Written By: Alaina Coffey, Senior Dietetics Student, SAR 16

This cauliflower rice recipe was a huge hit among students at SCTK, and a new favorite recipe for Karen! We created “fried rice” by using cauliflower made into small granules in a food processor as the base, replacing the rice. Recent trendy and innovative recipes have called for cauliflower as a substitute for foods such as mashed potatoes, rice, and even pizza crust! Cauliflower is low in calories, high in fiber and water to fill you up, and high in vitamin C and K. It is versatile in cooking and has the amazing ability to replace all or some of the carbohydrate base in almost any recipe, such as breads, pasta dishes, couscous or rice. Cauliflower alone has a mild taste and picks up seasonings well, so you can manipulate it to taste any way you desire. This is great news for those who wish to maintain optimal health, maintain weight or lose weight while continuing to enjoy their favorite recipes.

This recipe called for vegetables found in traditional fried rice recipes, such as green onions and frozen carrots, peas and corn; however, you could add in any favorite vegetables of your choice! Additionally, in our SCTK version we omitted the almonds and cashews due to nut allergies, but we enjoyed the flavor without nuts added. Judging by how quickly students made a large batch of cauliflower rice disappear, I believe this recipe would be highly popular in BU dining halls. The flavors of ginger, garlic, green onions and soy sauce made this recipe a hit. Try it out at home, and experiment by adding in your favorite vegetables or optional nuts of your choice!

Sargent Choice Fried Cauliflower Rice

Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com
Yield: 6 servings

 Ingredients

1 head cauliflower made into cauliflower rice
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
2 large eggs, whisked
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
½ cup frozen peas
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (or Tamari, if gluten-free diet is needed)
¼ cups almonds or cashews, optional

Directions

For Cauliflower Rice:
1. Cut the cauliflower into large pieces: Cut the head of cauliflower into quarters, then trim the inner core from each quarter. Break apart the cauliflower into large florets. If the core is tender, you can chip it into pieces and add it with the florets.
2. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor: Do not fill the food processor more than ¾ full; if necessary, process in two batches.
3. Pulse the cauliflower in 1-second pulses until completely broken down into couscous-sized granules. Alternatively, grate the florets on the large holes of a box grater.
4. Pull out any unprocessed pieces: Some florets or large pieces of cauliflower might remain intact. Pull these out and set them aside. Transfer the cauliflower couscous to another container and re-process any large pieces.
5. Serving raw cauliflower couscous: Cauliflower couscous can be used raw, tossed like grains into a salad or in a cold side dish.
6. Cooking cauliflower couscous: Cooking makes the cauliflower more tender and rice-like. Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the couscous and sprinkle with salt. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the couscous is as tender as you like.

You can watch a video here: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice-couscous-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-203344

Directions for Fried Rice:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in wok or 12-inch skillet. Add eggs and quickly scramble. Transfer eggs to a cutting board and roughly chop into pieces.
2. Add 3 teaspoons vegetable oil (1 Tablespoon) to the same skillet and warm over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the carrots and sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir the corn, peas, and cauliflower rice into the pan, maxing the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 5 to 8 minutes.  Uncover and stir in the eggs, green onions, soy sauce and almonds, if using.

 Nutrition Facts per serving (without nuts):