If you’re anything like me, you’re feeling remorse from everything you ate at Thanksgiving.  I mean, let’s face it, Thanksgiving isn’t just one meal.  Who doesn’t indulge in a second (or third) portion later in the day?  Then you have all the leftovers that span for days.  The gluttonous portions of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, dinner rolls, and all those fantastic pumpkin desserts are scrumptious going in.  But when I jumped on the scale, I nearly passed out at the damage I did.  Time to rotate in some lean and green recipes to shave off some pounds before the festivities of Christmas begin.  This Cauliflower Chicken Skillet with Mushrooms and Gruyere is perfect for that. 

The protein in the chicken makes it filling, and you get a nice helping of veggies with the cauliflower and mushrooms.  You can skip the cheese to make it even leaner (but for this dish, I don’t mind the extra calories because the Gruyere gives it a nice flavor).  I love using rotisserie chicken as a shortcut any time I can, and this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make.  Quick and easy, nice and filling, and reasonably low in calories; a perfect way to do some holiday damage control.  

Cauliflower Chicken Skillet with Mushrooms and Gruyere

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small heads organic cauliflower, cut into large florets

• 1 rotisserie chicken

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 ½ cups button mushrooms, sliced

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

 Directions:

Bring a 4.5-quart pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook cauliflower 10-12 minutes or until very tender when pierced with a fork. 

Drain.  Using the same pot, wipe it out with a paper towel to dry it and put the drained cauliflower back in.  Mash the cauliflower with a potato masher until it’s the size of cauliflower rice.

While the cauliflower is cooking, cut up and shred the rotisserie chicken.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the mushrooms and saute until browned and tender, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cauliflower, chicken broth, and shredded chicken.  Cook, stirring continuously until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and stir in Gruyere.  Plate and top with grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.