Cauliflower rice

(Melora) #1

Hello fellow keto people. I’m probably behind the 8 ball here, but I discovered ready-made cauliflower rice at Costco. I made Fried rice with it last night and it was delicious.

#2

My favorite riced cauliflower is the frozen Green Giant Medley. I usually make a Spanish rice out of it. I prefer frozen over fresh. For me, the fresh riced cauliflower always has a funky taste and texture to it, which just gets worse if you don’t use it right away.

(Khara) #3

I was at a potluck last weekend where a non keto person brought a dish that was simply pre-made Spanish rice with a jar of salsa dumped on top and then cheddar cheese melted on top in the oven. Looked great. And should be easy to ketofy with cauliflower rice. I haven’t yet done Spanish cauliflower rice. So far I’ve only done more like mashed potato style with cheeses or garlic. Anyway, how do you make yours Spanish?

#4

I use salsa… :slight_smile:

Microwaved Spanish Rice

  • About a cup of frozen cauliflower rice
  • About a half cup of finely diced veggies – onions, celery, red radishes, red bell peppers, …
  • Top with butter and spices (smoked paprika, hot curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, …)
  • Microwave for about 4 minutes
  • Mix in some Pace Medium chunky salsa
  • Add (Leftover) Meat/Cheese (optional)
  • Microwave for another minute or so
  • Top with Sour Cream (optional)
(Katie) #5

Was it in the frozen section or produce refrigerated section?

(Khara) #6

Cool thanks! :sunglasses:

(traci simpson) #7

I like to make my own rice. I also make my own pizza crust and quiche crust and it’s amazing.

(Khara) #8

Do you have a favorite recipe or website you use? I know there are tons out there. I’ve saved tons. But I’d prefer to start here. Usually I just do a crustless quiche and for pizza we have some store bought cauliflower crusts but I actually don’t really like them. They put too many herbs and spices in and it actually overpowers the pizza topping flavors.

(traci simpson) #9

For the crust it’s just cauliflower, parmesan cheese and one egg. You cut up the cauliflower or “rice” it and nuke it for 6 minutes. Then you strain using a cheesecloth or something where you can squeeze all the liquid out. After that you add an egg and about 1/2 cup or so of parmesan cheese, mix and spread out in your greased pan and cook for about 12 minutes until the crust is a nice golden color. Then add your ingredients.

(Khara) #10

Cool thanks! So sounds like the same crust for both quiche and pizza. Will give a try. :+1:

(traci simpson) #11

Now I’m craving pizza!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #12

Cauliflower rice is too easy to make to buy pre made. You can use a box grater to do a whole head of cauliflower in less than 5 minutes, (do a bunch and freeze bags). I just make it on demand. Also you can do it in a food processor in less time than a box grater. I like to sauté mine with butter, bacon grease or coconut oil. I don’t have a microwave. Don’t try to fry too much at once or it ends up mushy from the water being released and it steams getting more soggy. Just like browning ground meat. Cooking too much at a time affects the quality of the end product.

(traci simpson) #13

I found the best cauliflower recipe called Browned butter cauliflower mash

• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp butter, for frying
• 3¼ lbs cauliflower
• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
• 10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 6 oz. butter

  1. Fry chopped onions in a generous amount of butter, until soft and golden. Set aside.
  2. Shred the cauliflower with the coarse side of a grater, or divide into smaller florets and chop in a food processor until rice-sized. Process a few florets at a time.
  3. Pour heavy whipping cream in a pan. Stir in the cauliflower rice and boil on medium heat. Let simmer for 10–15 minutes or more, until the cauliflower is thoroughly cooked and the cream has reduced. This will give the mash a more neutral flavor.
  4. Salt and pepper to taste. Add fried onion and shredded cheese. Mix well and keep warm.
  5. Melt butter on medium heat in a skillet until amber-colored for a nice nutty taste. Serve the butter with the mash.
#14

I love the pre-made, frozen cauliflower rice! I was craving something savory…like, really savory. And ended up working some of the frozen c-rice into almost like a risotto or pilaf.
Finally dice up a half cup or so of portobello mushrooms.
Finally dice up a med sized shallot.
(Take a moment to wipe your eyes and recover.)
Heat up a pan or iron skillet and melt a 2-3 Tablespoons of butter, and toss in your shallot and mushrooms.
Once they start to soften, you can add in 1 to 1-1/2c of the thawed c-rice. Let it cook, and season as you like. Add in 1-2 T of HWC and 1-2T of chicken or beef broth. Adding in onion or garlic powder is helpful, but its not going to be super-creamy like a good risotto. It will work as a lovely side with a good protein, if you’re in search of something along that line.

For the pilaf, I’d go with the same four basic ingredients (mushroom, shallot, butter and c-rice) - maybe not as much shallot. Add in some chopped parsley, thyme or whatever herb you fancy, and then some slivered or sliced almonds for some of that classic pilaf-like texture. Seasoning is crucial to bring that flavor out- so, you’ll have to sort that out based on your own preferences. I go with onion powder, a little garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a little chicken stock.

And, the magical ingredient I discovered a while back is Umami powder. Basically, a combo of freeze-dried mushrooms, onion and herbs pulverized into a fine powder. I use it as a rub on beef, and it is nothing short of amazing. You can buy at Nuts.com , and that is the ONLY place I’ve ever found it. But feel free to search elsewhere.

These things make my Keto-life very tasty and happy.

(Melora) #15

Frozen section

(Melora) #16

I’ve made it a few times. Turns out better when I’m doing cauliflower mashed potatoes. I should try a grater, I think the Quisinart chops it too fine.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #17

You have to slice it first and the use the pulse button. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Full Metal KETO AF) #18

I use umami powder too, MSG is king of umami! :man_cook:t3: Don’t fear the salts! :cowboy_hat_face:

(Jules) #19

I love cauliflower “fried rice” I blitz the cauliflower but I dry it out on a baking tray in the oven for a while otherwise I find it too wet. I then stir fry it with chicken, prawns, broccoli, water chestnuts… anything really so it’s like a Chinese fried rice. I then top it with a thin Omelette or I stir in an egg so it’s like egg fried rice… but better :blush::+1:

(Full Metal KETO AF) #20

@Jules8 I use a cast iron wok, the wok doesn’t cool and the water coming off the cauliflower evaporates before it gets pooling and wet.