Cauliflower Rice

Warm weather and summer time is a great time to lighten the load.  Consider reducing your grains, sugar, and heavy meats.  It works for me, and just might for you too!

My favorite replacement for rice (and recipes like pizza crust and popcorn substitute) is cauliflower.  Use for stir-fry, in burritos, and a base for Bibimbap. This is not my favorite vegetable, but prepared in these ways, I’m on board.  Plus, cauliflower is in the cruciferous vegetable family – one of the top anti-cancer fighting food groups.

Need a little more scientific reasons to eat your cauliflower? There are three main phytochemicals contained in cruciferous vegetables:  sulforaphane, indole-3 carbinole (I3C), and crambene.  Each of these phytochemicals has their own superpowers, but research has shown that each one of them works more efficiently in the presence of the other two.  Just another reason to eat your vegetables whole (instead of only in vitamins).

All you need for this is a food processor, and woop!! — easier than pie, and faster than cooking rice.

1 head of cauliflower

To Prepare:

 

Break up the cauliflower into pieces small enough to fit into food processor.  Using the s-blade, pulse until rice like consistency is achieved.

Eat raw with added seasonings or cook for a softer texture.

To Cook:

Choose 1 of the 3 methods below.

Steam on the stove top.
Fill a sauce pan with an inch of water.  Add cauliflower to a fine mesh collander that fits in sauce pan. Cover and steam for about 3 minutes over medium heat.

Roast in the oven.
Preheat oven to 425F. Spread cauliflower rice out on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes, flipping the “rice” at least 1x.

Fry in pan.
Heat pan on medium.  Add olive oil or coconut oil to pan. Add cauliflower rice and saute for about 5 minutes or until toasty or cooked through.

Season:

Seasoning is the trick here.  Add salt, pepper, spices, tamari sauce, ginger, garlic…whatever your taste buds desire!

 

Make a big batch all at once and then freeze for later use.