Easy Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is a simple, nutritious and even sneaky side dish that is everyone will enjoy.

My kids have even mistaken it for regular rice, so in other words it's a great way to get anyone to eat vegetables.

With cauliflower rice you can easily adjust seasonings using other things like cilantro and lime. Or trying to mimic the classic Mexican rice by including sautéed onion, tomato paste, cumin and chili powder.

Other options are to make it lively and herbaceous by adding a blend of fresh herbs, or make it just a little more rich and lightly nutty in flavor by finishing it with some browned butter.

Endless possibilities with it, just like with classic white rice. It starts very plain but you can build up those flavors and seasoning as you like.

There's just something about the trio of flavors used in this recipe though, they it will actually leave you craving it time and time again. That's right, craving a vegetable!

I think the secret is including some rather boldly flavored ingredients because cauliflower is very mildly flavored on it's own.

There's just something addictive about that sharply toned yet very welcomed parmesan flavor included here, it really can turn the most drab and dull food into something that's utterly enjoyable. Try this and you'll see what all the hype is about!

A basic recipe that teaches you how to roast cauliflower and I've included one of my favorite ways to season it. With lemon, garlic and fresh herbs.

But the options are limitless when it comes to seasoning. It's a very versatile vegetable that adapts well with various spices and other aromatics.

If you don't have any of the seasonings included here you can just go the easy route with plain salt and pepper, and you'll still have a delicious side dish.

Here it's really all about those tempting caramelized edges that really maximizes flavor (so stick with that high heat). Delicious simplicity at its best!

Plus it's a low carb side that makes a healthier alternative to loaded baked potatoes or mashed potatoes so it's great to switch them out sometimes.

Delicious Cauliflower Soup Recipe

This soup is actually very similar to a potato soup. Before telling my kids what kind of soup it was, my daughter was eating it and asked if there were potatoes in it, so it must be close.

I love how the flavor of this soup is simple yet so satisfying. Nothing fancy here just creamy, cheesy homestyle soup!

I love that this salad uses very basic ingredients and a minimal amount of them yet it's totally from scratch. No store bought coleslaw dressing here.

And I made this version to be lighter with a blend of mostly Greek yogurt and part mayonnaise. It's still so rich and creamy and no one will notice it's lighter.

Here you'll only want to use the floret portion, hardly any stem. Speaking of do you have any good uses for broccoli stems? I hate to toss them but I can only eat so much of them on their own. Maybe I need another coleslaw recipe for that using only broccoli stems :).

Note that if you don't want big time crunch here, you can partially boil the veggies to make them more tender. If doing this you'll want to add in an extra cup or two of each the broccoli and cauliflower as it will loose some of its volume while boiling.

Mashed Cauliflower

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be making mock mashed potatoes. But here we are and I'm actually kind of obsessed - it must be that roasted garlic.

Don't get me wrong though I'm definitely not giving up Mom's Mashed Potatoes, I was just looking for something else to add to the rotation to switch things up.

How to Make Mashed Cauliflower

• Roast the garlic in the oven until golden brown.
• Steam cauliflower over stovetop.
• Remove garlic from skins add to a food processor along with cauliflower, parmesan, butter, Greek yogurt, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Remove top insert from food processor and process until smooth.
• Serve warm with parsley and another dab of butter if desired.

The Addition of Roasted Garlic and Parmesan is a Game Changer

And that roasted garlic is like candy to me. Whenever there's roasted garlic making an appearance at the dinner table we all know things are going to be good.

Then the parmesan adds a bit of richness and a good balance of saltiness.

I love it here because cauliflower has a mild flavor so it gives it that special something. Along with the few dabs of butter of course..

Easy Unstuffed Peppers

So instead of multi-step process of boiling peppers, making a white rice (and waiting the 30 minutes for it to finish), prepping a filling, stuffing peppers, then baking peppers, here you just saute everything in a skillet and serve it over a store-bought microwavable cauliflower rice.

You save so much time (traditionally stuffed peppers take 60 - 90 minutes, here it's about 20 - 25) and there's also a lot less effort - less prep, less steps, less clean up, etc. BUT you still get all those same flavors!

It's the easiest dinner I've made in a while plus my family loved it so and I'm sure this will become a regular for around here!

