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!

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.

Easy Unstuffed Pepper Bowl

So instead of a multi-step process of boiling peppers, making a white rice (and waiting 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, fewer 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 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 Unstuffed Pepper 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, but it's just not quite as healthy. Leftover brown rice would be a great option too if you've got that in your fridge.

Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken

There are few dinners more comforting than a quick and easy fried rice. Usually, it's made up of leftover rice (or cooked jasmine rice if I'm really committed), leftover ham or chicken breast, and several cloves garlic. But if you're limiting carbs or trying to increase your veggies, you'll find this a great substitute for the boring day-old rice.

In fact I actually like this version even better than the cooked 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. You can cut more fat and calories by using a different neutral oil, like avocado oil or canola oil.

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 this to help balance it out a little. Fried rice recipes are a great option for sneaking in more vegetables or cleaning out your fridge.

Ingredients for This Recipe

• Cauliflower
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil (or vegetable oil if there are allergies)
• Green onions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Frozen peas and carrots blend
• Eggs
• Soy sauce

Scroll below for the 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 a 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 the mixture to the edges of the pan. Add the last 1/2 Tbsp of sesame oil to the center, then add eggs and scramble and cook just until set.
• Return chicken to the 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.

This dish is 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.

Something great about stir fries is that you can customize them for any flavor you enjoy. Experiment with other meats, like beef or pork, or shrimp fried rice, or use different cuts for more juicy chicken (I love boneless skinless chicken thighs). Use different amounts of salt and pepper, season with a dark soy sauce, or add sriracha for some heat. I also like to throw in whatever veggies I have in the fridge—broccoli, carrots, asparagus, anything goes! Just pay attention to how long it takes individual ingredients to fry.

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. Plus, the leftovers are perfect for taking lunch to work the next day.

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

Instructions

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.

If there is one of my soup recipes that you must try this Fall, please let this be it! This soup is equally as delicious, if not better, than broccoli cheese soup. I wouldn't have thought it would be as good because cauliflower seems quite bland, but when you roast it in a blazing hot oven, it takes it to a whole new level.

Roasted Cauliflower White Cheddar Soup

The cauliflower florets seem to caramelize on the edges and bring a light sweetness to the soup. It was hard for me not to eat all of the roasted cauliflower before adding it to the soup, I love the stuff! I might try adding other vegetables, like carrots or potatoes, to make this a more healthy vegetable soup. (I recommend you blend it with an immersion blender after the simmer stage if you prefer a smoother texture.)