Cauliflower Rice

I had never heard of cauliflower rice until Tim Blackstone, one of the great trainers at CrossFit Edina, told me how he was making rice out of cauliflower. I found it fascinating and started doing a bunch of research out on the Interwebs.

After joining CrossFit Edina over five years ago, I switched to the Paleo way of eating. Paleo eschews carbohydrates and processed foods in favor of meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts...essentially eating like our caveman ancestors did. Between CrossFit and Paleo, I was able to drop 30 pounds and have kept it off.

So with Paleo lifestyle, rice became a no-no. Given my love of Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, I really missed the rice. But now, thanks to Tim, cauliflower rice fits the bill. It's delicious and incredibly healthy. It's also very easy to make in large batches and then just freeze the extra until next time.

The prep could not be any simpler. You simply use a food processor and pulse the cauliflower until it's the size of rice. Then there are two ways to cook it. Some like to sauté it in a fry pan with a little onion and garlic. But I prefer to spread it out on a baking sheet and heat it in the oven. Using this method, the rice is much drier and closer in texture to white rice.


Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º.
2. Place the florets, a batch at a time, in food processor. Pulse until the cauliflower is evenly chopped and each piece is about the size of a grain of rice.
3. Spread cauliflower rice on a baking sheet into a single layer. (Do not crowd the pan as it will cause the rice to steam and stay moist.)
4. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once.
5. Remove, add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Pairing: The wine pairing should be associated with the entree. However, I find the cauliflower rice-making experience is greatly enhanced if it is executed while drinking a golden, oaky Chardonnay.