Cauliflower Rice and All Things Nice…

Okay, so that may have been a silly title, but I thought the rhyme was cute.

Lately, it seems like everyone I know is going PALEO. What does this mean, you ask? Basically, it is getting back to eating for optimal health, like we did in caveman times. This means eating only whole, unprocessed foods that are packed with nutrients our bodies thrive on. You can probably guess all the foods that are off limits when a person eats this way–packaged goods, dairy , wheat, to name a few! People who “go paleo” tend to stick to lean meats, vegetables, nuts and seeds and fruits.

One of the foods many people say they miss when they try to eat paleo-style is typically grains, such as pasta and rice. I have creates many dishes using spaghetti squash as pasta, but never created any dishes using a vegetable substitute for rice. A popular one I have seen go around over the past few months is cauliflower “rice.” I am sure this has been around awhile, but I decided more recently I would try my hand at creating a cauliflower rice recipe of my very own.

I can tell you this “rice” turned out tasting delicious, but the one thing I would do differently next time is just put the cauliflower in the food processor and process it until it was at the desired “rice” texture. I made the mistake of adding a small onion into the mix half way, and had to process that and ended up blending the whole mixture too long, so the consistency came out more “cauliflower mashed potatoes.” No big deal, just for next time, I will keep that in mind. But this is a great ideate add to a piece of grilled chicken and steamed broccoli , or even mix with a salad. Cauliflower is SUPER low calorie, at 29 calories in ONE CUP. Not to mention it contains tons of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and fiber, and has been known to support cancer fighting diets and decrease inflammation in the body.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

1 head of organic cauliflower, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (or you can just use a little more coconut oil if you don’t want to use butter)
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 tsp. Trader Joe’s Lemon pepper
1 tsp. Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Chop up the cauliflower, throw it in the food processor and grind it to your liking
Chop the onion
Put the onion, oils/butter in a skillet, sauté for 2-3 minutes
Add the cauliflower mix
Cover the skillet for 5-10 minutes on medium heat until the “rice” is softened
Add the seasonings

This should keep for a few days, if you don’t finish it all right away. You can also play around and use other seasonings.