Intrigued? What is the ‘secret ingredient’, you ask? Cauliflower. Yup! Cauliflower makes a great stand-in for traditional rice. Oh yes, you can google cauliflower rice…but you better be prepared for the many-many-many recipes, healthy-living blogposts and articles that you will find!
Cauliflower ‘rice’ fits so perfectly into our healthy-but-oh-so-yummy POV. (Click here to check out some nutritional facts about cauliflower.) And here are links to a couple of articles I found so interesting…they will surely expand your vision of some of the myriad ways that you can use cauliflower as a substitute in some very appealing recipes! Check ’em out!
How-To Substitute Cauliflower Deliciously….
25 Of the Best Cauliflower Recipes on Pinterest
Here in our home we have enjoyed <really enjoyed!> ‘riced’ cauliflower as the pinch-hitter in fried rice, rice pudding, Cauliflower&Veggies and, most recently, in Mexican Rice. This Mexican Rice would be a nice side dish to the recipe Dana shared with us last week… Veggie Burritos. Season this ‘rice’ dish in the ways that your family would enjoy…toss in some finely diced jalapenos or add a can of chipotle in adobo or simply add a tiny bit of crushed red pepper for some spiciness! Enjoy!
Mexican Cauliflower Rice
ingredients:
1 medium-sized head of cauliflower, “riced” **
2 tablespoons olive oil (or fat of your choice)
1 cup bell peppers (red, yellow, or green), diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder (I used chipotle)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used Rotel brand)
assorted toppings: diced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, guacamole
directions:
** to make “riced” cauliflower, break the head of cauliflower into florets cutting off large stems (save for soup!). place the florets in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until it breaks down and resembles pieces of rice (this only takes 10 or so ‘pulses’). or you can simply use a cheese (box) grater. always process the cauliflower for “rice” while it is still raw.
- heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat
- add onion and sauté for 5 minutes
- add diced peppers and continue to saute for additional 5 minutes
- lower heat and add chopped garlic and seasonings; stir constantly for 1-2 minutes
- add in the “riced” cauliflower and stir to mix all veggies and seasonings together
- stir in the tomato products and broth; raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil
- cover and lower heat to a simmer
- cook ‘til liquids have been absorbed (20-25 minutes)
- taste (carefully!) for additional seasoning
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
God loves you! ♥ (Don’t ever forget that!)
♥ coleen
