cauliflower

Two Easy Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower Dishes – September
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Two Easy Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower Dishes – September

Here are two delicious and easy sheet pan ideas for roasting riced cauliflower. The first with chopped sweet peppers and baby spinach, the second with garlic and mushrooms.

These are perfect side dishes for anything grilled or roasted. By themselves they are vegan and paleo, gluten and dairy free.

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

Ingredients:

  • I package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistancy
  • 1 lemon, zested – save the juice for the end
  • 1 whole red pepper or 5 baby peppers of various colors
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large handful of baby spinach

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine the riced cauliflower, lemon zest, sweet peppers, garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
  3. Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pan and place it on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  4. Cook for 15 minutes then take out of the oven and mix in the baby spinach, stir and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so until the spinach is wilted and the cauliflower is browning on the edges of the sheet pan.
  5. Let cool a bit, then use the parchment to turn into a serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon.
Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Sweet Peppers and Spinach

 

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

  • I package of pre-riced cauliflower or 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and riced in your food processor to rice like consistancy
  • 2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
  • 4 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large handful of something green to garnish…microgreens, chopped arugula, parsley, chives, etc.

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl combine the riced cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
  3. Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pan and place it on the bottom shelf of the oven.
  4. Cook for 20 minutes until the cauliflower has browned on the edges of the sheet pan.
  5. Let cool a bit, then use the parchment to turn into a serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste and add something green. Mix a final time.
Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

Sheet Pan Riced Cauliflower with Garlic and Mushrooms

I wonder if the folks over at Fiesta Friday would enjoy this? It is Fiesta Friday #449, a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie. Click on the link to read posts with wonderful recipes, craft or decorating ideas.

Riced Cauliflower Herb Salad – September
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Riced Cauliflower Herb Salad – September

This is an update to a recipe that was originally posted in May of 2019 called Middle Eastern Herb and Cauliflower Salad. I’ve added a drained can of chickpeas, capers and some chopped dates for a sweet note. This is a valuable salad recipe to have in your back pocket. It’s gluten free, dairy free, vegan and it can be made several hours ahead. I took it to a bookclub potluck lunch to share. Leftovers were still good a couple of days later and made a great lunch with a bit of canned tuna.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

 

I can find riced cauliflower in the grocery store, both Trader Joe’s and Safeway carry it. But it is easy to make at home in your food processor if you need to start from scratch (or have cauliflower growing in your garden…lucky you). I don’t recommend using the packaged already riced cauliflower if you are making mock mashed potatoes I think it has a high percentage of stem. It won’t result in a creamy rich amazing mashed potato substitute. You need to have mostly florets for that recipe. But, it is perfect for use in this recipe. The kernels hold their shape and crunch once cooked.

I roasted the cauliflower for extra flavor before mixing it with the other ingredients.

If you are starting with a head of cauliflower, slice the head in half and remove the tough core. Roughly chop the florets. Working in batches, add the cauliflower to your food processor and pulse until the consistency of ‘rice’. Transfer to a large bowl.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Ingredients:

Cauliflower:

  • I head of cauliflower or a package of pre-riced cauliflower
  • 2 tablespoons of fruity olive oil
  • Zest of 1 lemon, preferably organic
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad:

  • I can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 5 dates, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed an drained
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup of coarsely chopped flat leaved parsley
  • 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped mint
  • 4 scallions white and light green, chopped
  • 1-2 lemons, juiced to make about 1/4 cup of juice
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove, grated
  • 3/4 cup of sliced almonds, toasted
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper as needed

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the riced cauliflower in a large bowl and add the olive oil, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Mix well.
  3. Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes until tender and browning around the edges. You may need to leave it for a few additional minutes but check it so it doesn’t burn. Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool on the parchment paper.
  4. Spread the almonds on a small baking sheet and toast in the same oven for about 5 minutes, again check constantly as they will turn from nicely toasted to burnt in seconds. Remove and cool.
  5. While the cauliflower is cooking you can make the herb salad. Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and let the herbs and tomatoes marinate until the cauliflower is cool.
  6. Once cool, add the cauliflower to the bowl with the salad and mix well. The parchment paper works well as you can just lift it off the baking sheet. Taste to see if you need to add any additional lemon juice or salt or pepper.
  7. Chill until ready to serve, garnished with the toasted sliced almonds.

I had a small package of microgreens in the fridge and added them with the other herbs.

You could turn this into an entire meal by adding some sliced feta or leftover chicken to the salad. It would also be an excellent side with grilled lamb chops or kebobs.

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

Riced Cauliflower Salad with Chickpeas

I wonder if the folks over at Fiesta Friday would enjoy this? It is Fiesta Friday #449, a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie. Click on the link to read posts with wonderful recipes, craft or decorating ideas.

June – Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad
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June – Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

The inspiration for this cauliflower cutlet (or pancake or fritter) recipe came from G. Daniela Galarza at The Washington Post. As written it is vegetarian, gluten, and dairy free. I’ve modified it slightly, adding more seasoning and using fresh riced cauliflower rather than frozen. I will include instructions for both using both fresh and frozen cauliflower. I like the addition of some soft goat cheese but that is entirely optional, the original recipe did not call for it.

The ingredients are mostly pantry staples; rice or chickpea flour and frozen riced cauliflower. I’ve made them with both brown rice flour and chickpea flour. Chickpea flour produces a tender, meatier fritter; brown rice flour fries up crispier. These cutlets or patties or fritters make a perfect lunch dish out on the patio now the weather has warmed. Or make them for a light supper. Or as a side for a BBQ. Or simply put a poached egg on top and call them savory pancakes.

Leftovers are good the next day in a sandwich with some sharp mustard, lettuce and slices of summer tomato.

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Ingredients for about 10 cutlets:

  • 1 (10 oz) package of frozen cauliflower rice or measure 10 oz of fresh cauliflower (about 1/3 of a large head), chop into chunks and pulse in your food processor until you have finely chopped bits or 10 oz of already riced cauliflower from the store.
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 small yellow onion, grated
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely minced or grated
  • 3/4 cup (about 3-3/4 oz) of rice flour or (2-1/2 oz) of chickpea flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • optional: 1/2 cup of fresh goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 avocado or grape-seed or canola oil plus more if needed

Salad

  • I small cucumber, sliced or chopped
  • 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 radishes, sliced into coins
  • 1/2 can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 – 3 handfuls of arugula or mixed greens
  • 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup of flavorful olive oil
  • kosher salt to taste
  • optional: chopped fresh parsley, crumbled fresh goat cheese

Method:

  1. Make the cauliflower cutlets: If using frozen – microwave the cauliflower on high for 3 minutes until partially steamed. If using fresh from a head – chop about 10 oz into chunks (about 1/3 of a large head) and process in your food processor until the texture of rice, steam in the microwave about 3 to 4 minutes on high. If using fresh already riced – Steam in the microwave for 3 – 4 minutes. In all cases, cool before using.
  2. Line a tray with a cooling rack or paper towels, set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the grated onion, garlic, rice or chickpea flour, salt, spices and goat cheese if using. Stir in the riced cauliflower.
  4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with 1/4 cup of oil. Add a large spoonful of the batter, spreading into an oval.
  5. Flatten into an even thickness and cook until the bottom is golden brown and small bubbles appear on the top. Gently flip and fry until the other side is golden brown.
  6. Remove to the tray to cool slightly.
  7. Repeat as needed until they all are cooked, adding more oil if needed.
  8. In a large salad bowl combine the dressing ingredients. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, garbanzo beans and radishes tossing to coat them with the dressing. Add the arugula and toss again.
  9. Serve the fritters warm, with the salad and optional goat cheese on top.
Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Cauliflower Cutlets

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

I am taking this dish to Fiesta Friday #383, hosted by Angie and cohosted this week by myself. Please come on by to read blogging posts about cooking, gardening and crafts.

April – Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos
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April – Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos

I am not a taco snob. What do I mean by that? If you or your family like those crisp shells from a box sold at the grocery store, I am not one to criticize. Go for it! That’s what some members of my family prefers. Now I wouldn’t order tacos that way in a restaurant. But at home, they are perfectly fine and save me a lot of trouble when I’m trying valiantly to get dinner on the table. I myself prefer a soft whole wheat or gluten free tortilla that I can roll into a big fat burrito; the bigger the better. I want to have to eat it with a knife and fork.

Tacos are great because you can put out the fixings on the counter and let everyone customize it to their own taste. That way of putting dinner on the table is also ideal if you have a mix of vegans, vegetarians, and meat lovers to feed. A taco bar is a lot of fun, you can let you imagination run wild (or not if it’s one of those days). All you need is a wrap of some kind, filling, salsa, cheese (vegan cheese  is not bad), and some sliced cabbage or lettuce. Anything else is icing on the taco so to speak. But do try the pickled onions, their sharpness is very welcome against the smooth and creamy black beans.

This version of a vegetarian filling came from the blog Smitten Kitchen.  I have increased the amount of seasonings, otherwise I followed the recipe fairly closely. It features one of my favorite vegetables, cauliflower. And it’s prepared in my favorite way, roasted until brown and charred in spots. It really is the most amazing vegetable and it’s good for you as well.

Roasted Cauliflower with Black Beans

Roasted Cauliflower with Black Beans

You add the drained black beans to the sheet pan when the cauliflower first comes from the oven, warming them and further flavoring the beans in the seasoning in the pan.

