My cauliflower can kick your mashed potato's butt.

I have been desperately searching for ways to substitute more vegetables for the carbs I love oh-so-much and I have to say this cauliflower mash does the trick. Mike and I both found it be just as good as mashed potatoes, so I'll be using it again. Plus, if you read about all the benefits of cauliflower (detox, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory), it makes you feel plain good about eating it.

Tonight I made:

• Ginger-Soy Marinated Sirloin Steak
• Cauliflower Mash
• Sauteed vegetables with lemon

Before we headed out the door to go for a hike today, I threw the steak in a quick marinade so it would have about two hours to soak up some flavor. We bought organic grass-fed sirloin steak from Wegmans...I think everything we've been reading about the nutritional benefits of eating grass-fed meat has finally converted us. Plus it's less calories and tastes great. Poke holes in it before you put it in the bag with the marinade.

Ginger-Soy Marinated Sirloin Steak:

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame flavored chili oil
• 1 scallion - diced
• 1 inch fresh ginger - minced
• 1 large garlic clove - minced
• 1 pinch truvia (or any sweetener, sugar, brown sugar, etc.)

Marinate steak for at least an hour...I recommend overnight for best flavor.

This steak was pretty thick, so I broiled it for 5 minutes on either side, and it came out rare, but we like it that way.

Cauliflower Mash:

• 1/2 head cauliflower (about 4-5 cups chopped)
• Chicken bouillon/broth
• 2 tbsp. sour cream
• Cayenne pepper (to taste)
• Seasoned salt (to taste)

Cut up the head of cauliflower and break half of it into small pieces and cut off the length of the stems.

Put them in a pot and cover them with water. I added a chicken bouillon cube, but you could also use chicken broth instead of water. Cauliflower will soak up whatever flavor is in the water, so add whatever you want. Cook on Medium-High to boiling, and continue boiling for about 6 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and you can easily poke it with a fork, just like potatoes would feel that are ready to be mashed. (Note: Cauliflower texture is a little odd if you haven't worked with it, and the 6 minutes is just a rough number. The first time, I cooked it way too long. It was fine, just mashed really easily. If you don't cook it long enough, it might not come out as smooth. If that happens, just throw it in the blender or food processor to make it your desired consistency.)
Thoroughly drain cauliflower and pat dry with a paper towel to absorb as much water as possible. Return to pot and add 2 tbsp. sour cream. I usually use fat-free sour cream, but we recently bought a garlic/herb flavored sour cream and 2 tbsp. is only 60 calories. Split between the two of us it's minimal, and adds tons of flavor.

Add seasoned salt and cayenne pepper and mash with a potato masher. Just use seasonings to your taste. I made ours a little spicy and it was great. If it is too watery/thin, put the pot back on the stove on Medium-Low and until it thickens.

Sauteed vegetables with lemon:

• 1 Scallion - diced
• 1 garlic clove - minced
• 3 mini sweet peppers - julienned
• 4 mushrooms - sliced
• 4 sprigs cilantro - chopped
• 1 1/2 cups organic baby spinach
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• Garlic salt (to taste)
• Sazon Tropical (to taste)

Add oil to pan and heat on medium until hot. Add scallion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add peppers and cook 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cilantro and continue cooking 3 more minutes. Add lemon juice and stir, then add spinach. Turn off heat and stir until spinach is wilted. Add garlic salt and sazon to taste. Sazon can be found in either in the spices section or the Latino foods setion. All the flavors are delicious, but right now I'm on a Sazon Tropical kick. You'll find you can add it to pretty much anything and it will taste delightful.

And that's everything! So here is what we ended up with...

It all came together in around a half hour, so it was pretty quick too! This is my first time sharing recipes so let me know if I left anything out or you have any questions. And let me know if you make it and how it turns out for you!