Mashed Root Vegetables (alternative mashed potatoes)

posted in: Recipes, vegetable | 4

These root vegetables are delicious and really beautiful if you mash them and have small orange bits of rutabaga throughout. My intention was to give you an alternative mashed potatoes and gravy for those of you reducing your consumption of potatoes. However, none of my vegan gravy recipes worked well with the slight sweetness of the vegetables. So, I am giving you the mashed root vegetables on their own.

You could serve mashed vegetables alongside aduki beans with squash. You can try this sauce that Shauna just posted on She Cooks Macro. You could also make Millet with Cauliflower, which is delicious with just about any sauce or gravy. Or just eat these yummy mashed vegetables with a sprinkle of furikake or pumpkin seed dulse condiment.

The amounts of vegetables listed here are estimates. Obviously, adjust amounts depending on how many you are serving and to provide for leftovers.  Aim for the same ratio I have listed and you will get a lovely and delicious mashed potato look-alike with a great texture and a subtle sweet taste. Try to add enough salt in the beginning to avoid needing to add more salt at the end. From a macrobiotic perspective, it is easier on our bodies when salt is cooked into our food.

Mashed Root Vegetables

3 cups cubed rutabaga
4 cups cubed sweet potato (the light colored kind)
several pinches of sea salt
3 cups cauliflower broken into pieces
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

1.  Place the rutabaga, sweet potato and sea salt in a large pot. Add water about halfway up the vegetables. Bring to a boil on medium heat, reduce to simmer and let cook covered for 10 minutes.

2.  Add the cauliflower on top. Cover and cook until all vegetables are soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and drain, saving the cooking liquid.

3.  In the same pot or in a large bowl, add the olive oil to the vegetables and use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash/puree them. Add black pepper to taste. Add a little more salt if needed.

4 Responses

  1. emmycooks

    I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t feel the need to serve these with anything other than a spoon. 😉