Reading Time: 3 minutesCauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables out there. It’s great in lots of forms — roasted, mashed, in a gratin, and even made into pizza crust. Being able to work with and manipulate cauliflower will open up a lot of meal opportunities.
Today, I’m going show you a basic that everyone should know how to make — meat eaters and vegetarians alike. It not only replaces on old, pre-Challenge staple, but it’s delicious, as well. This week’s basic is cauliflower rice.
This is a basic recipe that will get you to white “rice” (adapted from a Nom Nom Paleo recipe). From there, you can experiment with all kinds of ingredients from veggies and herbs to nuts and meat. Another great cauliflower rice recipe for the adventurous is V Capaldi’s Paleo Perfect Risotto.
Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 small onion chopped
- Fat (butter, coconut oil, etc.)
Instructions
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Break your cauliflower head into florets. They should be roughly the same size. This doesn't have to be exact, but it makes processing easier.
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Put your florets into the food processor. If it's a small head, you may be able to do this all at once. If not, don't be afraid to do it in batches. Sometimes you'll get a rogue floret that refuses to get chopped. Don't keep going at the batch until you get it. When the batch is the size of rice grains, remove it. Add any un-chopped florets to the next batch. (Some people claim to do this on a box grater. I never have and it doesn't sound like much fun.)
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Heat your fat in a pan over a medium flame. You can do this in a skillet or a pot. Remember, this is basic. You don't have to get too picky about things.
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Add your onions. They'll sizzle a bit. but they shouldn't screech. Keep cooking and stirring until they're soft and semi-translucent. This is the stage where you will add anything else the you want to cook with the rice — garlic, chopped peppers, celery, carrots, pine nuts, raisins, etc.
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Add the chopped cauliflower and stir to combine. Add any seasoning you want to add at this point. Salt, at least, but it's up to you.
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Cover the pan or skillet and let cook for 5-10 minutes. If you want to keep your eye on it, you can also leave the top open and stir the rice to move the cooler "rice" on top to the heat on the bottom. The cauliflower should retain some bite. Don't let it go to mush — that's mashed cauliflower.
He graduated from UCLA with a BA in philosophy as well as a degree from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and feels food is one of the most important parts of a life - it can nourish, heal, and bring people together.
Michael believes health and well-being are as much a state of mind as they are a state of the body, and when it comes to fitness, food, and life in general, he thinks slow is much better than fast (most of the time). Stopping regularly to examine things is the surest way to put down roots and grow.
He knows he will never be done with his own work, and believes the best thing you can do for your well-being starts with loving and working from what you’ve got right now.
