Cauliflower Rice with Pecorino
I was at the grocery store the other day, looking for some dinner inspiration. (I like to go on Sundays because there are so many samples offered; it helps me to branch out of our normal menu options.) This week, I was excited to re-create the chicken cacciatore that we tasted. The "EZ meals" my local Wegmans showcased only serves up to four people. In order to feed our large family of six, plus have leftovers, I knew I would need to make the entrée on my own. I grabbed the suggested ingredients and toss them into my cart, with the intention of throwing everything into the slow cooker. But before leaving the demo station, I asked the employee for a side suggestion. Expecting him to say pasta or potatoes, I was shocked when he mentioned his current favorite was using cauliflower rice. CAULIFLOWER RICE?! I mean, has anyone else ever heard of that before? Have I been hiding under a rock for the past few months? In the same vein as "zoodles" (zucchini noodles), this is a way to serve vegetables with the texture of some other familiar food; in this case it was rice.
Get a large head of cauliflower since it shockingly cooks down quite a bit from where you started!
It seemed simple enough. Remove the greens and chop up the cauliflower head into the smallest pieces possible. I opted to utilize my food processor and it worked out perfectly! Within 10 minutes, I had a large dish of beautifully seasoned , rice-like veggies! It was a hit with my toughest critics as well, and now cauliflower rice will be a reoccurring side at our dinners. Wegmans comes through yet again, with healthy inspiration!
Season with a bit of salt and pepper, it's done when it starts to brown in color.
Ingredients:
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Directions:
Cut greens and large chunky stems from florets. Separate florets into golf ball-sized pieces and place in a food processor and pulse in batches until rice-sized. In a 12" nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (about 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving; hot or at room temperature.
Yield: approximately 4 large servings.
