Turkey-less Turkey
Roast, Creamed Corn, and Mashed Cauliflower (Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes,
Servings: 6+)
I decided to make a
Thanksgiving meal in January. I bought a Turkey-less Turkey Roast at
Trader Joe’s (which comes stuffed with vegan stuffing and a side of gravy) and
cooked it according to package directions with a bunch of baby carrots and one
pre-trimmed leek. I coated the veggies with olive oil, salt and
pepper. To go along with my Turkey-less Turkey, I made Creamed Corn and
Mashed Cauliflower. I have heard a lot of positive things about Mashed
Cauliflower, so I was really excited to try it. Well, I had a major
letdown with the recipe I used – both my husband and I found it extremely bland
and thought it tasted way too much like cauliflower (even with the gravy from
the Roast). I ended up throwing over half of it in the trash. The
Creamed Corn, on the other hand, was delicious! I used fat-free half and half
to cut down on the calories and actually used more corn than I was supposed
to. It was still really creamy and had big, bold flavors from the
“cream”, milk, and margarine. Below are the recipes for the Creamed Corn
and Mashed Cauliflower with some additional notes. Even though I did not
enjoy my first experience with Mashed Cauliflower, I do plan on trying a
different recipe sometime in the future.
Cream Corn Like No
Other (adapted from AllRecipes,
Servings: 4-5, Total Time: 15 minutes)
Ingredients
· 1 (16 oz.) packages frozen corn kernels,
thawed
· ½ cup fat-free half and half
· ½ tsp. salt
· 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
· 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
· 1 Tbsp. margarine
· ½ cup skim milk
· 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
· 1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. In a skillet, over medium heat, combine the
corn, half and half, salt, sugar, pepper and margarine.
2. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir
into the corn mixture.
3. Cook stirring over medium heat until the
mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat, and stir in
the Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.
I wanted to half the recipe, but just decided to use the whole
package of corn – it still turned out creamy. Both my husband and I
really enjoyed this dish and I look forward to making it again.
Ruby Tuesdays Creamy
Mashed Cauliflower (slightly adapted from Food.com, Servings:
6+, Total Time: 50 minutes)
Ingredients:
· 1 head cauliflower
· ¾ cup water
· 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
· 1/3 cup fat free half and half
· 1 tsp. granulated sugar
· ¾ tsp. salt
· ¼ tsp. white pepper
· 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
· 1/8 tsp. onion powder
Directions:
1. Divide head of cauliflower into florets that
are roughly the same size.
2. Steam cauliflower pieces over boiling water
for 15 to 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. (I used my electric steamer.)
3. Drain the cauliflower and toss it in a bowl of
ice water to end the cooking process.
4. When the cauliflower has cooled, put the
florets in a food processor along with ¼ cup water.
5. Puree the cauliflower on high speed until
smooth, but with some very small pieces of cauliflower remaining for just a bit
of texture.
6. Pour all of the pureed cauliflower into a
medium saucepan.
7. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining ½ cup
of water and add the solution to the cauliflower.
8. Add the half and half, sugar and remaining
spices and stir.
9. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook,
stirring often for 5-10 minutes or until thick.
My cauliflower mash
was a little runny and, as I said previously, bland. Maybe more garlic
and/or onion powder would give it a better taste. I’ll try another recipe
in the future.
