Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Cauliflower rice can be boring. I wanted to come up with a recipe that’s not as boring and I think I have achieved that with this one. I hope you like it! Half a head of cauliflower should yield about 1lb or four cups of rice using the (coarse) grating attachment for your food processor. If you chop or pulse the cauliflower you just get square-shaped bits similar to couscous, not rice. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large head of cauliflower shredded – about 1lb (500g) weight, 4 cups.
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter
• 1 Tbsp (15ml) olive oil, avocado oil or almond oil
• Medium onion peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely crushed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into 1/2-1 inch squares. I like red for color and sweetness.
• 2 tsp (10 ml) hot pepper jelly, optional
• Lime juice – about 1 tablespoon /15 ml
• About 1/2 c (120 ml) cilantro chopped – is about 2 tbsp (30ml) when chopped.
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp butter to finish – optional

Directions:

1. Break the cauliflower in florets and cut off most of the stalk. The stalk just doesn’t shred nicely.
2. Rinse cauliflower, drain and pat dry.
3. Put shredding blade into your food processor and shred cauliflower. It shreds into rice looking grains except for little pieces of stalk.
4. Melt some butter and olive oil together in 9 inch skillet.
5. Add finely chopped onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until softening.
6. Add cauliflower rice, salt, pepper and optional hot pepper jelly, stir well, cover and cook for another 5 minutes until cauliflower is cooked as you like it.
7. Stir in lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, add a knob of butter if you want, it really adds to taste. Turn off heat, let stand for a minute for flavors to mingle.

Note: Use basil and sun-dried tomatoes for Italian flavors, oregano, mint, artichokes, and feta for Greek flavors. Use cooked beans and some coconut milk for Caribbean style. Parsley and green onions can be used on all recipes.

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh on Facebook, LinkedIn or her website. Chef Oonagh has a culinary arts degree, celiac disease and other food allergies. Remember most real food is naturally gluten-free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing.