Cauliflower "Rice"

Quick, easy, healthy, vegan, gluten free, low cal, filling and even pretty tasty :-)

Source: Many blogs for example Everyday Maven has nice step-by-step pictures



Taste: 5 (out of 5)

Difficulty: 2 (out of 5), and not 1 because I am too lazy to chop cauliflower in batches



Ingredients:

- 1 medium sized cauliflower (140 cal)

- 1/2 tbsp olive or canola oil (60 cal)

- pepper and salt (optional)

Total: 200 cal, 4 servings, 50 cal/serving



Directions:

1. Wash cauliflower, cut it, discard the core and break of the florettes until you have pieces of approximately the same size.

2. Place the florettes in a food porcessor in 1 layer, do not overcrowd the food processor. In my food processor I have to shred a medium sized cauliflower in 3-4 batches.

3. Process until you get "rice" consistency. In my case I let the food processor run on high for 10 seconds and then pulse for 2 seconds 5 times.

4. At this stage you freeze a batch of your cauliflower rice in a zip lock bag for future use. You could then defrost the batch for 15-30 minutes and cook as usual. It turns a little mushier than freshly cooked, but pretty similar.

5. In a large non-stick frying pan heat 1/2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat, add the cauliflower and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. You can also add salt and pepper or other spices (turmeric, cumin, etc) while cooking. Or don't add anything if you want plained steamed rice.



Afterthoughts:

This is a really nice trick to make your meal healthier and eat waaaay less calories. In one cup of white rice there are 200 calories, in one cup of cauliflower rice there are 50: you save 75% of calories! And taste / texture - wise it works pretty well as a substitute for the "real" thing. Especially if you make fried rice, you might never notice the difference.