Game-Changer Cauliflower "Couscous" -- Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo & Nutrient-Packed!

Game-Changer Cauliflower “Couscous” — Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo & Nutrient-Packed!

One of the beautiful things about cauliflower, besides being ridiculously healthy and good for us, is its chameleon-like ability to substitute for foods that we might be avoiding or trying to limit in our diets. If your goal is to lower your carb and calorie intake, grain consumption or want to replace pasta or rice with a fantastic alternative, this will be game-changer! Plus it’s gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free. Grain-brain and paleo people will love this too!

This recipe uses cauliflower and transforms it into couscous or rice, which can then be simply cooked on the stove, without water, to a crispy, toasty consistency. This is not mushy or mashed but truly looks like a rice relative or a couscous cousin. Serve as a side dish, or as an entree with pasta sauce, under faux meatballs, with veggies, sprinkled with nooch or vegan cheese, or even cold in a salad. This is a great dish as is but the possibilities are infinite when it comes to what you can add—mushrooms, nuts, onions, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, ginger, tofu or veggie—it’s truly up to your creative juices. This recipe is wonderful for holidays and for serving a large group!

Game-Changer Cauliflower “Couscous” or “Rice”

—Ellen Francis, Vegan American Princess

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
olive oil spray or coconut oil spray
salt & pepper
(optional fixins)

Method

Trim the cauliflower of leaves and cut into quarters
Either cut the florets or separate large florets
You will most likely need to process in 2 batches. Place half of the florets in a food processor and pulse in 1 second intervals until all the cauliflower is cut into rice-type or couscous consistency. Do not over pulse—we don’t want mushy puree!
If large florets remain while most of the cauliflower is processed, remove all the couscous cauliflower and re-pulse all the large remaining pieces
Heat a large frying pan on medium and spray some olive oil or coconut oil into it
Place all the couscous into the pan and toss so that most of it gets a bit of the oil.
Cover for about 7 minutes. Uncover and season with salt and pepper to taste. If a crispier consistency is desired, raise the heat a bit and stir the couscous around to get it a little browned and toasty.
Serve as a side, with pasta sauce, faux meatballs, with veggies, sprinkled with nooch or vegan cheese, or even cold in a salad. You can add any of the following: mushrooms, nuts, onions, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, ginger, balsamic vinegar—it’s truly up to your creative imagination!

We have featured many recipes that glorify the cauliflower on Vegan American Princess. “Gorgeous, Easy & Delicious: The Whole Golden Roasted Cauliflower” or “Cauliflower Steaks Topped with Savory Quinoa” or “Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes aka Caulipots.” We’ve even got Broccoli-Cauliflower Ginger Soup, which is absolutely delicious. Oops, I almost forgot “Buffalo Wing Cauliflower!” How many forms and incarnations can one vegetable have? When it comes to this flowery cauliflower, there are many and I’m starting to feel like I’ve just scratched the surface!

The myriad health benefits of cauliflower make it a vital veggie to put into every diet:

Cauliflower: 1 cup, cooked
29 calories
0 fat
0 cholesterol
6 g. carbohydrates
Dietary fiber: 11%
Vitamin C: 73%
Vitamin K: 19%
Folic Acid: 14%
Pantothenic Acid: 13%
Vitamin B6: 12%
Choline: 11%
Omega-3 Fats: 9%
Manganese: 8%
Phosphorus: 6%
Biotin: 5%
Potassium: 5%
Vitamin B2: 5%
Protein: 5%
Vitamin B1: 4%
Vitamin B3: 3%
Magnesium: 3%

You are doing something fabulous for your body when you eat cauliflower—it helps gets rid of toxins; it’s packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories; it provides cardiovascular and digestive support! According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, these benefits translate into real factors to help fight and prevent cancers, Crohn’s disease, IBS, metabolic syndrome, obesity, theumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes and ulcerative colitis.