Low Carb Corner: Cheesy Baked Fauxtatoes

I'm in the induction stage of the Atkins Diet again. The good news is that I've already lost 7 or 8 pounds. The bad news is that I was all the way back up to 180 pounds. Which really doesn't work on my 5' 8-1/2" body. Last time I did Atkins--I mean, really did it--I lost 23 pounds, and except for a nagging 8 pounds, I kept it off for a long time. But apparently eating normal food, even while exercising makes me a chubbo. Nice, right?

So, it's back to Atkins. But with a lot of "tries" behind me, I know how boring the diet can get. And unlike 5 or 6 years ago, there aren't a lot of people in the "low carb" business anymore. So this time, I'm looking for recipes. I already know that things like radishes and cauliflower are very low in carbs. But what can I do with them that I haven't tried?

Turns out, Google is the low-carbohydrate dieter's best friend. I haven't played around with the radishes much, except for one easy try:


BAKED RADISHES

Wash, trim and quarter your radishes. Toss them with olive oil, butter, sea salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until they pass the baked potato test. You don't really want them firm.

Yummy, but I'm in need of something a little more flavorful. I've already tried "mashed fauxtatoes" made with cauliflower. With that, you just steam the cauliflower and mash it, maybe adding some butter, some chicken bullion, spices. . .something to improve the "meh" flavor of cauliflower (which I've always thought was better raw). But hot damn, I found something tonight!

BAKED CHEESY MASHED FAUXTATOES

1 large head of cauliflower
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2-cup sour cream
1/4-cup grated Parmesan
Bacon bits (real ones!)
Chopped green onion or chives (to taste)
1 cup grated cheddar

Steam cauliflower until it is soft and mushy. Mash it. Put butter and cream cheese into mixing bowl. Put hot mashed cauliflower in bowl to melt the butter and cream cheese. Put in all other ingredients except for cheddar (and save a little bacon for later), and stir it all up. Put the mixture into an 8" x 8" baking pan. Sprinkle shredded cheddar on top, along with some of the bacon. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Mine turned out fantastic. The first bite I was slightly disappointed, because I could tell it was cauliflower (I thought it might be better disguised). But as I ate a second bite and a third? I was damned near fooled into thinking I was eating twice-baked potatoes! The flavor grew and grew on me. It's just about the best Atkins-ready side dish I've ever had.  And I've since read that a little whipping cream, and some garlic powder completes the disguise. If the reviewers are to be believed, if you don't tell people, they are fooled into thinking it's a potato dish. Cool!

I found this at (of all places) a body building site. But who cares, it's great!

Source: forum.bodybuilding.com