Before Tom and I got married, I received 95% of my protein intake from greek yogurt & peanut butter.

It’s not that I didn’t like meat, it’s just that it seemed like a lot of work to make when I was only cooking for one. Also, peanut butter is basically the most delicious food on earth.

{Note: I have recently been trying to cut back on my peanut butter intake. I used to be able to eat an entire Jif Whips container in a little over a week–which is, you know, maybe a tad bit (okay, extremely) excessive. I have literally been going through peanut butter withdrawals.}

Sorry—must. stop. dreaming. about. peanut. butter. Okay, what was I saying? Oh right: PROTEIN.

When Tom and I got married, I knew I had to expand my horizons in the whole protein-arena…so I went back to my grandma’s cookbook (aka my cooking bible) to try and find some recipes that would satisfy his desire for what I knew he wanted more than anything: good ol’ meat & potatoes.

While I was searching, I stumbled upon an old family favorite: Country Ribs & Kraut–the one recipe in my family’s repertoire that leans on our non-Scandinavian background and actually embraces our German roots. It’s got meat, it’s got sauerkraut, and it’s got mashed potatoes.

Would Tom love this? Check, check, & check.

I’d cooked this recipe a few times before for special occasions (like when we asked our best friends in the whole world to be in our wedding party) because it’s a dish that just feels familial, warm, and inviting. It’s a cozy meal that’s meant to be shared, and it’s one that you will almost have to share with your neighbors if they catch a whiff of its enticing aroma that’s delectably both sweet and savory. And that’s just the smell.

So, as you can guess, there was only one problem with this amazing dish: I hesitated in wanting to cook it regularly because of the potatoes. Why? Lots of carbohydrates + pre-diabetes aren’t exactly an award-winning recipe. And the mashed potato substitute recipes I had tried before tasted like (in Tom’s words) “cauliflower cream-of-wheat“.

Um, gross.

So, where’s the compromise?

Here’s our answer:

• Delicious melt-in-your-mouth (and almost sinfully simple) pork country ribs
• Mellowed caraway sauerkraut with a perfect balance of both sweet and sour flavors
• Surprisingly delicious cauliflower mashed “potatoes” made with cottage cheese
  • Most cauliflower mash recipes either call for cream cheese (might as well eat the real deal at that point) or 0% greek yogurt (no fat=no flavor). 2% cottage cheese is the secret ingredient here…and one that was Tom’s idea!
• A side of perfectly in-season honeycrisp apples that complements the pork perfectly

| Country Ribs & Caraway Kraut with Cauliflower Mash and Honeycrisp Apples |

Serves: 6 Tom’s or 8 Alaina’s

Ingredients Needed:

For the ribs & kraut:

• 8 boneless pork country ribs (about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs of meat–buy it in a family pack!)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2- 14 oz. cans of sauerkraut
• 4 tsp. caraway seed

For the cauliflower mash:

• 2- 12 oz. bags of steam-in-the-bag frozen cauliflower
• 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
• 2 tsp. chicken stock
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • Yes, you need the garlic–it’s the magic that takes away the cauliflowery-ness! 
• Salt/pepper to taste (around 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of each)

For the side:

• 1 large Honeycrisp apple, sliced
  • You can also substitute other crisp apples like SweeTango or Fuji

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Prepare ribs
  • Generously salt and pepper both sides of the ribs and place in an ungreased oven-safe dish that can hold all ribs without overlapping
• Cook ribs uncovered in the oven for 25 minutes

While the ribs are cooking, mix your kraut…

• Empty two cans of sauerkraut (including juices) into a bowl
• Stir in caraway seed

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! 25 minutes have passed and your ribs are ready to be added to the kraut…

• Remove ribs from pan and place on a plate; set aside
• Add your caraway kraut to the rib pan and stir it in with the juices the ribs left behind
• Replace ribs on top of the kraut–ensuring they are flipped so that the side that was on top during the first part of cooking is now on the bottom
• Return dish to oven and set timer for 45 minutes

While the ribs & kraut are becoming even more delicious, make your mash…

• Cook your bags of steam-in-the-bag cauliflower according to the directions on the package (usually about 6 minutes a bag)
• Once steamed, carefully dump your steamed florets into a food processor (be so careful opening those bags after microwaving…it’s so easy to burn yourself!)
• Process on low (pulsing, if needed) until all florets are crumbled
• Once crumbled, add half of the cottage cheese and pulse to combine; then remove lid and stir in 1 tsp. of the chicken stock
• After stirring, add remaining cottage cheese and pulse to combine; then again remove lid and stir in second tsp. of chicken stock
• Add minced garlic, salt, and pepper and then quickly pulse to mix (be careful not to over-process!)
• Empty mixture into oven-safe container and pop into the oven uncovered with your ribs
  • They can cook for as little as fifteen minutes or as long as a half an hour–just keep them in until your ribs are done
  • The point of putting them in the oven is twofold: 1) To get the cottage cheese to slightly melt and make the mixture more creamy and 2) To keep them warm!

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! 45 minutes have passed and your ribs should be done…

• Check ribs–if sauerkraut is bubbling away and the ribs have slightly browned–you’re ready to go; if not yet done, continue checking every five minutes

Time to plate!

• Remove ribs and mash from the oven
• Prepare plates with ribs and kraut spooned over the mash
• Serve with sliced apples

YUM.

Beyond the fact that this recipe is beyond tasty, it’s amazing for other reasons too:

• It’s crazy cheap–all of the meat in this dish should cost you $7 to $8 dollars
• It’s crazy easy–it’s simple enough to do on any weeknight…and there’s not even much clean-up!
• Sauerkraut is full of probiotics (the good-for-your-gut stuff that’s also in yogurt!)–especially if you use non-pasteurized sauerkraut
• It can feed a crowd, but it also makes amazing leftovers
• The fake mashed potataoes do NOT taste like cream of wheat (#winning)

{Pssst…have you been reading this post and the entire time thinking that I am a crazy woman and that you would never in a million years eat sauerkraut? I swear this dish will convert you. The cooking time mellows the kraut so that you only get a hint of the pickled flavor and when eaten with the mash it’s almost like it just adds just a bit of sweet saltiness}

If you’re still nervous about this dish, my meat-and-potatoes Hungry Man himself asks for this dish on a weekly basis–it’s that good. I promise.

Overall, this dish has made me a believer that we can regularly enjoy meat & potatoes together…although I still will make the “real deal” (ie: mashed potatoes) when cooking for special occasions…or when it’s negative 30 degrees outside and you just need some stick-to-your-ribs potatoes to stay warm.

Why? Because life is about balance. And because potatoes are delicious.

…as is peanut butter…and speaking of, I think I may need to go find some for a quick snack…

Here’s to continuing to make culinary compromises—all in the name of love.

xoxo, alaina