Finding balance between a "crunchy" lifestyle and convenience.

Picky Eater Approved Mashed Cauliflower

Picky eater approved instant pot mashed potatoes in a wooden bowl with a spoon.

Born to prefer the sweet flavor of breast milk humans are essentially coded to want sweets. Bitter and sour foods are equally unliked by babies and toddlers. This naturally protected toddlers during hunter-gatherer times since plants that could kill us typically have a sour or bitter taste.

So how does a parent get their picky toddler to try and actually enjoy a vegetable? This is the age-old question, right?!?!

I can’t promise the solution to all picky eating woes. I admittedly have a picky toddler who one day will devour kale chips and the next declare them the enemy. But I do know two things that continue to work…

The Solution to Picky Eating

Set a good example and just keep trying.

Yes, it’s really just that simple.

Whether your child’s picky eating is a result of nature, allergies or something else as a parent we can always continue to set a good example and just keep trying. There will be good and bad days but by not giving up you are making progress.

How to ‘Set a Good Example’ for Picky Eaters

Somewhere between my daughters birth and toddlerhood we got into so bad habits. Snacks went from homemade to processed. We ordered in more often resulting in fewer veggies being eaten at every meal. When we finally started to come out of the fog I realized I wasn’t showing Cora that eating vegetables was a priority of mine.

Snacks of veggies and hummus became the norm for me and I started to up my creativity at dinnertime. Cauliflower rice replaced rice for us and mashed cauliflower replaced plain mashed potatoes. But Cora wasn’t sold. So I decided to just keep trying.

Instant pot with a head of cauliflower in front of it.

How to ‘Just Keep Trying’ with Picky Eaters

If you have a picky eater I’m sure you’ve heard…

Kids may need to be offered a new food 10-15 times before they will want to eat it.

But I believe you can stack the odds in your favor…texture can be a BIG issue for picky eaters and the texture of mashed cauliflower wasn’t winning her over. I needed to keep trying with my recipe.

With no liquid and the addition of sour cream (one of Cora’s favorites) I hoped I had a winner….

Picky eater approved instant pot mashed cauliflower in a bowl with a spoon. Instant pot with cauliflower in front of it.

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Extra Thick Mashed Cauliflower

Picky eater approved instant pot mashed potatoes

With a thicker texture and the slight tang of sour cream, this mashed cauliflower recipe will please your picky eater! 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4– 1/2 cup sour cream (based on desired thickness)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Add trivet/steamer basket, cauliflower, and water to your Instant Pot.
  2. Close the lid and set the valve to seal.
  3. Use the manual setting to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
  4. Use the quick release function to release the pressure.
  5. Remove trivet/steamer basket and cauliflower from pot and empty out the water.
  6. Place steamed cauliflower back into the pot add butter, 1/4 cup sour cream, salt & pepper. Or into a blender if not using a hand blender.
  7. Blend thoroughly with a hand blender or blender. Add more sour cream if you’d like a looser texture.
  8. Serve

Notes

  • These reheat easily. I’ve also kept them warm in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes prior to serving at the keep warm setting with the lid on. 

Mashed Cauliflower…Better than Potatoes?

The recipe changes were a success but not just for Cora. Turns out Chris and I prefer the thicker texture too! The sour cream adds a nice flavor without being too overpowering.

For me, the best part was how I feel after eating them vs. mashed potatoes. You know that Thanksgiving “overstuffed” feeling a big meal of potatoes can leave you with? Not with mashed cauliflower!

I don’t feel like a stuffed turkey anymore!

Picky eater approved instant pot mashed cauliflower in a bowl with a spoon.

Make your Version of Mashed Cauliflower

My picky eater prefers sour cream but what if yours doesn’t? Or what if cauliflower is too “new” a flavor for them? I have some delicious ideas that might work well for you!

  • Swap sour cream for cream cheese and a splash of milk or broth
  • Add your favorite cheese, mix in or as a topping
  • Use half cauliflower half potatoes (great for those not so sure about the cauliflower flavor!)
  • “Loaded” mashed cauliflower; add cooked bacon, diced green onions, and cheddar cheese
  • Try my dairy-free option!

What tips do you have to parent’s of picky eaters?

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The Ultimate Vegetarian Hatch Chile Chili {Instant Pot or Stove top}

Blue bowl of vegetarian hatch chile on a wooden board with a jar of Zia Hatch Red Chile's and fresh peppers around.

 

“Red or Green?”

The official question of New Mexico about their state vegetable, the New Mexican Hatch Chile.

Subtly sweet, smoky, and spicy these peppers have rightfully developed a cult-like following.

True hatch chiles are grown in Hatch Valley. Like a fine wine grown only in Napa Valley, the unique climate and soil of the Hatch Valley create the distinct flavor you can’t replicate elsewhere.

