It's Easy To Make Cauliflower Rice

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A Delicious Low-Carb Option

How many of you have hopped on the cauliflower rice bandwagon? I've certainly heard of it, but until today, I had never eaten it, let alone made it. All I can say is, what the heck? It's delicious, especially if you have a food processor; it is a snap to make!

I am always curious about who, why, and when things were thought up by some ingenious individual who thought, "Hmmm... I wonder what would happen if..." Well, cauliflower rice is a thing that became popular when low-carb diets and Paleo started becoming the thing around 2012.

Interestingly enough, though, it is believed to have been created way back in 1998 by Ben Ford, a chef in LA who called it "cauliflower couscous" because, of course, that sounded more LA hip and trendy than cauliflower rice, but was the same thing as we're discussing. It's also interesting that Ben Ford's dad is Harrison Ford of Indiana Jones fame.

You can buy fresh cauliflower rice in the produce aisle at some grocery stores, and frozen cauliflower rice is even in Walmart, where it's called riced cauliflower. It has become a mainstream item.

Why You'll Love Making Cauliflower Rice

When it comes to vegetables, fresh is always best, in my opinion. An average head of cauliflower that weighs around two pounds costs about the same as a ten or twelve-ounce bag of frozen cauliflower rice. That math seems pretty simple, but I know time-saving can often trump money-saving.

But it is ridiculously fast and easy to make a head of cauliflower into cauliflower rice using a food processor. There's virtually no waste except for the green leaves. You can chop the whole head into smaller pieces with a knife or break it into florets like I did here.

Don't crowd the food processor; work in batches, and use only the "pulse" button to process the cauliflower into small rice-sized pieces quickly. It takes about 30 seconds! Don't pulverize it. You want to keep some crunch.

When it's done, it looks like this. You can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days tightly sealed, but preparing it right away is even better. You can eat it raw, sprinkle it on, or mix it into a salad.

How Do I Cook Cauliflower Rice

It is so simple to cook a pan of cauliflower rice in a skillet on the stove, and it takes about five minutes. Melt butter in a skillet and add the cauliflower. It will shrink significantly because the bland vegetable is primarily water.

You can make it taste fabulous when you remember this. It is not rice, and it will not taste like rice, but it will be delicious and can be used and seasoned any way you use rice. It is a great low-carb filler; kids will surprise you with how much they like it.

You do not need to add water; saute it, and the steam that forms will cook it perfectly. It is not rice.

It needs some fat, like olive oil, but (real) butter tastes much better. Don't skimp. You can also use ghee or one of my favorite products, Whirl Butter butter flavored oil. It comes only in a restaurant-size gallon jug, but it has a shelf life of a year, and you can use it in baking and frying with great results. I buy mine locally at a restaurant supply store and share it with my kids.

Cauliflower Rice needs to be seasoned with authority. It requires a flavor boost from soy, garlic powder, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, or other seasonings.

This was my first time making cauliflower rice, and I wanted to do something simple, fast, and tasty. I began by melting butter in a cast iron skillet.

Then I added the cauliflower rice from an average head of cauliflower and seasoned it generously with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. I also added some paprika and parsley for color.

I let it cook undisturbed until I could smell it browning a little, and then I stirred it until it had cooked down and there was a little bit of browning.

I tasted it and instantly loved it. I put a pretty good-sized serving in a bowl and sent it with my husband for our daughter and granddaughter to taste. It was a hit and a perfect option for our granddaughter, who is trying to follow a gluten-free diet.

I hate to admit how much I ate, but I did save some for Papa, and he liked it, too! I can't wait to try other ways to season with Asian or Indian seasoning like curry! I think I'll be making it once a week! It will be great alongside tacos or burritos, too!

Yield: 6 servings

Simple Cauliflower Rice

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How to use fresh cauliflower to make cauliflower rice and a simple way to prepare it.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• One average head of cauliflower
• 3 Tbs butter, or more to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder or to taste
• 1 tsp onion powder or to taste
• 1 tsp seasoned salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste
• parsley for color, optional
• paprika for color, optional

Instructions

1. Wash the cauliflower and remove and discard the leaves.
2. Separate into florets or cut into pieces. You can use the entire head, core, and all.
3. Working in batches, pulse in a food processor until cauliflower is chopped into rice-sized pieces. Don't pulverize; you want to keep some crunch.
4. You can use a knife to chop finely if you don't have a food processor.
5. Melt butter in a skillet and put cauliflower and seasonings on top of the butter.\
6. Allow it to cook on medium heat until you can smell it browning a little, about 5 minutes.
7. Continue to cook and stir until you have achieved the desired level of brownness.
8. Serve hot,
9. It can be refrigerated for up to four days if kept in a tightly sealed container.

Here's another yummy vegetable dish you might enjoy trying: Roasted Cabbage Steaks.

If you liked this recipe, you are my people! You might also enjoy this coconut pie recipe. So please share this post on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest if you enjoyed this recipe today. It would sure tickle me, and I'd be ever so grateful; thank you! 

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Love, GB (Betty Streff)

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