Cauliflower Who?

Recently, cauliflower has stolen the identity of many other starchy foods - gnocchi being one of them. I had to try some things that were made from cauliflower so I could give you all my honest opinion!

I have made pizza crust from cauliflower and just recently tried Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi. The pizza crust from cauliflower was not bad! I could not taste the cauliflower at all but the consistency and texture of the crust was not what a "pizza crust" should be. This past week, I made a recipe for Olive Gardens Chicken Gnocchi Soup and wanted to use the Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi. Ever since I saw these on social media, I wanted to try them and I was excited after seeing so many good reviews on instagram. While I was cooking them, all I could smell was cauliflower. (Side Note: I have never been someone who loved cauliflower in its original, natural form. ) I was still excited to try it in the soup - but to my dismay - it just tasted as if I added steamed cauliflower to the soup.

I think I was expecting the cauliflower gnocchi to taste like regular gnocchi with a hint of cauliflower. Instead it tasted like cauliflower in the shape of gnocchi. If you like cauliflower, you will probably enjoy the cauliflower gnocchi and other foods made from cauliflower.

ME PERSONALLY: I would not purchase them again because I am not someone who enjoys cauliflower in its original form often so when I do want cauliflower, I will just eat cauliflower. Lets just say cauliflower isn't rice, potatoes or gnocchi. I will be someone who believes that cauliflower just needs to stay cauliflower.

Now enough of my opinion - lets look at the facts!

One of many items cauliflower pretends to be is a potato. Potatoes and cauliflower are about the same in iron content, but potatoes contain more B1, B3, B5 & B6. While cauliflower has higher amounts of b2, calcium and vitamins K and C.

Nutritionally, cauliflower is lighter in calories and carbs than potatoes and is more nutrient dense (more variety of vitamins/minerals). That’s why it’s popular among the low carb and weight loss communities. Here’s a side by side comparison of cooked cauliflower versus potatoes:

CAULIFLOWER

1 cup, cooked
29 calories
5 grams carbs
2.25 grams protein
2.5 grams fiber

POTATOES

1 cup, cooked
161 calories
36 grams carbs
4 grams protein
3.8 grams fiber

Both have their pros and cons and after seeing the facts, it is up to you to decide how you want to enjoy your food!

I will say that the soup recipe was outstanding! It was spot on with Olive Gardens soup and I was astonished!! I wish I could take credit for the recipe but it is not mine - the link is https://tornadoughalli.com/olive-garden-chicken-gnocchi-soup/

The only changes I made consisted of: using lactose free milk and the cauliflower gnocchi. If I make the soup again, the Italian in me will be sticking with traditional gnocchi!

I do want to hear your thoughts on the cauliflower gnocchi's if you have tried them! Please leave a comment below!