Every year I would hear of people clambering to find freshly roasted hatch chiles in town and had no clue what all the fuss was about. A chile is a chile, right?

WRONG!

One taste of these delectable, unique chiles and I was hooked. And then I learned the complication to my newest addiction…hatch chile season is only two maybe three months!

Real Hatch Chiles Available Year-Round

I have more bad news. Hatch chile imposters are lurking in your grocery store!

Stumble upon “hatch” chiles grown outside of Hatch, New Mexico posing as the real thing and you’ll understand why a law passed in 2012 prohibiting the sale in New Mexico of peppers labeled “New Mexican” unless they were grown in New Mexico or came with a disclosure, “Not grown in New Mexico.”  

When trying to get your Hatch fix off season you may accidentally purchase a jar or canned variety imposter.

Zia Hatch Chiles in 3 flavors.

 

My go-to even during Hatch season (because getting them fresh locally for me is near impossible) is Zia Green Chile Company. The fewer ingredients the better in my opinion, and with only 4 ingredients all of which I have in my kitchen I was sold. Plus they come in glass jars! This is HUGE for me, it keeps the integrity of the flavor true and is more sustainable.

Hatch Chiles in Everything

For years I found myself having to make two versions of any dish spicier than black pepper. My husband never could take the heat! Then I introduced him to hatch chiles and the sweet, smokey flavor along with the spice opened up his palate.

Now you can find me throwing these chiles into everything: eggs, quesadillas, guacamole, on pizza. Red or green, mild or hot he LOVES them all!

Hatch chiles are my not so secret ingredient in anything I want him to eat! That is how this recipe came about. I have always loved vegetarian chili but he wasn’t a huge fan. He would eat it but in the winter months when I crave it weekly he would complain.

Not anymore!

Instant Pot Vegetarian Hatch Chile Chili

 

Blue bowl of vegetarian hatch chile on a wooden board with a jar of Zia Hatch Red Chile's and fresh peppers around. Dried red chiles on bottom photo.

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Instant Pot or Stovetop Vegetarian Hatch Chile Chili

An easy one-pot meal made special by the addition of hatch chiles. Customize to your spice level. 

  • Author: Robyn
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner
  • Cuisine: New Mexican, Mexican, American

Ingredients

Soaked beans (1 cup black beans, ¾ cup pinto beans)

Or 2 15oz cans black beans drained, 1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 TBS avocado oil

1 Bell Pepper, any color, seeded and diced

½ medium onion, diced (or ¼ large onion)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 zucchini, diced

3 carrots, diced

½ cup hatch chiles (Flavor of your choice, I like a mixture of red sweet & mild and medium)

2 TBS chile powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

2.5 cups vegetable broth

1 23oz jar diced fire roasted tomatoes

½ cup frozen corn

Optional toppings: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, more hatch chiles, green or red onion, fresh herbs, avocado

Instructions

Instant Pot:

  1. Set Instant Pot to saute and add 1 TBS oil.
  2. Saute bell pepper, onion 3 minutes.
  3. Add zucchini and carrots. Saute 3 more minutes/until slightly tender.
  4. Add garlic and saute 1 minute or until fragrant.
  5. Add chile powder, cumin, paprika…stir to combine.
  6. Add beans (rinsed and drained), hatch chiles, broth, and tomatoes.
  7. Put lid on pot and set on manual for 10 minutes.
  8. NPR for 10 minutes then release pressure. Stir in corn and let heat thru. Serve with toppings of your choice. We prefer cheese, sour cream, more hatch chiles, and avocado.

Stovetop: 

  1. If starting with dried beans add them to a large soup pot, cover with an inch of water, boil for 1 hour then start checking for doneness. When done, drain and set aside.
  2. Add avocado oil to soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. 
  3. Saute bell pepper, onion 3 minutes.
  4. Add zucchini and carrots. Saute 3 more minutes/until slightly tender.
  5. Add garlic and saute 1 minute or until fragrant.
  6. Add chile powder, cumin, paprika…stir to combine.
  7. Add beans (rinsed and drained), hatch chiles, broth, and tomatoes.
  8. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
  9. Stir in corn and let heat thru. Serve with toppings of your choice. We prefer cheese, sour cream, more hatch chiles, and avocado.

My Love of Hatch Chiles

Dried red chiles hanging on a wooden post next to a picture of fresh green chiles.

Red or green?

I still can’t decide which is my favorite but it sure is fun taste testing to try and find out!

Pick your favorite Zia Hatch Chiles in our shop.

The Ultimate Vegetarian Hatch Chile Chili {Instant Pot or Stove top}Read More