Root Vegetable Mash

Mashed parsnip, cauliflower & potato

It's pretty rare that I "miss" anything from my BPP (Before Paleo Plus) life - all the new foods that I am preparing have captivated me and my taste buds!  Now, I am a foodie from 'way back, so as melodramatic as that may sound...it's true.  New recipes and new flavors and brand new ingredients that I know are feeding my body the way it was meant to be fed - are pretty exciting to me!

Small aside...I started this post and then had to walk away to watch the longest Rangers playoff game ever...it was AWESOME!  We won!

BUT, if I was going to miss anything - it would be mashed potatoes.  My mom used to tell stories about how we couldn't go to certain restaurants when I was little because I always wanted mashed potatoes.  My favorite childhood meal - grilled pork chops and mashed potatoes.  My favorite comfort food (don't judge me) used to be a mashed potato sandwich.  As a 20-something, before we would go out on the weekends, I always made sure that I had mashed potatoes in the fridge, because it is the cure-all for too much celebrating.

Anyway, I have been making lots of cauliflower mashes and root vegetable mashes during my PaleoPlus journey.  I love them for so many reasons.  But, although the concept is the same and many times, the color is the same...I couldn't convince my kiddos that it was a worthy substitute for mashed potatoes.

I think I've figured it out...FINALLY!

There are lots of things written about whether or not white potatoes are Paleo.  I'll let you do your own research.  My opinion is - they are fine in moderation.  And not as potato chips or fast food french fries.  To me, they are one of nature's veggies.  I buy organic.  And we may eat 5 pounds of potatoes a month between the four of us...and most months, I have to compost the one or two lone potatoes that didn't get eaten before they went to that inedible potato place.

So...I decided to add one peeled potato to my mash and test it out on my family.  Well, and get my own opinion, as the mashed potato expert in the household!  And it worked!  I didn't want it to make that much of a difference, but I think it did.  Of course, I am questioning if it was the actual potato or just the idea (and nostalgia) of the potato.  I'd love to hear from anyone who tries this and can compare it to the more common cauliflower mash in Paleo.

The best part is - it's still dairy-free.  The worst part - it was gone too soon!

Root Vegetable Mash

1/2 to 1 head organic cauliflower
2 parsnips
1 russet potato, peeled
1/4 cup coconut cream
1/4-1/3 cup organic, sugar free chicken broth
1-2 T of ghee
Salt and Pepper

Clean and chop the veggies to about the same size pieces and place in a pot of cool water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat and boil until the vegetables are fork-tender (about 5 minutes, depending on the size of your veg pieces).  Drain the water off and put the cauliflower, parsnips and potato into a food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Add the coconut cream, ghee and part of the chicken broth (if you are vegetarian - use vegetable broth) and process until smooth.  You may need to add more chicken broth to get it to the consistency your family likes, but start small - you can always add more.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

This was a hit at my house - served it with "Poor Man's Prime Rib" - info and recipe coming tomorrow on one of my favorite money-saving tips!

Remember, live healthy...eat HAPPY!