Cauliflower Kisses (recipe)

There are lots of recipes out there using cauliflower. I've never been a big fan of cauliflower. It's not because I don't like the taste. Maybe it's the weird texture? I saw these cute little cauliflower rosettes and I thought they were so adorable I should try the recipe and maybe I would find a fun way to eat cauliflower. Or at least a tolerable way.

The recipe, from my friend's Paleo collection, was originally from Low Carb, So Simple, a website featuring "gluten-free, sugar-free and five ingredients or less". The recipe is really titled Duchess Cauliflower. I hope no one minds if I rename it. I think Cauliflower Kisses is much nicer. And they look sort of like Hershey's Kisses! Only made with something less evil and definitely healthier.

Because the recipe calls for butter, they are only Paleo rather than Paleo-Hashimoto's, but still very healthy. Perhaps the butter could be replaced with coconut oil? I don't know if they would taste as good and I'm not crazy about coconut oil. I use it in so many recipes as it is.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cauliflower
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 large eggs
1/3 cup coconut flour
pepper (optional, the original recipe doesn't call for it, but I added it)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook cauliflower until soft. Pour out all water and place cauliflower in a blender. Add butter and salt and puree until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, add to cauliflower, and continue to puree. Add flour and whisk to mix. Let stand ten minutes. I think this give the coconut time to expand because the mixture becomes soft and fluffy.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper or olive oil. Use a pastry bag (or like I did, a small plastic bag with a hole cut out from a corner) and pipe rosettes on the baking pan.

Bake 15 - 40 minutes depending on the size of the rosette. The tips and edges will start to brown lightly. When done the bottoms will be toasty browned like hash browns.

Serve warm. Yum.

When piping the rosettes I took more photos than necessary because I kept thinking, Boy! I hope these things taste as good as they were fun to make! Wasn't that some company's advertising saying? These didn't disappoint! REALLY FUN TO EAT. They were really fluffy and yummy. It was all I could do to stop eating especially since they were bite-sized, but fortunately, cauliflower is very filling.

Posing for photograph, then popped it in my mouth!

 

Cauliflower is also a goitrogenic food, in other words, it suppresses thyroid function. This is not a good effect for people who have low-functioning thyroid. Some don't believe this is much of an issue and the benefits of goitrogens outweigh the warnings, but many suggest people with symptoms of hypothyroidism should limit their intake of goitrogens. Examples of goitrogenic foods include broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, peaches, pears, radishes, soy, spinach, strawberries, sweet potatoes, turnips among others. I am really happy to have a reason NOT to eat kale.

ENJOY!