An article I was reading in the New York Daily News yesterday said that kale is going to be replaced by this next superfood in 2015. This food is so versatile, healthy, and tasty, in fact, that it’s being called the King of Vegetables.

So as you start your new year off, raise a fork to cauliflower—it’s the new kale. Nicole Lyn Pesce, the author of the article, went on to explain how, unlike the bitter green (kale), cauliflower can be used everywhere: grilled like a T-bone or battered like a chicken-fried steak, served au gratin as a mashed potato substitute, and even on crushed into gluten-free pizza crust.

Popular TV chef, Rachel Ray, says “Cauliflower is a blank canvas that takes on any flavor or personality.” She served whole roasted cauliflower with garlic ricotta cream sauce at her Thanksgiving feast. Lots of chefs are discovering that cauliflower is a great swap for mashed potatoes, is a perfect topping for shepherd’s pie, is wonderful in curries, and can even be fried as a steak.

Most of us know cauliflower as the boring bulb-like little white stuff that mom steamed the life out of. But that’s all changed. Cauliflower now shows up purple, yellow, and green. And professional chefs and creative home cooks are using it in exciting new ways.

For instance, New York Chef Harold Dieterle presents his Cauliflower Steak atop a bowl of Siamese Green Curry. A pretty clever way to satisfy vegetarians and meat lovers at the same time! “We’re always looking for vegetables that give you that meaty umami flavor, and cauliflower really feels like a protein,” says Dieterle. “It’s luscious and meaty, and we get really good feedback on it,” says this “Top Chef” winner.

Another chef, Amanda Cohen agrees. She slices the head into steaks and tenderizes it with steam, then breads these “steaks” in flour and ancho chili powder and fries then until golden brown.

Other chefs are experimenting with different ways to bake it. One chef in Midtown Manhattan encrusts a whole cauliflower head in salt and bits of chicken skin before baking it, which keeps it light and moist throughout the cooking process. The addition of crispy chicken skin and salt gives the illusion of eating chicken, but the texture is much lighter and of course, so are the calories.

This vitamin C-loaded member of the Brassicaceae family also bakes into a great bread, biscuit, or pizza crust base.

Some folks steam or roast it and puree it, then blend it into a tasty roux that then becomes the base for a much less starchy chowder.

Myself, I like to steam and mash it. It’s such a perfect alternative to much starchier potatoes; it takes on the spuds’ consistency after getting chopped and smashed, and it easily absorbs the flavors of butter and garlic.

Because cauliflower doesn’t have a tremendous water make-up, you can do a lot with it: caramelize it, puree it, mash it; the list goes on. Whereas with kale, you can pan roast it, but other than that, options are more limited.

And the ongoing low-carb and gluten-free craze is also giving cauliflower a boost. New cauliflower-based products are emerging weekly that are replacing potatoes and grains. Take Cauliflower Crust Pizza from Absolutely Gluten Free, which just hit the frozen food aisle this fall, and Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gratin, which the chain calls “gourmet mac n’ cheese,” for instance.

The bottom line to cauliflower? It’s full of dietary fiber, it’s a fantastic source of vitamin C, and it’s low in calories. This superfood also contains detoxifying vitamins B and K, Omega-3s and manganese. Diners can enjoy as much of the 150-calorie-a-head cauliflower as they want, with no guilt attached.

And the new colorful versions are even better: orange cauliflower contains 25% more vitamin A than white cauliflower, while the green version (also known as broccoflower) packs more protein. Purple cauliflower is high in antioxidants, and pointy romanesco (which resembles an alien cactus) has even more fiber than the white and has a nuttier taste and crunch.

In closing I have to say that while I’ve always liked cauliflower, as a result of my research, I’m now in awe of it, and can hardly wait to try some of these ideas. It’s easy to see why food trend watchers are calling cauliflower the 2015 King of Vegetables!