Cauliflower Rice

There has been a lot of buzz already about this ‘Paleo rice’ made with cauliflower…  I don’t know who came up with the idea so I don’t know who to credit.  But it is brilliant! 

And from a Weight Watcher’s perspective, it is one of those easy versatile ideas, that we should all have at the ready and pull out to use over and over and over.

I first discovered this ‘Cauliflower Rice’ when I was on my Whole30 Paleo journey, in January of this year.  And I was blown away by the taste and the great texture, and wondered why I had never discovered it before!

I know that not everyone is a fan of the flavor of cauliflower, but I can honestly attest to the fact, that, prepared this way, it is very mild, and takes on the taste of the other foods that you eat with it.  If any of you have had 'Faux Mashed Potatoes’ or ‘Popcorn’ made with cauliflower,  you will know how what I mean.

And this dish is so versatile… you can prepared it Asian-style with some onions, garlic, slivered peppers, and enjoy it as fried rice, adding some eggs, or sliced port, or turkey or chicken for protein.  If you are eating Paleo or soy-free you can use Coconut Aminos in place of soy sauce… if gluten-free you can  use a Tamari sauce… or if you don’t have any food restrictions, use good old soy sauce.

Or you can make it plain... If I am making up a large batch, and not sure how I will use the leftovers, I don’t add the sauce… then it is more like a plain rice that can be used with chilis, stews, curries, and so on.  You can add other veggies like mushrooms, or zukes or carrots, or none at all and just cook the cauliflower.

The amount you have will depends on the size of the head of cauliflower. If it yields more than you need, and you are going to have leftovers, you can either store the raw, riced cauliflower in the fridge and cook it another day, or you can go ahead and cook it all, and then store the cooked leftovers in the fridge for a few days. Then you can heat the cooked leftovers in the mike if you like, to put together a quick meal.

The Captain really likes Cabbage Roll Casserole, from a recipe given to us by an old friend years ago. Yesterday I made one, leaving out the rice. At dinner time, I cooked rice for The Captain to have with his, and I quickly heated up some leftover plain Cauliflower Rice to have with mine.

It is is simple. It is tasty. It is low calorie and low fat.. and cauliflower is a cruciferous veggie that is very good for us, nutritionally.

Cauliflower Rice
Makes 4 servings

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 Tbs coconut oil for frying (optional)
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbs soy sauce, Tamari or Coconut Aminos (optional)

1. Remove the outer leaves from a head of cauliflower and discard them.
2. Wash the cauliflower and pat it dry.
3. Cut or break it into large chunks.  Discard the tough centre core.
4. Place the cauliflower pieces into your food processor and process on low speed until it is chopped roughly into large rice-sized bits. Discard or reprocess any large chunks that might be left.
5. If you are using coconut oil, place it in large skillet over MEDIUM heat, otherwise lightly coat skillet with non-stick spray.
6. Add cauliflower and other veggies and stir-fry till cooked through. This  may take 10 to 12 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, if using, part way through cooking and stir into the veggie mixture.
7. Remove from heat and serve.

Per serving, with coconut oil.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories 99; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 15g; Fat 4g; Fibre 6g.

From a WW perspective, the only thing we are counting here, is the oil, so if you don’t use it, you are looking at a zero points plus dish.

Place the cauliflower chunks in the food processor.

Stop the processing occasionally to make sure that the pieces don’t get too small.

Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet and add the veggies.

Stir frequently as it all cooks.

The rice, cooked and plated..

and with sliced, baked chicken breast added.

Here served with shrimp and coconut sauce.

Here served with stir-fried chicken and veggies.




And another serving of chicken with veggies.

Printable Recipe

Have you tried this yet?

What is your favorite way to eat cauliflower?