Ground Turkey or Ground Beef? Cauliflower Rice or White Rice?

I also chose to make these bowls healthier than the traditional stuffed peppers by swapping the ground beef for ground turkey, then I used cauliflower rice instead of white rice. You could even nix the cheese but I don't really know how to do that so ummm here we are. Bring on the cheddar!

If lean ground beef and white rice are what you've got on hand you can definitely use those here as well, it's just not quite as healthy. Leftover brown rice would be a great option too if you've got that in your fridge.

Tacos Bowls on Repeat

These are so good in fact that I made them twice this week, then when I was at the store I grabbed more cauliflower rice so I could make the again this coming week.

Slightly obsessed.

It's pretty much just a bowl full of veggies with lean protein so you can't go wrong here. Plus it's super filling.

Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken

In fact I actually like this version even better than the rice version. It's incredibly filling but you don't feel weighed down like when you eat a bunch of the empty calories of white rice.

I've made this three times already but I thought I'd wait until the new year to share it with you - because December was all about those cookies.

And now I guess I need to make up for all those cookies with lots of healthy meals this month :).

But honestly I know I'll never be one who's able to give up sugar and desserts so I like to make mostly healthy meals like so to help balance it out a little.

Ingredients for This Recipe

• Cauliflower
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Green onions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Frozen peas and carrots blend
• Eggs
• Soy sauce

Scroll below for full printable recipe.

How to Make Cauliflower Fried Rice

• Cut the florets from the cauliflower leaving most of the stem behind. Pulse half at a time in food processor into fine bits, just a bit larger than couscous (you should have 4 cups).
• Transfer cauliflower to a large roll of several layers of paper towels then wrap and squeeze to remove some of the excess moisture. Set aside.
• Heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil in a large 12-inch (fairly deep) non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
• Add in chicken and cook, tossing occasionally, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil to now empty skillet, set over medium-high heat. Add in green onions, ginger and garlic and saute 20 seconds.
• Add in cauliflower "rice" and saute 3 minutes. Add in peas and carrots and saute until heated through, about 3 minutes.
• Push mixture to the edges of the pan. Add last 1/2 Tbsp of sesame oil to center then add eggs and scramble and cook just until set.
• Return chicken to pan. Pour soy sauce over everything then toss and cook 1 minute longer.
• Serve warm with green onions, peanuts and Sriracha.

A Protein Rich One Pan Dinner

My whole family loves this Cauliflower Fried "Rice" and it's a one pan meal I'll make again and again.

It's made with tons of veggies (cauliflower, carrots, peas), lean protein packed chicken, and eggs to add one more protein and make it that much more filling.

I love that it's a quick and easy dinner too. As in you can pretty much make it faster than it would take to go pick up take-out.

I think I'm going to start freezing my own cauliflower rice so I have a head start with this fried rice and my Loaded Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice.

You could also try using store-bought frozen cauliflower rice. That should work great here as well.

More Recipes You Might Like

• Very Veggie Fried Rice
• Teriyaki Chicken
• Asian Lettuce Wraps

Easy Vegetable Soup

This recipe is brimming with veggies and it couldn't be any easier to make! The food processor does the chops the garlic and onion and the remaining veggies are pre-cut.

It also just uses an Italian herb blend instead of adding a bunch of different herbs. To measure out the Italian seasoning you can just use a scant 1 Tbsp to simplify it.

Then for added protein there's some canned pre-cooked chick peas to keep if filling. You don't even need to rinse them, just drain them and add them in.

It really has got to be is the easiest soup I've ever made! But it's still so delicious and hearty, and it has a simple well balanced flavor.

Cauliflower Gratin

Here cauliflower is covered with a rich and creamy cheddar cheese sauce, sprinkled with crispy Panko bread crumbs, then it's baked to perfection and crowned with salty crispy bacon and some fresh parsley for color.

It's a whole lot of goodness and it's a dish people won't forget!

This isn't just for holidays and parties. It's easily something you can make as a side dish for dinner.

It's such a warm and cozy dish for cool fall days and cold winter evenings.

I just served it with roasted chicken, because 90% of the time that's what we're having anyway is chicken for dinner.