"Faux"-tatoes? (and easy Parmesan chicken!)

A couple weeks ago, I came across a dinner recipe I knew I wanted to try: Parmesan chicken and "faux"-tatoes.

The "faux"-tatoes were made from cauliflower. I had visions of fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes made with a less starchy and presumably more healthy vegetable (which my kids might not eat as readily).

You steam the cauliflower in the microwave, then you're supposed to be able to mash it with a potato masher.

This is where I should have figured out my dreams were not going to come true. My potato masher has a round, flat bottom, and didn't do anything to the cauliflower. I resorted to the food processor pretty quickly.

I added the recommended sour cream and pepper into the food processor, and while it tasted good, there was something missing. (In addition to any resemblance to potatoes.) I thought of real potatoes and added milk, butter, and salt, and continued food processing. It did get smoother and fluffier.

The last step is to mix in some cheese (I used shredded Parmesan), put it into a casserole dish, top with more cheese and bake until warm and golden brown.

It looked perfect!

It tasted like little tiny bits of cauliflower in a tasty sauce. Which is tasty enough, but my poor dreams of healthier "faux"-tatoes were sadly shattered.

The Parmesan chicken turned out pretty well, however, and because this is a recipe on the Internet, I made it with a few changes ;) . Which is to say, I did whatever I wanted. (Wayward, hello?)

I mixed some breadcrumbs with a spice mix we got at the North Carolina state farmer's market and dredged the chicken in them, then broiled them for a couple minutes. After I flipped them, I added shredded Parmesan on top and broiled them for a couple minutes again.

For the sauce, I used a can of diced tomatoes with sweet onions. I poured about half the 14-oz can into a 8x8 baking dish, added the remaining breadcrumb/spice mix and some minced garlic and stirred.

Once the chicken was ready, I placed the pieces in my sauce, poured the rest of the tomatoes over the top and topped with mozzarella. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and enjoy!

We really liked the texture of the diced tomatoes instead of a traditional pureed marinara, and the flavor had a great kick.

What wayward or wonderful recipes have you tried lately?