Do you love 1 dish dinners? We do! Snap to eat, take to kids games, and less dishes! Who doesn’t love less dishes? This is a light dish I created to enjoy as an alternative to all the feating going on during the holidays. OMG! Eat as clean as you can, during this time of year, as it’s all too easy to pack in the sugar and fat.
I have been experimenting with cauliflower in shredded form, and it’s amazingly versatile. I served this to our daughter and told her it was cauliflower. I wish I hadn’t, because she told me, “Oh I thought it was rice! I like it.” My son said, “it’s ok” (which translates to, had I not know it was cauliflower I would have loved it). Both of these may not sound like compliments, but trust me, they are. The recipe below can really be adjusted to have the flavoring of any rice dish you’d be interested in making. The base tastes like a rice pilaf, and feel free to stop there, because it was awesome as a pilaf (even top it with some slivered almonds and you’ll fool everyone!). The recipe makes enough for 10-12 servings as a side dish or 4-6 main dish portions.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous veggie. This is a groups of vegetables that are packed with antioxidants and fiber, and have been shown to prevent many forms of cancer, especially colon cancer. Cauliflower is light but carries a hearty texture. It’s high fiber and Vitamin A content helps with lowering blood pressure and regulating blood sugar, making this meal perfect for heart health and diabetes. By adding in beans and greens, you boost this recipe’s nutrition megafold (I know that’s not really a word, but it should be)! Plus, it adds beautiful color!
I used curry leaves in this recipe, because I’m in love with them. Contrary to what you may think, the curry spice isn’t from these leaves. Curry refers to a blend of spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric (other blends are possible too). These are a leaf. You can get them from your local Indian market, and they’re very inexpensive. I get about 3 stalks for $1. Wrap them in a damp paper towel and place in a plastic bag to help them keep for several weeks. They’re great added to soups, stews, and rice dishes. They’re much like a bay leaf, but are edible. Try my Red Lentil Curry Soup or Late Fall Red Lentil Soup for 2 other recipes where I used it.
Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Base:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of red onions-about 1 large (could use regular onions too)
- 3 cups (or more) of mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups of cubed eggplant (could omit if you don’t have any)
- 7 cups of shredded cauliflower (this is about half of a head of cauliflower-use the left overs to roast up for salads!)
- 1 1/2 tbsp, about 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 cups of water or broth
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stalk curry leaves (about 10 leaves)-alternatively, can use 1 large or 2 small bay leaves, remove before eating
- fresh pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Shred the cauliflower in a food processor using the shredding attachment
- Add onions to a hot pan, along with a little broth to help sauté (not too much, as you want the onions to caramelize slightly). Sauté onions until translucent, then add eggplant and mushrooms
- Add in cauliflower
- Saute until cauliflower softens, adding in broth/water as needed to prevent sticking, but just enough to soften the rice without getting too watery
- Add salt/pepper to taste
- *Top with slivered almonds or toasted pine nuts
Indian Cauliflower Rice Bowl
- Cauliflower rice base (above)
- 1 cup diced bell pepper, we used red and yellow
- 2 cup of beans (we used a mix of chick peas and black beans-use whatever you have on hand)
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
- a few dashes or 1/8 tsp cayenne (depends on your heat preference)
- Additional broth if needed to help wilt greens
- 3 cups of greens (it can be any kind, I used spinach, but have used kale and collards)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (if you don’t like it, use parsley)
- Additional salt/pepper as desired
- Nuts for serving: pistachios, slivered almonds, or pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- After making the cauliflower rice pilaf, add in remaining ingredients listed above, except greens, cilantro, and nuts.
- When finished, add greens, cilantro, and stir until greens are wilted (adding more water/broth if needed)
- Serve and top with slivered almonds, pistachios (what we used), toasted pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds & enjoy!
- Low in calories and no refined carbohydrates-great for those on a gluten free diet and diabetic friendly
- No added oils or fats, cholesterol free-great for heart health
- Great source of plant-based protein from beans and greens, important for repairing & rebuilding tissues
- High in anti-oxidants (vitmain C)
- High in Fiber-great for regulating blood pressure and blood sugar, as well as improving digestive health
- High in Calcium
- High In Vitamin C-168%; from cauliflower and peppers, great antioxidant that boosts immunity and decreases inflammation in the body
- Very high in potassium (beans are excellent source); 1076 mg, great for regulating blood pressure, kidney and nervous system function
- Good source of 46% Vitamin A, important for blood pressure regulation, eye, hair, skin, nail, and dental health
- Good source of plant-based iron, 20%, important for oxygenation of blood
- Good source of Calcium-10%, plant-based source are better absorbed by the body, important for bone and dental health/strength
Nutritional Information for 1 cup of raw cauliflower:
Vitamin K-21% (an anti-inflammatory vitamin)
Folate-15% (linked to brain and neurological function and formation for developing brains)
Fiber-2g
Protein: 2g
Calories: 27
- 2 cups of red onions-about 1 large (could use regular onions too)
- 3 cups (or more) of mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups of cubed eggplant (could omit if you don't have any)
- 7 cups of shredded cauliflower (this is about half of a head of cauliflower-use the left overs to roast up for salads!)
- 1½ tbsp, about 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 cups of water or broth
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 stalk curry leaves (about 10 leaves)-alternatively, can use 1 large or 2 small bay leaves, remove before eating
- fresh pepper to taste
- Cauliflower rice base (above)
- 1 cup diced bell pepper, we used red and yellow
- 2 cup of beans (we used a mix of chick peas and black beans-use whatever you have on hand)
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
- a few dashes or ⅛ tsp cayenne (depends on your heat preference)
- Additional broth if needed to help wilt greens
- 3 cups of greens (it can be any kind, I used spinach, but have used kale and collards)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro (if you don't like it, use parsley)
- Additional salt/pepper as desired
- Nuts for serving: pistachios, slivered almonds, or pumpkin seeds
- Shred the cauliflower in a food processor using the shredding attachment
- Add onions to a hot pan, along with a little broth to help sauté (not too much, as you want the onions to caramelize slightly). Sauté onions until translucent, then add eggplant, mushrooms, and garlic
- Add in cauliflower
- Saute until cauliflower softens, adding in broth/water as needed to prevent sticking, but just enough to soften the rice without getting too watery
- Add salt/pepper to taste
- *Top with slivered almonds or toasted pine nuts
- After making the cauliflower rice pilaf, add in remaining ingredients listed above, except greens, cilantro, and nuts
- Stir in greens and cilantro, and mix until greens are wilted (adding more water/broth if needed)
- Serve and top with slivered almonds, pistachios (what we used), toasted pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds & enjoy!
Cannot wait to make this!!!!
Let me know what you think Kelly!