The pickled red onions are definitely addictive. I keep a jar of these in my fridge. They are wonderful on a grilled cheese sandwich (any kind of sandwich for that matter), quesadilla, salad or taco. You can pickle them for 30 minutes to several days, they get better and better.

Pickled red onion

Pickled red onion

Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos

Pickled onions:

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (rice vinegar results in a milder pickle)
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Cauliflower and black beans:

  • 3 tablespoons of olive or other neutral oil
  • 1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed, broken and chopped small (they need to fit into the taco)
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 2 heaping teaspoons of ground cumin
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 lime, halved
  • 1 15-ox can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • tortillas
  • 1/2 to 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • crumbled or shredded cheese
  • optional – salsa, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, thinly sliced cabbage or lettuce, sliced radishes, etc.

Method:

  1. Make the pickled onions by combining the vinegar, water, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl. Add the onion and toss to coat. Set aside or refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  3. Line a sheet pan with baking or parchment paper.
  4. Put the cauliflower in a large bowl, toss to coat with the oil, cumin, salt, and red pepper to taste.
  5. Spread on the sheet pan and roast for a total of 25-30 minutes, turning them midway through.
  6. Remove from the oven and squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime over the cauliflower. Add the black beans to the warm sheet pan. Taste and add more lime juice if you want.
  7. Heat whatever vehicle you want for eating, top with the cauliflower and beans, add avocado, pickles onions and whatever else your taste desires.
Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos

Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos

For us it was slim pickings that night, no avocado, no cabbage (I did have a lonely head of romaine), and no cheese. But the cauliflower and black bean filling was delicious and easy. We still counted this a wonderful dinner which was worth repeating.

And the leftover cauliflower and black beans were delicious tossed into a salad the next night, this time with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, avocado, pickled onions and cherry tomatoes. I would consider making a batch just for the leftovers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

October – Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan
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October – Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

I am very partial to roasted vegetables of any type. Vegetables in the family Brassicaceae or Crucifereae are particularly delicious cooked that way. Roasting enhances the sweetness of cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Did you know the family takes its alternative name from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross (Crusciferae is new latin for ‘cross-bearing’).

When roasted they only need a little olive oil and some salt for seasoning, that’s all I use most times. Last week I saw a recipe from Melissa Clark for Roasted Cauliflower With Pancetta, Olives and Crisp Parmesan in the NY Times cooking section. I happened to have a head of cauliflower in the crisper drawer that needed using, and most of the other ingredients were pantry staples.

This was a big hit, served with a swordfish steak cooked sous vide (I will be posting that recipe soon). This dish could easily be an entire meal with a salad on the side. The combination of bacon, cauliflower, olives and parmesan was a winner. You could adapt this recipe for Brussels sprouts or cabbage if that’s what you have on hand. The olives wouldn’t stand out color wise, but the flavor would still be there. Let me know if you try it.

Cauliflower is such an adaptable vegetable and it’s featured in so many recipes. Who would have ever thought of cauliflower rice or cauliflower pizza ten years ago? My grandmother’s favorite way of serving cauliflower was creamed cauliflower with a cheese sauce. That classic dish is still on many holiday menus as it can be made ahead and baked at the last minute. You could combine some of the same flavors of smoked pork (bacon, prosciutto or pancetta) and parmesan into a baked cauliflower dish with pasta I recently read on cookingwithauntjuju.com, Rigatoni with Cauliflower, Prosciutto and Parmesan Crust. As I said, cauliflower is a blank canvas for inventiveness.

Getting back to the recipe…

Melissa Clark’s recipe called for using a package of finely diced pancetta, not something I had on hand and I didn’t want to run to the store for a single ingredient. I did have a package of thick sliced smoked bacon which I diced and precooked to crispy deliciousness. If you have pancetta or even prosciutto available by all means use them.

Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
  • 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup of green olives, crushed, pitted and chopped
  • 1 large clove of garlic, finely grated or minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more as needed
  • 4 ounces bacon, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1/2 cup of shredded (not ground) parmesan
  • Chopped parsley or other small greens for garnish (I had part of a package of micro greens)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place cauliflower on a rimmed backing sheet and toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Roast for 15 minutes.
  2. While the cauliflower is roasting, pan fry the bacon until almost crisp and drain it on a paper towel.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olives, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt (I didn’t use too much salt because the bacon was salty). Drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, whisking to combine.
  4. After the cauliflower had roasted for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven. Add the bacon and cumin seeds to the pan and gently mix to combine. Sprinkle the parmesan on top. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and browning on the edges, and the parmesan is crisp.
  5. Spoon the contents of the sheet pan into a warmed serving dish and spoon the olive dressing over the top, tossing gently to combine. Add more salt, red pepper flakes or lemon juice as needed.
  6. Scatter the parsley or herbs on top.

 

Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan

Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon, Olives and Crisp Parmesan