Microwave Mashed Cauliflower Recipe and Raley’s Meal Kits

The microwave mashed cauliflower recipe is part of a sponsored post for Raley's. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

Even on nights when I don't have a lot of time to cook, I want to feed my family a nutritious meal made with wholesome ingredients. When I want to cut corners without compromising on quality, I turn to trimmed cuts of meat and precut vegetables to save time on meal prep. Raley's has just made things even easier with their new, flexible meal kits.

At my local Raley's, they have created a meal kit display near the rotisserie chickens. It includes complete meal kit recipes, rotisserie chicken “quick kits,” and “build your own kits” from customizable meal components.

The complete meal kits are just that and include everything you need to make dinner like the protein, the sides, and the spices. Basically, they are a meal kit without the hassle of a subscription plan. You can pick them up when you need a break without having to worry about a pre-planned delivery schedule. So when my husband was out of town last week, I picked up several meal kits at my local Raley's. I was impressed not only with the quality of the meals, but with the simple techniques used to create the flavorful dishes.

I am going to share a couple of the techniques from the Sirloin Beef Meal Kit as well as the recipe for the microwavable herbed goat cheese mashed cauliflower, which is included in the kit, so you can see how simple these meals are to make. You don't need any special equipment, and the kit directions include pictures. Gourmet cooking does not need to be complex!

How to Crush Peppercorns

The steak is served with a green peppercorn sauce, which tastes amazing. All of the ingredients are already in the kit, including the green peppercorns. But instead of just telling you to crush the peppercorns and leaving you to figure out how to do that, they have a picture of the peppercorns on a cutting board and tell you to crush the peppercorns with the bottom of a pan. This is an easy solution for those who don't have a mortar and pestle.

Deglaze the Pan

Deglazing the pan is the secret behind amazing sauces and gravies.

The sirloin steaks are seared in a skillet, which is a fast way to cook the steaks, but it also leaves browned bits and caramelized drippings from the meat in the pan. Those browned bits, or the fond as chef call it, serve as the base for the green peppercorn sauce. How do you deglaze a pan? You add the crushed peppercorns, red wine vinegar, beef base, and water to the pan. Then you use a spoon to scrape those bits off the bottom of the pan while stirring the sauce. It is a basic technique and easy to do, but it yields a flavorful sauce that makes your dinner taste like it was cooked by a professional chef.

The sirloin beef meal kit includes 2 sides: herbed goat cheese mashed cauliflower and wilted baby spinach with garlic. Both of these dishes only require a few ingredients and a short time to make.  Below you will find directions for how to make mashed cauliflower in the microwave.

Microwavable Mashed Cauliflower Recipe with Herbed Goat Cheese

This recipe is from Raley’s Sirloin Beef Meal Kit, and all of the necessary ingredients are included in the kit. When you make the full Sirloin Beef Meal Kit, the directions for the mashed cauliflower are intertwined with the directions for the steaks and spinach so that all three dishes are complete at the same time.

Ingredients:

• 12 – 14 ounces cauliflower florets
• 1-ounce garlic herb goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• dash of salt
• pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. Place the cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. (Leave the cauliflower in the microwave until you are ready to mash it). 
2. Remove the cauliflower from the microwave and add the herbed goat cheese; season with salt and pepper, and mash it with a fork.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and stir. 

I bought another Sirloin Beef Meal Kit this week and made it for my husband and sons one night when I was going to be out. When I came home I asked my husband if he liked the mashed cauliflower and he said, “That was cauliflower?” He did not realize that he was eating cauliflower; he seriously thought he was eating mashed potatoes!

Raley's Meal Kits

On the website, it states that the meal kits serve 2 people, but these would be large restaurant type servings. I found that they served 3 people in my family, making it a good solution when one of us is away from home at dinner time. However, we usually only consume 3 – 4 ounces of meat in one meal.

The 6 Full Meal Kit Recipes

I shared the tips and a recipe from the Sirloin Beef Meal Kit above, which includes Steak with Peppercorn Sauce, mashed cauliflower with herbed goat cheese, and baby spinach. This was a hit with the whole family.

I have also made the Chicken Tarragon Meal Kit, which includes roasted fingerling potatoes and lemon parmesan broccoli. I like how this was almost a sheet pan meal as the potatoes and broccoli were cooked on the same cookie sheet. It was a quick and easy dinner with a bright, lemon flavor.

I cooked the Salmon with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce Kit with Berbera spiced sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and kale on a night when I thought my youngest son would not be eating with us because I didn't think he would like it. However, he walked in when I was cooking it and asked if he could have some. I served him some of each of the dishes, and he ate every bite, which is a great reminder that seasoning can transform something that kids don't like into something they love. In this case, the Berbera spice was magic!

There are 3 more meal kits that I have yet to try:

Vegetable Yellow Curry Kit with Naan bread

Chicken with Red Wine Sauce Kit with egg noodles

Butter Chicken Kit served over brown rice with Naan bread

You can see all of the meal kits here.

Other Options:

Raley's Quick Kits, such as Mole Enchiladas, come with everything you need to create a recipe except the protein. You just need to pick up a rotisserie chicken and use some of the meat to quickly complete the recipe. The quick kits are a convenient way to use rotisserie chicken for multiple meals.

Save time while customizing your dinner with Raley's meal components. In the meal kit display, you will find 9 sauces, 8 precooked whole grains and starches, 8 prepped vegetables, and freshly trimmed cuts of meat. You can mix and match the components to build your own meal kit.

You can see all of the quick kits and meal components here.

Where do you find Raley's Meal Kits?

In most Raley’s locations, the meal kits can be found near the rotisserie chickens in the Fresh Deli section or at the front of the store. If you would rather spend your limited time doing something other than going grocery shopping, you can shop online, add the meal kits to your cart, and pick up the groceries or have them delivered directly to your home.

While I do my shopping at Raley’s here in Reno, you can also find the meal kits, quick kits, steamable sides, and customizable meal components at Bel Air and Nob Hill Foods. You can use the store locator to find a store near you.

Printable Recipe for Microwave Mashed Cauliflower

5.0 from 4 reviews

Microwave Mashed Cauliflower Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

This microwave mashed cauliflower recipe is a delicious and low-carb alternative to traditional mashed potatoes.

Author: Evelyn Miliate

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 12 - 14 ounces cauliflower florets
• 1-ounce garlic herb goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• dash of salt
• pinch of pepper

Directions

1. Place the cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. (Leave the cauliflower in the microwave until you are ready to mash it).
2. Remove the cauliflower from the microwave and add the herbed goat cheese; season with salt and pepper to taste, and mash it with a fork.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and stir.

3.5.3251

Have you tried any of the Raley's meal kits?