Olympics Opening Ceremonies Meal: Low-Carb Shepherd's Pie

We are having an impromptu gathering to watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Summer Olympics tonight.  I wanted a traditional British meal that would fit with our South Beach diet.  Cooking Light magazine has a selection of lightened up traditional British recipes, but none of them is exactly low carb.  But with a few modifications, I'll be making low carb Shepherd's Pie and I think it should be super yummy!
 

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The Cooking Light Shepherd's Pie recipe uses packaged mashed potatoes and a little added sugar in the ground beef mixture.  For my version, I will prepare mashed cauliflower, and omit the added sugar. 

To prepare mashed cauliflower:

Steam one bunch of cauliflower (about 45 minutes or until desired doneness).  Puree cauliflower with approximately 1/4 cup of softened butter or butter substitute.   Add half and half or skim milk gradually until you get your desired consistency (probably about 2-4 Tbsp.).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Then I'll follow the Cooking Light recipe below, but use the cauliflower mash instead of potatoes and omit the sugar.

• 2 cups prepared mashed potatoes (such as Simply Potatoes)
• 3/4 pound ground sirloin
• 3/4 cup picante sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese $

Preparation

1. Prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions; keep warm.
2. Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in picante sauce, water, cumin, sugar, salt, and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).
3. Remove from heat. Spoon mashed potatoes over meat mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Note: Prepared mashed potatoes are found in the refrigerated section of larger grocers. They only need a few minutes in the microwave to reheat.

Here is how our version turned out, paired with sauteed green beans.

Enjoy the Olympics!!