Herbed Cauliflower Rice

Herbed Cauliflower Rice is a simple low carbohydrate alternative to rice. This recipe may just become one of your favorites – trust me it’s that amazing! Sometimes I eat this Cauliflower Rice plain, and it’s perfectly satisfying and filling.

To be honest, I was skeptical of cauliflower rice in the beginning. How could blitzed raw cauliflower, warmed in a skillet, taste anywhere near as satisfying as fluffy, steaming rice? It can’t. The inevitable truth is that cauliflower rice needs some help from other flavors to send me back for seconds.

This is cauliflower rice kicked up several notches by some of my favorite ingredients. Fresh parsley, lemon, garlic, toasted almonds and red pepper flakes make this cauliflower rice an irresistible side dish. You could make this low-carb cauliflower rice to round out a light meal, or to lighten up an otherwise heavy dinner.

Cauliflower being one of my favorite versatile vegetables  You may be thinking “Ridhima, cauliflower is not rice. Rice is rice.” And yes you’re correct, but why not play around a little with the natural texture characteristics of cauliflower and use it to your advantage to make a dish a little less calorie dense and more nutrient dense! 

Here is a quick list sharing why I love this recipe so much:

1. It’s guilt-free! Riced cauliflower is a delicious healthy, low-carb side that goes with just about anything.
2. Cauliflower rice is a bit plain on it’s own, but after toasting it in a skillet with a touch of garlic butter, it tastes nutty and sweet.
3. The recipe is quick and easy to make. You can buy pre-made cauliflower rice at the store and you can make it yourself. 

Ingredients 

1. 1 medium head cauliflower or 16 ounces store-bought cauliflower rice
2. 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3. ½ cup sliced almonds
4. Pinch of red pepper flakes (omit if sensitive to spice)
5. 2 cloves garlic, minced
6. 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
7. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8. 3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro, and basil
9. 1 tablespoon lemon juice or more to taste

Directions 

1. Add chopped cauliflower into a food processor and pulse into tiny, fine cauliflower pieces. This should look like “rice”. ( IF YOU DON’T HAVE A FOOD PROCESSOR: Slice the cauliflower into even quarters and grate the cauliflower on the medium holes of a grater. Grate one quarter at a time, then repeat with the remaining quarters).
2. Wrap the cauliflower rice in a clean tea towels or paper towels, twist, and squeeze as much water as possible from the rice—you might be surprised by how much water you can wring out.
3. Toast the almonds in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently (careful, or they’ll burn), until they’re fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the toasted almonds to a bowl to cool.
4. In a saute pan, add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Cook while stirring until the garlic is fragrant, about 10 to 20 seconds. Add the cauliflower rice, red pepper flakes and salt, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring just every minute or so, until the cauliflower rice is hot and turning golden in places, about 6 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the toasted almonds, parsley and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.
6. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
7. Serve with anything you’d enjoy rice with!
8. Enjoy!

Pro Tip : 

1. The key to making great cauliflower rice is to wring excess moisture from the cauliflower rice before cooking. That way, the “rice” can caramelize in places and yield major flavor bonus points. 
2. Stovetop-cooked cauliflower rice tastes better than roasted cauliflower rice.
3. Buy store-bought cauliflower rice to make this recipe quicker, with less mess.