Last night, my friend Katelyn came over for dinner.

As dinner was served, we both started laughing. Only at my house would 3 courses of vegetables, all prepared in different ways, be normal for dinner.

Luckily she was a great sport about it all (bless your heart Kate) and even let me experiment a bit with the first round- the unusual purchase of cauliflower that sat on my cutting board. So, here we were. Me + the cauliflower (and the pressure of making it taste good for my lovely dinner guest):

During my staredown, I started thinking to myself. How could I make it seem like we were eating a more of traditional dinner when I didn’t have time to go to the store? Maybe she wouldn’t really notice a meal of all veggies if they were done in the right way- many different textures, temperatures, and tastes (side note-a obvious fail for this particular situation because she was right there in the kitchen with me and she likes vegetables, but you get the point. It didn’t stop me from trying).

Eating vegetables that don’t taste or look like traditional vegetables was my plan of attack, and actually it’s a great trick for everyone to think about.

You could easily trick picky eaters into eating more healthfully. Or get more vegetables in your day, because we all need that. What’s not to love?

Sneaky mc-sneakerson.

So, I started with the cauliflower.

It’s cauliflower moonlighting as mashed potatoes.

You know. The cauliflower with a black mask, leather suit, and cape on. Like the Batman of vegetables. Anyone? Anyone?!

Did that just slip out on my screen? Dear God.

What I really mean is that you can prepare it the same way that you would mashed potatoes, only it’s got a different nutrient profile to it.  And variety is always a good thing when it comes to food, especially for kids and picky adults, who tend to eat the same things over and over again. Nothing against potatoes (which I also love), but this looks like, smells like, tastes so similar, plus it’s in season right now, so it’s very fresh and very cheap. There’s even purple varieties out there this time of year, if you’re feeling crazy. And, it’s the easiest recipe in the world, anyone can do it.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

Cauliflower

Sea salt + pepper

Directions:

1. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil (big enough to hold the cauliflower florets once you cut and be submerged).

2. Wash and trim the outer leaves away:

3. Remove stems and cut into small florets:

4. Add the florets into the boiling water and let cook for 10 minutes or so, or until soft enough to sort of mash with a fork.

5. Drain cauliflower. Pour back into saucepan and puree with a immersion blender or dump in a real blender. Add water if necessary in the blender and puree until smooth. Season generously with pepper and a dash of sea salt. If you’re feeling really creative, chopped green onions, chives or garlic would be great too.

Get it while it’s hot.

And wipe that smile off of your face. People will start to wonder why you’re so happy at the table. The picky eaters might even ask for more. Stealth healthy cooking at it’s best people. Enjoy!