Cauliflower Rice: Low-Carb Substitute Extraordinaire

I love rice. Always have, always will. Delicious aromatic basmati or Jasmine, short sticky sushi rice, long grain brown or coarse wild — if it’s rice, I’ll eat it with great relish. But, as everyone knows, it’s a little heavy on the carbohydrates, coming in at about 45 grams per cooked cup, which is more or less 15 per cent of the recommended daily intake. And chances are you may easily indulge in a second helping so the helping of carbs quickly creeps up too.

On a perfect planet, we should all be able to eat as much rice as we wanted to without having to worry about our waistline, but since this is sadly not the case, there is way around this when you’ve gone over your rice quota for the week but you still need something to pair with your grilled tempeh or organic chicken breast, and that’s where cauliflower rice comes in.

So easy to make and filling to boot, cauliflower rice has one main ingredient — cauliflower. And with one small head of cauliflower providing just 14 grams of carbs, you’re already ahead in the numbers department, plus this super veggie is a member of the cruciferous family, known for its cancer-fighting compounds as well as its anti-inflammatory nutrients not to mention it’s packed with vitamins and minerals that support a stronger immune system, better digestive health and more.

Cauliflower Rice (4 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 small cauliflower head
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• finely chopped veggies of your choice — onions, mushroom, carrots, Bell peppers, garlic, green onion, etc.
• soy sauce substitute (or the real thing if that’s part of your diet … my fave brand is to the right)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp tumeric

Instructions

1. Heat coconut oil in a large pan.
2. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent, add the rest of the veggies and cook until tender.
3. Meanwhile, remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower, rinse and pat dry, and cut up the head into smaller pieces so they fit into your food processor.
4. Add to food processor and pulse until cauliflower resembles grains of rice (if you overdo it, chances are your “rice” will be a little on the mushy side).
5. Add “rice” to the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes.
6. Flavour with soy sauce, add tumeric, salt and pepper.
7. Voila! You can pair the rice with protein and/or steamed veggies like green beans or asparagus or broccoli and/or salad.
8. You can also simply make the cauliflower rice without the veggies and seasoning for use in other recipes that call from rice like stir frys and fried rice.