It looks like Spanish Rice. It tastes like Spanish Rice. But really? It's made with cauliflower and tomatoes, that makes it a low-carb and high-fiber "rice" dish. Yahoo! Weight Watchers PointsPlus 2.
When my friend Sally from the Iowa blog Tip of the Iceberg mailed this recipe, she wrote, "I've used this recipe for years and it truly is excellent. I hope you can share it with the world." Verdict? It is truly excellent and Here, World, it is!
It looks like Spanish rice. It tastes like Spanish rice. And yet it's not made with rice, it's made with cauliflower. So it's a perfect choice for people who watch their carb intake for diets or diabetes. And good news, this doesn't taste like "diet food" – it's just plain good! And it looks so beautiful on a plate, too, adding color and texture, very pretty!
PS This isn't the first time I've used cauliflower to "fool" the table. Turns out, cauliflower can taste a lot like mashed potatoes, too, just see these Lighter Mashed "Potatoes" from Kitchen Parade, the recipe which prompted Sally to share hers. Thanks, Sally, your cauliflower "Spanish Rice" is a keeper!
COMPLIMENTS!
"Incredible! Talk about a kid (and husband) friendly dish. Couldn't even tell it was cauliflower." ~ MTB Chik
"This is excellent." ~ Tanna from My Kitchen in Half Cups
"This is WAY fabulous! ... my Texas husband thinks it's great, too." ~ Lynn
"... oh.my.goodness. I am in LOVE!" ~ Jess
"... it was AMAZING." ~ Teresa
"... oh my gosh, fantastic. ... I seriously might have a new favorite food." ~ Sara
READER RECIPE:
CAULIFLOWER 'SPANISH RICE'
Hands-on time: 25 minutes with occasional attention required throughout
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 5 cups
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped
Salsa to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
COOK THE CAULIFLOWER by steaming in a vegetable steamer or boiling in salted water, cooking to the 'al dente' stage where it's cooked through but not soft. Chop fine.
MEANWHILE in a large skillet, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM til shimmery. Add the onion and green pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and stir in. When the cauliflower is cooked, stir it in and continue to cook, breaking up the cauliflower and tomatoes with the edge of a spatula while stirring. After cooking awhile, stir in the salsa. Keep cooking, keep tasting, adding more salsa and salt and pepper as needed. The dish is done when the liquid has cooked off, the salsa and seasoning are perfect, and the rest of supper is done too!
ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
My cast iron skillet is about 10 inches across but a bigger one with a bigger cooking surface would have sped along the cooking process. I was out of green pepper but one would add to the authentic look and feel of Spanish rice. I used a good half cup, total, of two mild salsas (one tomato and one tomatillo) but started with a couple of tablespoons. If you're short on salsa, pull out the hot sauce! This would work as a vegan main dish but could also easily be adapted to a rustic main dish, by adding tiny slices of pork or chicken. Note to Vegetarians This dish could be made ahead and then reheated – and I bet the leftovers are fabulous!
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 92 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 257mg Sodium; 15g Carb; 5g Fiber; 7g Sugar; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 2
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MORE FAVORITE CAULIFLOWER RECIPES
~ Roasted Cauliflower ~
~ Cauliflower Tomato Medley ~
~ Curried Cauliflower ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture
~ Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs ~
~ Cauliflower Risotto ~
~ Quick Cauliflower Soup ~
~ more cauliflower recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade
Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
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