Cauliflower Rice
I’m not sure how long we had been doing GAPS when this dish was mentioned by someone on the yahoo group. It has become a favorite here. I think W would happily eat it every single day. When I do make it, like tonight, she usually eats several servings of it. My other daughter isn’t a fan so you can’t please everyone all the time.
I love how versatile cauliflower is. It doesn’t have a very strong flavor or color so it is easy to transform into some of the starchy foods we are missing. I have used it for mashed potatoes, to thicken gravy, to stretch meatballs, as part of my pancake batter, as rice, roasted and of course just steamed on the stove and served with butter.
Cauliflower Rice
1-3 heads of cauliflower enough to make approx 14 cups shredded
1/4 cup or more of fat (butter, ghee, lard, tallow, coconut oil etc)
1 onion diced (optional)
2 cups homemade broth or water
salt to taste
2 tbsp Coconut Aminos
or to taste (optional)
Remove the leaves and shred the cauliflower. The easiest way to do this, is in a food processor with a shredding blade. Mine has a 14 cup capacity and I usually fill it up. You can do this with a manual shredder as well but it can be tricky. We did it that way once while on vacation so I know it is possible (but I missed My bpa free food processor
).
Next get out a deep skillet or similar broad pan. You could do it in a dutch oven as well. You want to be able to spread out the cauliflower wider than it is high. Melt about 1/4 cup of fat in the bottom of the skillet. Add the onion and saute until soft. Green onion looks very pretty in this dish as well. Then add the cauliflower and the broth or water to the pan. Cook without a lid on the pan stirring frequently to move the less cooked cauliflower on top to the bottom. You want most of the liquid to steam off. Add the optional coconut aminos and salt to taste. I let this cook for about 15 minuites. I check the texture of the shredded cauliflower. I don’t want it too al dente or so mushy that it just falls apart.
I like to serve this with broiled salmon and a salad for a lighter feel to my supper. Also before GAPS we usually had rice with our Chili so now we serve it over this. Any meal that you think would go well with a rice side dish can be complimented by cauliflower rice. Don’t be afraid to experiment and add the flavors that you love!
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I've never gotten much into cauliflower rice. I always thought it was pretty bland, but I've never added fat or other flavorings before. (Silly…I must not have got it from a GAPS source, since we add fat to everything. =)) I will have to try it your way! Recently I've been buying cauliflower for cauliflower popcorn - so yummy!
I haven't made cauliflower popcorn in ages thanks for the reminder. I love it with palm oil. Smells like movie theater popcorn. Let me know how you like this. We generally like blander dishes and rice is a bland dish but it is great as a side with other things.
Is a shredding blade the same as a grater? And what is cauliflower popcorn? Sounds interesting!
Yes it is the same as a grater, The kind that has big holes. I make cauliflower popcorn in the oven. Cut up raw cauliflower into small, popcorn sized pieces and coat with fat then roast at a high temp. 400? till carmelized and yummy. Sorry it has been a while since I made it.
I will have to try this way of making the cauliflower, I usually just steam it and use it as mashed potatoes…Cauliflower popcorn sounds awesome! I recently found a post for making a gluten free pizza with Cauliflower as the crust, I am looking forward to trying that, I would think it would be gaps legal, or you could make it that way…? http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2011/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html
I love riced cauliflower! It is very much like rice and really works well with Asian-type dishes that call for rice. I've tried this version of cauliflower popcorn, it was delicious! http://www.food.com/recipe/cauliflower-popcorn-roasted-cauliflower-115153 Also the recipe Joan linked to I have been waiting to try it but I'm still not having dairy. I think the recipe will be legal but you would have to use one of the GAPS approved cheeses because mozarella isn't one of them. I just don't think it would be the same without any cheese at all so I have not tried it myself.
Yummy! I also use this type of cauli-rice to make the stuffed bell peppers we used to love pre-GAPS… They're just as delicious now, and much healthier for us!
And on it's own it's my "go-to" side dish that will go with just about any meal!
Hi Aims
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing it!
Just wondering what flavor the coconut aminos gives. I've never tried it.
Very similar to soy sauce but a bit sweet. It is fermented coconut sap so if you leave it out it will ferment further and get less sweet over time but always seems to retain some sweetness.
Thanks for the great idea… will try cauliflower rice and, especially, the popcorn. One little note, however, if you like orangutans and rain forest, you may want to find a substitute for palm oil.
Lately I have discovered that it’s easier to steam the cauliflower first (big pieces) then process in a food processor with a paddle (plastic) blade to the desired size.