reduces your risk of cancer, improves digestion, helps detox the body, and, of course, reduces inflammation? It’s one reason we’re seeing cauliflower pop up more and more in grain-free recipes (cauliflower ‘rice’, cauliflower pizza crusts, and, as you’ll see here, cauliflower ‘mashed potatoes’).
Since we all love to indulge in some delicious mashed potatoes and gravy during the holidays, why not opt for a lighter, healthier twist on this traditional dish? Making your mashed potatoes with cauliflower and yucca will not only provide you with more vitamins and minerals, it eliminates butter, milk, salt and other processed ingredients. And this My Simple Changes recipe does just that, while focusing on healing inflammation.
Benefits of Adding Cauliflower to Your Diet
Cauliflower contains a number of antioxidants anti-inflammatory nutrients which help heal, and prevent, inflammation. They fight to lower your oxidative stress and fight free-radicals in the body.
Cauliflower contains:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin E
- Folate
- Magnesium
- Potassium
Why vitamin C is important: Vitamin C helps reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and keep the body free from infections and bacteria. A single cup of cauliflower has over 70% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C!
When you add cauliflower to your diet, not only does it help reduce inflammation, it will also help reduce your risk of cancer, balance your hormones, decrease your risk of heart disease, protects your bones (all that vitamin K!), and it aids in weight loss, because it’s low in calories but high in volume and fiber—you feel fuller quicker! This is perfect around the holidays, when so many temptations are in reach. A little cauliflower will have you feeling satisfied and you won’t feel as if you’re missing out.
What Nutrition Do We Gain?
As far as nutrition gained, yucca root provides fiber, it’s packed with vitamin C, and it’s loaded with potassium. Potassium helps balance out the sodium in your body. It keeps blood pressure in a healthy range, it supports nerve function and will activate the enzymes in your body that digest carbohydrates. A cup of yucca root will provide you with 12% of the potassium you need each day.
Additionally, the garlic we use provides you with a wealth of health benefits. It lowers your cholesterol and blood pressure while boosting your immune system. It contains manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium, fiber, calcium, iron, copper and potassium.
And using broth, rather than milk, eliminates the dairy factor. Broth, if you buy a brand without any added processed chemicals, can be very good for the body. Look for a variety that contains just vegetables or, if you’re choosing bone broth, ingredients you can pronounce and recognize.
What We Avoided
Processed milk, salt, and butter.
In the episode “Butter” from My Simple Changes The Show I discuss the harmful effects of butter and better alternatives. As we discussed, processed butter forces a negative immune response in the body and it will wear down the good bacteria in the body and in your immune system.
This recipe also avoids common ingredients like milk and salt. Milk is especially difficult for those with stomach issues to digest. It may also contain harmful inorganic substances from anything it was exposed to before it reaches your stomach. Naturally occurring substances in milk have also been linked to breast and other forms of cancers.
As for salt, we all know it can increase blood pressure. Today, about 75 million Americans suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure). That’s one in every three American adults. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and chronic kidney disease.
Want to pair the CauliMash with a vegan gravy recipe, that also aids in healing inflammation and avoids harmful substances, you can find it here or by going to the My Simple Changes Menu!
Note: All recipes from My Simple Changes are selectively crafted around organic, unprocessed, pesticide/synthetic fertilizer free, whole ingredients. Free from binders, additives and any other lab generated ingredients. When preparing one should assume all ingredients fall under these important principles.
Ingredients:
– 1 cup Yucca, peeled and cut into small cubes
– 2 cups Water, purified
– ½ scoop of vegetable broth powder (or two cups of vegetable broth)
– 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
– Pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt
– Pinch of Ground Black Pepper
– ½ Cauliflower (roughly 2 cups), cut into smaller chunks
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, besides cauliflower, in a medium pot
- Bring water to boil
- After 2 ½ minutes, add cauliflower
- Reduce heat to simmer
- Simmer until yucca and cauliflower soften (roughly 6-8 minutes)
- Strain, reserving 1 cup of liquid for the blending process
- Add solids to blender
- Add 2 tbsp of remaining liquid at a time
- Blend until desired creaminess
Note: Serves 2
