Cauliflower Smash with Leeks

After a cold and rainy day here, I wanted to make some warm comfort food. Mashed potatoes came to mind but I am really trying to limit my fat & starches. The obvious second choice was mashed cauliflower. Well, maybe not so obvious to me but I knew I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge just waiting to be cooked.

For this easy and tasty recipe you will need:

One head of cauliflower,
2 leeks, sliced
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable stock

Remove the cauliflower florets from the core, place in a steamer, and steam until just soft. Set aside.

Slice your leeks and place in a colander. Place the colander in a large pot and fill with water until the leeks float in the colander. Raise the colander out of the pot and rinse the leeks in the colander. Dump out the water in the pot and repeat the process again to remove all of the sand. The sand should sink to the bottom of the pot each time. Having sand in my food freaks me out and reminds me of my childhood summers spent at Jones Beach, where invariably sand ended up on all of my food.

Now that your leeks are squeaky clean, let's cook them. Heat a large stock pot and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Cook your leeks on medium heat until they cook down. Add a little salt & pepper. If the leeks become too dry and start to stick add a small amount of vegetable stock to the pot.

When the leeks have cooked down, add the steamed cauliflower and mash the mixture with a potato masher. Add vegetable broth until the required consistency is obtained. If a creamier mash is desired, add soy, rice or coconut milk. Sample your mash and adjust the seasonings. Top with freshly cracked black pepper.