Feeding the Active Writer

I experienced a lot of frustration with the coming of the first major holiday after I was diagnosed with diabetes.  I was used to preparing a big feast with all the trimmings.  Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, other stuff.

Most of that stuff was not on my new diet.  I'd already gone through a period of severe "carb cravings" after cutting back, way back, way way back, on the carbs.  Didn't want to do it again even if "just one time won't hurt you."

So, I had to come up with alternatives.  And one of them was a replacement for mashed potatoes and gravy.  Gravy, as I knew it from childhood, was basically fat and a meat broth thickened with flour or cornstarch.  As folk who've been reading "feeding the active writer" know I've come up with an alternate thickener in xanthum gum.  The problem was the "gravy delivery system." Potatoes are seriously high in carbs with a ridiculously high glycemic index. The solution is cauliflower.

The trick to good mashed cauliflower is to overcook it.  Ordinarily, for best effect, cauliflower is lightly cooked, lightly steamed, or even eaten raw.  For mashed cauliflower you need to boil it until it breaks apart at little more than the touch of a fork.

So, here we are  This is a basic recipe.  It scales fine.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower (1 lb)
1 tbsp butter or margarine, softened.

For the gravy:
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp Xanthum gum.

As described above, boil the cauliflower until it breaks apart with slight pressure from a fork. Drain in a large strainer or colander.  Let it sit in the strainer for several minutes to ensure that all the excess water drains away.
Break up the large pieces using either a pastry blender or potato masher or, if you must, a fork.
Add in the butter or margarine.
Use a hand mixer on high to beat smooth.  It may retain a bit of a soft granular texture.  That's fine.

In a small saucepan bring the beef broth to a boil.  Whisk in the xanthum gum, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens.  If it is not thick enough you can add a bit more xanthum gum.  Note that it does not thicken much on cooling.  In fact, I've noticed in the past that flour and cornstarch thickened gravies tend to congeal into solid lumps when refrigerated for later consumption.  Xanthum gum doesn't behave that way.

Serve out a good dollop of the mashed cauliflower.  Top with the gravy.  Enjoy.