Cauliflower Rice

First let me apologize for the awful pictures. I always forget to take a pretty after picture, but hey, this is real and not staged so what you see is what you get.

I don’t want to slam other food blogs because I visit them all the time, but dang they are getting out of hand with information and overloaded with pictures. Can I please just get a little narrative and then the recipe? Maybe a few pictures but most of the time it’s just a different angle of the same thing. But I digress…

Anyway, this is one of my go to recipes when it’s time to do a little healthier eating. Wish my family was a little more into it than they are so we could eat it more often. I like serving this with Pork Chile Verde or other proteins that have a bit of sauce or juice. It works great if you are into meal prep. I just measure a bit of the “rice” in the bottom of the dish and then add my protein or even sauteed veggies and I have meals or lunches for a few days.

There are a couple ways to “rice” your cauliflower. I prefer using my food processor because it goes so much faster and saves my knuckles. But if you don’t have one you can use a box grater and grate the head of cauliflower. Of course you can always buy prepackaged riced cauliflower in the freezer section of most grocery stores now as well. I found that they have a bit larger grain than mine that I really like.

You’ll no doubt have to do a couple of batches in order to finish up the whole head.

Have more than you need right away? I’ve had good luck freezing it in small batches. Just be aware that after they defrost there will be extra moisture. I drain the extra water and let the drained cauliflower sit on paper towels to finish absorbing the excess water.

 

 

Cauliflower Rice

Makes 2-4 servings

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped (or shredded works great)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1.To “rice” the cauliflower, place half of the florets in a food processor and pulse into a rice-like consistency, 15 to 20 pulses. (Don’t over-crowd the cauliflower in the food processor, and don’t over-pulse or the florets will get mushy.) Repeat to rice the remaining florets.

2.In a large skillet, melt the ghee over medium heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the ghee is hot, add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic is aromatic, about 1 minute.

3.Add the riced cauliflower to the skillet and mix thoroughly with the rest of the vegetables. Add the chicken broth, cover the pan with a lid, and steam until you’ve arrived at a rice-like consistency, 10 to 12 minutes. (The cauliflower should be tender, but not mushy or wet.)

4.Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the chopped cilantro. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

 

Don’t be afraid to experiment with other veggies and flavors. I want to try a fried rice version by adding a little low sodium soy sauce, peas and a scrambled egg. Or how about a little saffron (or turmeric and paprika) with peas and onion to make a yellow “rice“. Add sautéed mushrooms and parsley or thyme. Anything you’d add to rice you can add to this.