Oh cauliflower…
Why have I become so obsessed with you? Is it because cauliflower is so abundant during the winter months and this winter was incredibly long? Possibly.
Or perhaps I made this particular recipe because when a friend of mine asked me how to make cauliflower rice, I just looked at her with a blank stare….
I don’t like being out of the loop. And apparently cauliflower rice is very “in” right now. Who knew?!… Well thanks to my friend, now I do—and by reading this—you are now informed as well.
The morning after I was told about this new cauliflower rice craze, I saw a morning news segment about how people were buying so much of it that Trader Joes was temporarily out of stock. Really Matt Lauer?! You couldn’t have aired this the day before so I didn’t look like such a cooking novice?!
At the risk of offending people, I’m going to go out on a limb and put Trader Joes on the same ‘obnoxious’ scale I have for Zabars and Whole Foods. They are both approximately a 10 on my richter scale of hate. I KNOW!! I KNOW!! They’re so trendy, and so healthy, and so organic. But you can never get out of there in under an hour–with those ridiculously long lines and misplaced foods in aisles that NO ONE would ever imagine them to be on!
I’m sorry. I realize I have digressed a little.
Zabars… Trader Joes… Richter scale of hate… Matt Lauer… Oh yes—cauliflower rice—that’s where I was.
So, due to the unattainable store-bought cauliflower rice situation (not at all having anything to do with my annoyance for specialty chain stores), I decided to make my own!
Turns out, it’s really quite simple…
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 6 minutes | Total Time: 11 minutes
Yields: 4 cups rice
Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower head
…. (Yep! That’s all you need!)
1. Remove leaves from cauliflower head and cut into quarters.
2. With a cheese grater, grate cauliflower quarters using the side with the largest holes.
3. Place cauliflower rice on a paper towel and press out any liquid.
4. Heat pan over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray (no oil!). Add cauliflower rice. Cook ~6 minutes, or until it starts to brown.
5. Season to taste.
The Cook’s 2 cents:
· I like to use a cheese grater instead of a food processor because I think it tastes more “rice like”. The “rice” pieces are a little larger with the grater, and with the food processor I feel like it comes out too moist.
· Don’t use oil when cooking the “rice.” It ends up being too wet. Actually, you don’t even need nonstick spray, but it can make your pan a little difficult to clean if you don’t use it.
Nutrition facts:
Servings per recipe: 4 Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 36 Fat: 0g Sodium: 43 mg Carbs: 8g Fiber: 4g Sugars: 4g Protein: 3g
