I wanted to write this blog post just on cauliflower, that’s how much I love it! Mainly because I think it solves a big struggle a lot people face, which is not knowing what to eat or not having the time to eat healthy. Having the right foods on hand is SO important. So if you’re at the grocery, always pick up cauliflower! It lasts for a while in the fridge, it has a lot of amazing health benefits, and it will give you numerous recipe options (pictured above is cauliflower crust).
Health Benefits of Cauliflower:
Anti-inflammatory
Antioxidant
Digestive benefits
Beauty Benefits of Cauliflower:
Skin-brightening (rich in Vitamin C)
Anti-aging (rich in antioxidants)
Different ways you can cook cauliflower:
- Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Mash
- Cauliflower Crust
Cauliflower Rice:
If you haven’t tried this, you MUST! It’s basically crumbled cauliflower with the same consistency as rice, so you can substitute it for rice in any of your favorite dishes for a low-carb alternative. Recipe below:
Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower, separated into 1-inch florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions:
- Trim the cauliflower florets, cutting away as much stem as possible. In 3 batches, break up the florets into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles couscous.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and stir to coat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Cook until the cauliflower has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Serve warm
Cauliflower mash
I might even like cauliflower mash more than cauliflower rice. Cauliflower rice is trendier so it gets a little more attention right now, but I just love mashed potatoes, and it’s CRAZY how similar these can taste to regular potatoes. All you do is basically add a little vegan butter and throw in a blender, and you get a whipped-cauliflower mash. Recipe below:
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 3 roasted garlic cloves
- 1 tsp fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tsp minced rosemary
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp Earth Balance
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Fill a large saucepan with an inch of water and insert a steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil, and add the cauliflower florets.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, allowing the cauliflower to steam for 6-7 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Drain the steamed cauliflower, then transfer to the bowl of a large food processor.
- Add the roasted garlic cloves, chives, rosemary, almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, and process until smooth or to your desired texture. Add the Earth Balance and pulse again until combined.
- Top with fresh cracked pepper
Cauliflower crust
This is an AMAZING alternative to pizza crust, but I’ll be honest, making it from scratch isn’t quick. However, it’s doable! I’ll include a recipe, and maybe you and your girlfriends can get together and try it one night. But rest assured that as a back up you can always find pre-made cauliflower crust at grocery stores.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1 cauliflower head
- 3 tablespoons flax meal
- 9 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions:
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto a round pizza pan or cookie sheet and lightly oil. Set aside.
- Place almonds in a food processor and turn on until almond meal forms. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Place half the cauliflower florets in food processor and turn on until finely chopped (smaller pieces than if you “riced” it). Transfer to a glass bowl, finely chop the rest of the cauliflower, and add that to the bowl as well.
- Microwave for 2 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the flaxmeal and water, and set aside.
- Give the cauliflower a stir and cook for another 90 seconds.
- While that’s cooking, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- While the cauliflower is cooling, in a small bowl, mix together the oregano, basil, rosemary, garlic powder, and sea salt.
- Once the cauliflower is cool, place on a clean, dry dish towel and wring out the excess water. Squeeze out every last drop that you can. This step is super important as the less water there is, the crispier the crust.
- Return the cauliflower to the glass bowl and mix together with the almond meal, flax/water mixture, the spices, and the olive oil.
- Spoon out the dough onto the lightly oiled parchment paper and use the back of a metal spoon to flatten into a round or rectangular pizza crust so it’s about one-quarter-inch thick. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, place parchment paper over another pan and set aside.
- Use this time to prep any toppings you plan on using for your pizza. I sautéed mushrooms and peppers.
- When the crust is firm to the touch and lightly browned, remove it from the oven and flip the pizza crust onto the other pan, carefully peeling the parchment paper from the crust. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add your toppings.
- Bake for another 5-10 minutes to warm, enjoy!
Hope you found these useful!
