This post has been a long time coming.
I should have posted it months and months ago but I really wanted to take photos of the process of making cauliflower “rice” and not just a dish with it in it.
Finally, last week, after a discussion on my Facebook page about serving Beef Bibimbap over brown rice or cauliflower rice (recipe coming later this week!), someone mentioned making cauliflower rice in big batches and freezing it.
Why hadn’t I thought to do that before? I freeze everything else right? Such a great idea so thank you!
I picked up a bunch of organic cauliflower at Trader Joe’s for a great price and set up to stock my freezer and (finally) take some in process photos.
OK, so let’s talk about cauliflower “rice”. Cauliflower rice has been making it’s way around the food blogging circuit for a long time now and for good reason.
It’s zero Weight Watchers Points Plus, Low-Carb, Slow Carb, South Beach diet friendly, Paleo, Primal and just a good way to get more vegetables into your diet.
The real deal is that you are not ever going to trick yourself into thinking you are eating rice. Maybe if you spice it up like crazy and close your eyes, you could convince yourself you are eating something similar to Uncle Ben’s Boil in a Bag White Rice? Maybe.
But the point is not to trick you, it’s to make a different choice sometimes.
To eat more vegetables and to have fun with ingredients.
To add volume without calories.
To bulk up dense dishes without adding carbs.
To mix things up and keep trying something different because you never know, you might love it!
Ginger Coconut Cauliflower Rice and HOW TO MAKE CAULI RICE IN THE OVEN
NOTES:
- I like to use cauliflower rice under really spicy food and I prefer it under drier foods as a lot of sauce tends to water-log the rice.
- Don’t try to sub cauliflower rice for regular rice in casseroles or in any dish where the rice is there to absorb liquid.
- I do not recommend the microwave cooking method as the “rice” retains moisture. I prefer the rice a bit dryer and more “rice” like so I use a non-stick frying pan or the oven method detailed below in the recipe.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
- 1 or more head(s) of organic cauliflower
- food processor or hand-held grater
- sandwich size freezer bags
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Grab cauliflower and make sure there are no brown or black spots on it. If so, remove with a paring knife.
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Rip the leaves off of the bottom.
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Cut the cauliflower in half and cut the florets off from core until you are left with just the core.
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Discard the core and break up the florets into somewhat evenly sized pieces.
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Place florets in bowl of food processor in batches. Process until evenly chopped but not completely pulverized.
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Remove rice to a large bowl and continue processing florets in batches until all florets are "riced". Alternately, you could use a hand grater but I imagine it would take quite a bit of time. Grab a measuring cup (I like to freeze 2 cup portions) and some sandwich sized bags (preferably freezer bags even though I took a picture of the non-freezer ones.)
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Once you fill your baggies, press the cauliflower flat to be sure to remove the excess air and make storing in the freezer easier.
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If preparing the cauliflower rice from frozen, I suggest removing from the freezer and leaving on the counter to soften and defrost a bit while you cook whatever you are planning on serving it with.
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Preheat oven to 425F. Spread cauliflower rice out on one or more baking sheets (depending on how much you have) into a single layer. Don't make yourself crazy about the single layer thing, you just don't want to crowd the pan or it will steam and remain moist. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the "rice" at least 1x. Remove, serve and Enjoy!
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Heat a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat and add cauliflower rice.
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I like to "dry fry" it to remove as much of the moisture as possible. Make sure to season with salt, pepper and another complimentary spice if possible. Enjoy!
Servings per cauliflower depend on size
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Kristen @ Food Renegade says
I love how visual your tutorial is! Thank you so much for sharing this in today’s Fight Back Friday carnival.
Cheers,
~Kristen
EverydayMaven says
Thanks Kristen! I recently found your site and love it! Glad to participate 🙂
Dorothy says
I’ve been wanting to try this for some time and appreciate your pictorial guide. My son is following the SCD diet and I was considering trying this with ground meat in stuff cabbage rolls. But maybe this is one of the ways it won’t work so well. Do you (or any readers) know how it might work?
EverydayMaven says
You know Dorothy, I hate to say it but I don’t think it would hold up in stuffed cabbage. Can he have Quinoa? If not, what about chopping up some water chestnuts really small like rice for texture?
Dorothy says
thanks for your thoughts about this. i may try the water chestnusts… and I will definitely use it in others ways!
janine says
I made some yesterday for the first time and froze it. Super excited to try it. I have frozen cauliflower before and it’s nasty soggy. I assume this doesn’t do that, correct? Can’t wait to use it this week in a dinner.
EverydayMaven says
Not if you “dry fry” it! Good Luck 🙂
Jennifer C - Seattle, WA says
Oh, I like your tip about “dry frying” the rice! I’ve made cauliflower rice several times but steamed it in the microwave – tasty, but a lot of liquid. I’ll be trying your dry fry method next time. Thanks for sharing!
EverydayMaven says
Exactly Jennifer – I don’t like all the excess moisture!
Kristi Rimkus says
This is a must share blog post. I would never have thought to make cauliflower rice and freeze it. I can see all kinds of uses to pump up the veggies in recipes. Thank you so much for the tip!
EverydayMaven says
Thanks in advance for sharing this post Kristi!
john@kitchenriffs says
Really fun recipe. I guess it does resemble rice, but I’d probably call it hashed cauliflower (although I guess with most hashed veggies you parboil them first, then mince them fine). Anyway, not something I’d ever thought of – really clever. Thanks so much.
EverydayMaven says
Have you tried cauliflower pizza crust yet John? That is next on my list!
Katherine Martinelli says
You’ve just blown my mind – this is so cool!
EverydayMaven says
Thanks Katherine!