Sometimes, ok almost always, it’s all about the spicing and seasoning. This Spice Up Your Life Cauliflower Rice is perfectly flavoured and dressed to impress with sesame roasted broccoli crips and sweet sundered tomatoes.
I can’t say I really love boiled cauliflower. Reminds me of soggy overcooked affairs from my childhood! But give me it delicately spiced, roasted in coconut oil or as a light, fluffy cauliflower rice like today and i’ll happily enjoy it every night.
How do you make the perfect cauliflower rice?
Want to know my secret? Well it’s all down to the 3 S’s … steam, squeeze and sauté! No sweaty socks here. Delicately spiced Middle Eastern flavours, minus the chilli, as for us AIP sensitive souls it tends to create havoc, but if you’re fine with it, go wild and add some too.
It’s an easy, low carb weekday winner dinner for this week.
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 900g of cauliflower florets (roughly 2 small – medium cauliflowers)
- 300g of broccoli (roughly 1 small head)
- 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
- 40g of pumpkin seeds
- 1 small red onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric
- 1 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1.5 teaspoons of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 7g of fresh parsley, stalks removed
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Zest of 1 full lemon
- 5 large sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- Salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to serve (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C (fan assisted) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Using a mandoline, shred the broccoli into thin strips about 3mm thick. If you prefer you can simply chop the broccoli into small chunks. Place on your baking tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil and a pinch of Pink Himalayan or sea salt. Option to steam the broccoli for 3 – 5 minutes if you prefer until el dente and don’t use the coconut oil.
Roast in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until slightly crispy and golden. Toss half way through cooking for even roasting.
Remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower. Chop into chunks and blitz in a food processor using the S blade until its resembles a rice consistency. Place the cauliflower rice in a metal steamer in 1cm of water and cook for 3 – 5 minutes (or microwave on medium/ high for 5 minutes) until soft. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a muslin cloth or clean thin tea towel. Squeeze out the excess water. This is the step that will make it fluffy!
After 8 – 10 minutes of the broccoli being in the oven, add the pumpkin seeds and roast for a further 6 – 8 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow the seeds to cool.
Peel and finely dice the red onion and garlic. In a pan, heat 1 large tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the onion and sweat on a medium heat for 1 – 2 minutes until translucent. Now add the garlic and cook for 1 further minute.
Add the tumeric, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and coriander seeds and fry for 1 further minute. finally, add in the cauliflower rice, broccoli crisps, toasted pumpkin seeds, sun dried tomatoes, a small pinch of salt and pepper, chopped fresh parsley, lemon juice and zest. Fluff up with a fork and mix well.
Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes until heated through. Option to add a glut of olive oil if you like it oily like me.
