Roasted Cauliflower Rice
A few years ago my husband and I did our first round of Whole30. Today we still follow a Whole30ish diet (we do eat some cheese and I’m not giving up wine or a cocktail right now); lots of veggies & protein. I had a pretty big barrier in swapping foods because I desperately wanted whatever I was eating to taste like the real thing. If you do this, reevaluate your expectations because it always tastes different; likely really delicious but different.
Cauliflower rice is ALL OVER Whole30 and is a common substitution in many dishes. I tried store bought and did not like it. I tried grating it by hand and that was too much work. I used my standard attachment in my Cuisinart and it was mushy. Finally, I used my shredding attachment and I love it this way. There are some chunky pieces but it doesn't bother me at all.
On the stovetop I’d add ¼ of liquid (usually chicken stock), a bit of olive oil and S&P. It’s fine but I felt kind of meh about it because it had no texture. This is when I decided to roast my riced cauliflower. GAME-CHANGER.
The only way my family eats cauliflower is roasted, we like all the charred bits after it’s been tossed in olive oil with garlic salt & pepper. I don’t know why it took actual years for me to think about roasting my riced cauliflower but it works and it’s so much better. I didn’t want it to be charred like when I roasted florets but definitely toasted. It had texture and didn’t turn into mush. Success! It takes a tiny bit longer but for me it’s worth the extra time.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients:
One whole head of cauliflower (you can certainly sub in store bough, uncooked but I think it smells weird)
Olive oil- about 3-4 tablespoons depending on the size of your cauliflower, divided
1 tbsp Garlic Salt, could be more if you cauliflower is large, divided
Pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 (convection if you have it)
Whack the cauliflower stem side down several times (don’t be shy!) to loosen the core a bit. This also can help the florets fall off easier.
Core the cauliflower and remove all green leaves.
Cut into florets that will fit into a food processor.
In a food processor fit with the shredding attachment shred the florets a few at a time.
Evenly spread cauliflower in one layer of two sheet pans.
Drizzle each sheet pan of cauliflower with olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
Place in oven for 20-25 minutes rotating and stirring cauliflower every 7-10 minutes. The cauliflower should look barely toasted when you remove it.
Remove from oven and serve immediately or let cool if using in a cold dish.