Feel like cooking rice tonight? This time, consider using cauliflower as your base instead of grain.
Cauliflower has become a highly popular, low-carb alternative to the staple side dish. Just like rice, it can be steamed until tender, and holds its shaped when cooked. It’s pretty neutral in flavor, but absorbs all of the tastiness of whatever you happen to prepare it with. And best of all, it doesn’t require 20-40 minutes of slow and careful simmering on the stove!
There are numerous fast and easy ways to turn a bulbous head of cauliflower into little grains of “rice.” You can use a sharp knife to mince the separated florets into teeny pieces, or a microplane or grater to quickly shave them down.
Of course, going the blender or food processor route is simplest of all. Just let those mechanized blades transform your cauliflower into a bowlful of rice-sized flecks!
Cauliflower Rice Recipes
All that’s left is to cook your cauliflower, and as opposed to actual rice, options extend well beyond boiling or steaming. Tossed in a pan of hot oil, Spiced Cauliflower Rice is a gorgeous accompaniment to stews and curries, but is every bit as enjoyable on its own.
And when you brown cauliflower rice in coconut oil, then plump it up in bone broth and sea salt, you have an awesome base for Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry.
It’s not just an ideal swap for short or long grain rice….you can use it in place of African couscous or indulgent Italian Risotto, folded with cream, truffle oil and cheese.
Pressed into crust, cauliflower rice is an excellent, gluten-free answer to Pizza. And believe it or not, cauliflower rice can even be incorporated into smoothies. It lends the texture of frozen bananas without all that sugar, proving there’s really no limit to what a head of cauliflower can do!
