In the world of Paleo, many people have their own take on cauliflower rice.  Even if you still eat rice, you should still give this method a try!  I’ve seen recipes for cauliflower mashed potatoes, but they are truly the best substitute for rice.  Not only are they white in color, but the texture allows for crumbling in a way that makes them easy to “rice” and then maintain a its form while still being soft.  It can stand up to broths without dissolving, and soaks up flavors well.  The process doesn’t take long, and can be done in either a Vitamix/food processor or by using a cheese grater.

No matter what method you choose, you begin by rinsing the cauliflower thoroughly.  Then you cut off the leaves and large stem, and then into small florets.  From there…

If using a Vitamix or food processor: …depending on how big the head of cauliflower is, you may need to chop the cauliflower in a few batches.  When I use my Vitamix, I usually do 1/3 at a time, empty out the “riced” cauliflower into a large bowl, and repeat.  That way, the cauliflower maintains the grain texture, and doesn’t turn into a paste.

If using a cheese grater:  … take the florets one at a time, and grate them over a large bowl.  Just be careful of your knuckles.  When the stems got too short to hold without scraping my fingers, I would set them back on the cutting board.  After grating all the florets, I simply did a quick chop of the little stems, then added them into the large bowl.

Once you have “riced” the whole head of cauliflower, drizzle about a tablespoon of water (or any liquid you would like to flavor them with).  Next, place the bowl in your microwave and cook on high.  My microwave is very powerful, so I only cook the cauliflower for 3 minutes.  Remove from the microwave and leave uncovered so it doesn’t over steam.  You want it to maintain a little bit of bite.

Cauliflower rice is a fantastic side for almost any dish!  I have served it on top of chili, used it to create rice-less house fried rice… the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

• 1 head of caulifower
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• 1. See above 🙂