I am one of those folks who really needs to avoid carbs. I found out the hard way that if I cut out carbs and do moderate exercise I lose weight and feel great, and if I eat carbs and do moderate exercise I gain weight.
It gets worse as I age.
So I got into paleo eating and found it cut my arthritis pain by 80% and for those stretches where work has me sitting too much, I do not gain weight. It also serves my predilection for grilled meat.
A crisis had me cut a deal with the Red Headed Irish Wisecracker, when I needed her to get back in the saddle and run a client’s office who lost a long time employee while teetering on the abyss of financial ruin. She would deal with the commute and all, but I would take over the cooking if I wanted to do the cockamamie paleo stuff.
That was four years ago. We have both adapted to the lifestyle at about the 85% level, with a break for the occasional pizza and are fine.
We do miss the classic comfort meals with meat, gravy and mashed potatoes (She is Irish, after all)
So a friend put me onto doing cauliflower as a substitute. After an incredulous look, I decided to try it. You steam two heads of raw cauliflower with stem and green leaf removed, cut into pieces for the steamer. Steam until cooked and soft to fork’s touch. Throw hot into food processor , add one to two teaspoons of ghee or butter per head, salt, pepper and let it rip.
Let stand for about ten minutes in the processor afterward, then scoop onto plates, serve with gravy.
You will be surprised and most guests will assume they are potatoes. Comfort meal problem solved. Cauliflower is 25 calories per cup and almost no carbs.
It’s a small pleasure come home. Life is good.



I am a supertaster, so my tastebuds are hard to fool and really sensitive to yucky stuff.
Thus, it’s not for me, but I’ve heard of the stuff being used as fake rice:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice-couscous-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-203344
We do the rice also, but while it is good, it is clearly not rice. Still, it beats eating a sir fry on a bed of nothing.
I’m a supertaster too. I can’t even be in the same room with broccoli, cauliflower, etc. And today I ate a pint of Bluebell ice cream straight from the container. Oh well, tomorrow is another day
Blue Bell ice cream: a Texas delicacy just like beef jerky.
We all need to avoid carbs. My husband and I insist on having wine with dinner which means I must make amends by eliminating all “white” food. This includes white potatoes (but not yams!), rice, pasta, bread, chips, and let me just say pizza is a long lost dream. Also, to my annoyance, because I do love veggies: no peas (pure sugar), no lima beans, corn or edamame (starch). Fortunately, I love spinach, carrots, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms and broiled fish and chicken.
Here’s another little secret; if you eat the foods I mentioned: There is no such thing as portion control which I find to be the biggest diet fallacy on Earth. If you crave a chicken cutlet grilled in lemon sauce and some Penzey spices, eat as much as you want. It’s not unusual for me to eat a full lb. of protein at one sitting if it’s grilled/broiled chicken, white turkey or fish. (Pork and beef are out because of the fat.)
You made an excellent point about a steamer because everything tastes better when it is steamed and not boiled. (My secret is to add a little olive oil to the water- gives a lot of flavor. I avoid butter altogether.) I try to avoid pure salt but am hopelessly addicted to Penzey spices so I will indulge in pepper and chives and caribbean lemon sprinkles.
I started this diet about 20 years ago and it’s true what they about making lifestyle changes. You get used to eating this way and last time I went to McDonalds with a friend who needed a fix, I almost threw up looking at her Big Mac and fries. This is what I call “effective conditioning” but most people fail because they’re told they can eat anything if they control portion size.
Nonsense! If you put a 1600 calorie bag of Doritos in front of me, I’d eat the whole thing in a minute so I just don’t bring that type of stuff into my house.
So the diet has worked, I am never hungry, and I eat as much as I want. It really isn’t hard; the key is to avoid starving oneself and if you eat ‘clean’ you don’t have to.
Penzey was great , but I had to go elsewhere after the owner turned out to be a Wisconsin loon.
I will try the olive oil trick next time I steam.
I have been doing the Paleo for four years and cannot see going back as long as I eat a real slice of pizza once a month.
“Penzey was great, but I had to go elsewhere after the owner turned out to be a Wisconsin loon.”
Giggle! He’s to the left of Saul Alinsky but the beauty of capitalism is that I love his product so much I’ll buy it anyway. :)
I use a little rice cooker to do up stuff. It is a great tool to have. It steams things nicely. I need to figure out how to put a tray in it so the food is above the water.
I use a large pot and fill up half way with water and a splash of olive oil. Let water boil and place veggies in a small collander that fits in the pot but is not quite immersed in the water. Lid on. Takes 5-10 minutes.
I have now commented on this food post 3 times after returning from an early dinner at my favorite seafood restaurant. I was good though- ordered a humongous shellfish dish- mussels, shrimps, clams, oysters, calamari, etc. and held the pasta. ):
What I noticed after I moved to Japan is one can eat a lot and be okay. It always have to do with what one eats. The worst of both worlds is to eat a lot of the wrong stuff.
You reminded me Dime of my love for sushi, but had to delete the rice. I am perfectly happy with sashimi and a huge side of ginger!
That is, indeed, yummy, TKC!
We found cauliflower to be a great stealth vegetable when trying to feed picky kids. We have a nephew who was allowed to get real bad about turning up his nose at vegetables. We would put one third potatos in with two thirds cauliflower and mash them together. We kept doing that after he went back home. I like the potato flavor; I think this is more appealing than just cauliflower alone. We use paprika seasoning.
When you get to this level, half of this game is ninety percent mental.
^ That is worth the price of a cup of coffee right there. A bargain at twice the price. Free99 – call now, operators are standing by.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.
Mike! So good to hear from you. Always good to get a quote from Yogi, the Yoda of his time.
Mike, this is all very interesting, but most importantly, exactly where in the entire realm of nutritional science does Texas BBQ reside?
Texas BBQ is proof that God loves us, and wishes us to be happy.