Fast Curry Cauliflower Rice with Toasted Almonds

Cauliflower and I spent the first 30 years of my life not being on speaking terms. This is is one of the recipes has helped us find common ground.

 

There are not many veggies that bring out the inner 4 year old child in me, but cauliflower was one of them. Was being the key word in that sentence. I think a lot of it had to do with its texture. I had almost always been exposed it in its mushy, over cooked form (And, let’s face it, nothing over cooked and mushy is overly appealing). However, when I started getting head after head of snowy white cauliflower in my weekly CSA box, I had to either find a way to make friends with the edible flower (true story) or send it to its wasted doom in my compost bin. Since I preach to my students and daughter about not wasting food and being open minded when it comes to new things, I figured I had better buck up and eat my words (literally in this case).

 

I love cauliflower rice because it feels like you are eating traditional rice, but you are actually sneaking a veggie in! Brilliant, huh? You know what is even better? Cauliflower rice comes together faster than real rice. This whole recipe, from the moment my knife went into the head of cauliflower to the moment I scooped it into the serving bowl was 15 minutes. 15 stinkin’ minutes, folks! There is no excuse to not make this nourishing, plant based dish when you can have it on the table faster than you can than a cruddy box of mac and cheese. 

This cauliflower rice has a warm curry flavor, but with a lovely nuttiness from the almonds.  Enjoy it as a side dish to whatever you please, but I highly reccomened it with my crockpot pinto beans  and a side of avocado.  

1 large head of cauliflower, washed and roughly chopped

1/4 cup almonds, slivered or crushed

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chives, washed and minced

1. Put the roughly chopped cauliflower in a food processor. Pulse untilt the cauliflower is well chopped and resembles a rice-texture.  It should make about 6-8 cups of “rice”. Once processed into rice, set aside.

2. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is melted and hot. Add the almonds to the hot skillet and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3. Add the curry powder, cumin, sea salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Stir and cook for one more minte to blend the flavors.

4. Add the cauliflower to the skillet next, stirring it well so that all of it is coated with the spice and almond mixture. Stir in the lemon juice and chives. Cook for 7-10 minutes over medium heat or until the caulifower rice is just starting to get toasted edges. 

5. Serve immediately or store in fridge for up to a week.