Delicious and Easy Cauliflower Rice Recipe

Since low carb diets, such as the ketogenic diet, have become a healthy lifestyle for many people, one of the foods that seems to be missed the most is rice. I hear this all the time from clients. When I started to see more and more recipes appear for “cauliflower rice”, I found it difficult to contain my excitement because it provides a healthy rice substitute. I do have to admit that in the very beginning I had some doubts about the taste of a cauliflower rice and wondered if it was really as tasty as people were saying. That was a couple of years ago. I’m glad to report that cauliflower rice is wonderful and best of all comes with some excellent health benefits. So I’m naming this the Delicious and Easy Cauliflower Rice Recipe because it’s delicious, easy and fits into the ketogenic diet, low carb diets and even vegan diets like a glove. Most of all this cauliflower rice recipe will help make many of those beloved rice dishes available to those who are choosing to eat healthy.

Let’s take a minute to refresh our memory concerning the health benefits of cauliflower.

Did you know cauliflower is just as rich in phytonutrients as green cruciferous vegetables? This nutrient richness is exemplified by its glucosinolates and indole-3- carbinol. Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds that provide a variety of support for our cardiovascular, digestive, immune, inflammatory, and detoxification systems. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6. Cauliflower is a very good source of choline, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, phosphorus, and biotin. Lastly, cauliflower a good source of vitamin B1, B2, and B3, the minerals potassium and magnesium, and protein. Yes, I said protein.

Recent studies indicate that cooking raw cauliflower greatly improves its ability to bind effectively with bile acids. Bile acid binding is a well-documented method for helping regulate blood cholesterol levels. From these studies there is potential cardiovascular benefits from consumption of cooked cauliflower. The cauliflower in the most detailed study had been steamed for 10 minutes.

RELATED: Health Benefits of Cauliflower

It’s amazing that with just a couple of pulses with my food processer, a delicious and “healthy rice” appears. Let’s get to the recipe.

Delicious Cauliflower Rice Recipe

Makes 6 servings (about 1 cup each)

Ingredient List
1 head of cauliflower (organic or locally grown is best)
1 tablespoon olive oil (make sure it is 3^rd party certified), avocado oil or grass-fed butter
Himalayan Salt

Kitchen Equipment You Will Need
Chef’s knife
Food processor or box grater
Skillet with lid

Instructions

Cut cauliflower into large pieces – Using your Chef’s knife, cut the head of cauliflower into quarters. Trim out the inner core from each quarter. Break apart the cauliflower into large florets with your hands. Some say to include the core if it’s tender.
Place large pieces of cauliflower in your food processor – Don’t fill your food processor more than 3/4 full; if necessary, process in 2-3 batches.
PULSE the cauliflower until completely broken down – Process the cauliflower in 1-second pulses until it has completely broken down into rice sized granules. Be careful not to pulse for too long or you will have cauliflower mush. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the cauliflower florets on the large holes of a box grater.
Remove all unprocessed pieces – Some florets or large pieces of the cauliflower might remain unprocessed. Pull these out and set them aside. Transfer the cauliflower rice to another container and then reprocess the large pieces.
Cooking cauliflower rice – Cooking makes the cauliflower tender and more like rice. Warm a tablespoon of avocado oil, coconut oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cauliflower rice and sprinkle with a little Himalayan salt. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the rice is as tender as you like. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Use or serve immediately, or refrigerate the cauliflower rice for up to a week. You can also add the cooked cauliflower rice into many of your recipes that call for normal rice.
Raw cauliflower Rice – Cauliflower rice can also be used raw such as tossing into a salad or in a cold side dish.

Suggestions to Make Your Cauliflower Rice More Flavorful

Feel free to add just about any veggie that your family likes. If you are on a low carb diet, be mindful of veggies with high carb contents. Be sure to saute the veggies before adding them to the cooked cauliflower rice.
Add organic cheese, sauted garlic, Broccoli and pastured pre-cooked chicken chunks to make a to-die-for Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Make cauliflower rice pancakes. This particular cauliflower rice pancake recipe contains mainly cauliflower rice, eggs, onion and coconut oil.
You can find a delicious Fried Cauliflower Rice & Vegetable Recipe here.
Here is an absolutely delicious Egg Muffins with Ham, Kale and Cauliflower Rice recipe. Perfect for a lazy Saturday or Sunday brunch. Note: I would highly suggest using a trusted source for the ham.

Freezing raw cauliflower rice – Cauliflower rice can also be sealed in airtight containers or bags and frozen for up to three months. Thaw on the counter for a few minutes before using or cooking. Note: Some have said they have found frozen organic pre-riced cauliflower (bagged) in Trader Joe’s.

Always purchase certified organically grown foods. Repeated research studies on organic foods as a group show that your likelihood of exposure to contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals can be greatly reduced through the purchased of certified organic foods, including cauliflower. In shopping your local farmers’ markets, you are likely to find a local organic grower who sells cauliflower but has not applied for formal organic certification either through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or through a state agency. On the other hand, if you are shopping in a large supermarket, your most reliable source of organically grown cauliflower will most likely be cauliflower that displays the USDA organic logo

References & Research

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Loretta Lanphier is a Naturopathic Practitioner (Traditional), Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Practitioner and Certified Clinical Herbalist as well as the CEO / Founder of Oasis Advanced Wellness in The Woodlands TX. She has studied and performed extensive research in health science, natural hormone balancing, anti-aging techniques, nutrition, natural medicine, weight loss, herbal remedies, non-toxic cancer support and is actively involved in researching new natural health protocols and products. A 14 year stage 3 colon cancer survivor, Loretta is able to relate to both-sides-of-the-health-coin as patient and practitioner when it comes to health and wellness. “My passion is counseling others about what it takes to keep the whole body healthy using natural and non-toxic methods.” Read Loretta’s health testimony Cancer: The Path to Healing. Loretta is Contributor and Editor of the worldwide E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellness. Check out Oasis Advanced Wellness and our natural skin care products Oasis Serene Botanicals.