cauliflower

Kale has been relegated to the sidelines.

For a relatively mild tasting vegetable, cauliflower is versatile and can be easily substituted for carbs and bready treats. Paleo eaters in particular have propelled it into a current foodie craze. While its official season is in the fall, it is widely available year-round.

Cauliflower is inexpensive and loaded with nutrients and vitamins. It contains antioxidants and phytonutrients that are said to protect against cancer, particularly lung and colon cancers. It is loaded with fiber and has high water content, both of which help the digestive track, and choline that is essential for learning and memory. One cup of raw cauliflower will provide 77% of our daily vitamin C needs, 20% of vitamin K and 10% of vitamin B-6 and folate daily requirements.

When buying a fresh cauliflower, make sure the head is firm with no dark spots, and that it has bright green leaves attached to the stem. It can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Here are some delicious cauliflower recipes:

Try this recipe for Garlic Mashed Cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes.

Or Garlic Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower With Chives.

Cauliflower rice is all the rage. Substituting cauliflower for rice is a great grain-free solution to a popular side dish. Here are some great recipes:

Basic cauliflower rice:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
  • salt to taste

Break your cauliflower into large florets. Using a food processor, process the cauliflower into smaller bits, until it resembles grains of rice (you may need to do this in batches). It’s also possible to make it without a food processor, but it does involve a lot of muscle work chopping, chopping and more chopping.

To cook your cauliflower rice, warm up your oil on low to medium heat, Sauté for several minutes until the ‘rice’ softens. Season with salt and your rice is ready to go!

Alternatively, you can skip the cooking step and use your cauliflower rice in raw dishes. However, if you add raw cauliflower rice to a cooked dish, this will affect the moisture content as the raw rice will exude liquid as it cooks. (Recipe courtesy of Academy of Culinary Nutrition).

Here are 10 uses for your basic cauliflower rice.

And one of my favorites, Asian Cauliflower Fried “Rice”.

Other delicious cauliflower recipes:

Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Chowder recipe from iowagirleats.com

Caramelized Cauliflower Frittata

The Barefoot Contessa has a delicious recipe for Cauliflower Gratin.

Make Cauliflower Breakfast Muffins.

Bon Appétit has 43 great recipes for cauliflower. One of our favorites is Parmesan – Roasted Cauliflower. Another is Cauliflower Steaks and Puree with Walnut-Caper Salsa.

Creamy cauliflower soup with white cheddar

Cauliflower actually makes well-reviewed pizza crust! Here is a good recipe.

ASE reader Frieda H. sent in this Cauliflower Biscuit recipe that she loves:

Cauliflower biscuits
2 Lg. Eggs
1 medium to large cauliflower
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C almond flour
3 Tsp. coconut oil
3″ section of leek (or equivalent amount of scallions)
Preheat oven to 400 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place sliced chunks of cauliflower in blender and pulse until it turns into “rice”.  Depending on the size of the cauliflower, it may take 2 batches.  Don’t wash blender as you will be using it again.
Heat lg. skillet over medium heat.  Add coconut oil, riced cauliflower and salt.  Saute 5-8 minutes or until cauliflower softens.
Transfer cauliflower mixture back into blender, add eggs, leeks or scallions, and almond flour.  Blend until it looks like mashed potatoes.
Scoop mixture in 1/4 cup portions onto papered baking sheet.  Depending on size of cauliflower, it will make 12 or more biscuits.
Bake at 400 for 30-35 minute or until slightly browned.
Remove and cool on the pan 5 minutes before removing with metal spatula.
I find them best served immediately, but they do well reheated, too.
Still need some ideas? Ask the experts at Our Favorite Food Blogs article.