I made it a full 6 weeks into my Paleo Lifestyle before attempting cauliflower rice. I tried cauliflower mash - because right after cake on my list of all time favorite foods came mashed potatoes.
I was not impressed. And my kids were even less impressed. It tasted exactly like cauliflower - and not the roasted cauliflower they liked...the steamed cauliflower I remember from my childhood...and not in a good way!
But, let's face it - a stir fry is the easiest dinner to pull together if you have a fridge full of chopped veggies and some chicken breast. And we always put our stir fries over rice. No noodles for us - we are a rice family. So, I made some. And, since the first Paleo cookbook I bought was Paleo Takeout by Russ Crandall, I was privvy to the best darned cauliflower rice recipe! And that's the way I've made it ever since.
I'm not 100% sure of the rules of sharing a recipe from a published cookbook, but I can promise you this cookbook is an investment you should make. I'll give you the basics or you can find a recipe on Pinterest or the internet - this is just so good!...and it only requires 5 ingredients - 1 head of cauliflower, 1 T melted coconut oil, 1 T fish sauce, white pepper and sea salt. The hardest part is processing the cauliflower into rice-like bits...my food processor will only handle small quantities (maybe 1/5 of the head) at a time, but now that I love it - I take the time to do it right. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the "rice", stir, pour out onto a parchment line baking sheet and roast in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or so, stirring halfway through. I actually run a fork back and forth through mine so it doesn't fly all over the place.
I usually make 2 batches and freeze one. If you have room in your freezer to let it freeze on the sheet pan before putting it into a container or freezer bag, it will freeze perfectly and last for at least a month or two. (Mine has never lasted longer than 2 weeks, I use it for a lot of different things!)
My new favorite side dish is Cauliflower Rice Pilaf.
All of my pilafs start the exact same way:
Basic Pilaf Base Recipe
Melt 1 T coconut oil (or your favorite Paleo oil) in a non-stick pan
Add 1/2 chopped onion or shallot (or scallion) and saute at medium low heat until softened (about 5 minutes)
Add 1 T of spice (see recipe ideas below) and 1 clove of finely minced garlic (optional), stir to combine and saute for another minute or two
Add 3 cups (or one batch) of cauliflower rice, stir and add 1/4 cup of bone broth (I always have chicken bone broth or chicken stock on hand)
Then you stir in your "pilaf goodies" (recipe ideas below), stir, reduce heat to low, cover and let the flavors steam together for 10 minutes or so.
After that - you can crank the heat up and turn this into a stir fry and get some good brown crust on your rice, but you have to stay vigilant or it can burn in a hot second! It really depends on what you are using the cauli rice for and what you are in the mood for! I like softer, steamed pilafs for most of my dishes, but if I'm tossing everything in a pan - leftover chicken and veggies, for example - I like the crispier, stir-fried version. Up to you!
Here are my three favorite "pilaf goodie" combinations:
Apricot Almond Pilaf
1/2 cup of chopped dried (sugar free) apricots
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
1/4 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pistachio Dried Cherry Pilaf
1/2 cup of chopped dried (sugar free) sweet cherries
1/2 cup of chopped pistachios
1 T orange zest
Juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mushroom Kale Rice Pilaf
1 cup sliced mushrooms & kale, sauted in ghee - this requires you to have leftover sauteed mushrooms and kale (you can substitute spinach) OR you can use a separate pan and saute the mushrooms and kale before you start the pilaf (I saute kale, spinach, mushrooms and onions every week as part of my meal prep)
1/2 cup of roasted, chopped walnuts
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t each garlic and onion powder
1 pinch of dried red pepper flake
You can play around with all you favorite flavor combinations - citrus zest and juice with chili powder and cilantro, dried pineapple with basil and macadamia nuts with a touch of ancho chili powder and coconut sugar, or use any leftover roasted non-root veggies (chopped) with chopped pecans and tons of black pepper.
A lot of times, I will let the protein I am serving be the inspiration for what I toss in the pan - but sometimes, I know exactly what pilaf I am craving (the apricot almond is my current obsession) and I spice my chicken or turkey or salmon accordingly so the pilaf can be the star! (By the way - the mushroom kale pilaf makes a beautiful bed for bison burgers treated with nothing more than sea salt and black pepper....sorry, I get carried away not just when I'm cooking, but also when I thinking about cooking or talking about cooking or typing about cooking!!!!)
Quick shopping tip - if you have a Trader Joe's, they have the best selection at the best prices of sugar free, raw and organic dried fruits and nuts. Eating Paleo turns you into a label reader and expert shopper pretty quickly - but if you're new to this - this is my gift to you! HEB, Central Market, Sprouts and Whole Foods carry these items too...but many times, I have found them to be more expensive and not always available.
I hope you enjoy these Cauliflower Rice Pilaf ideas - and as always - please leave a comment with your questions or favorite flavor combinations. #eathappy
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