Garlic Cauliflower Gnocchi

I’m all-in on my #KetoLifestyle, but there are certain things I enjoy, like bread and pasta, that I miss incredibly. I love zucchini, but I can’t accept zoodles as a legitimate replacement for pasta. Trader Joe’s makes a great cauliflower gnocchi, but it’s not Keto friendly, so I set out to adapt a regular gnocchi recipe to one that fits into my Keto lifestyle. It’s also a great recipe for anyone following a Gluten Free diet.

Garlic Cauliflower Gnocchi

Medium Head Cauliflower
1/2 Cup + 2 TBLS Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Dried Basil
Olive Oil Spray

Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder and basil in a bowl and set aside.

Remove the stem from the cauliflower and cut it into florets. You want 5 cups of florets. Put the cauliflower florets in a food processor (I use my Vitamix) and pulse until it’s riced into crumbles.

SistemaLargeSteamer Using a microwave-safe steamer (I use the Sistema 6 Cup [Large] Microwave Steamer) cook the cauliflower 7+1/2 to 10 minutes on high – you want the cauliflower done but not soggy.

TIP: If you don’t have a microwave steamer: Place all of the cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a paper towel. Microwave for 5 minutes. Remove the cauliflower and spread it on a towel to cool. Once cauliflower is cool enough to work with, wrap in a towel and squeeze the water out.

Place the cauliflower back in the food processor (Vitamix). Blend until creamy.

Put the drained cauliflower into a large bowl (I used my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment) and add the dry ingredients. Mix together until your dough comes together. TIP: Do not add more flour – it’s OK that the dough is sticky at this point.

Transfer the dough to a floured bread board or counter top. To make the dough easier to work with, you’ll want to add an additional tablespoon or two (no more than that) of flour as you roll the dough. Shape it into a ball, then wrap it in a piece of waxed paper and refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and slice it into 4 equal sections.

Roll each section out until you have a rope about 1-inch thick. Slice the dough into 1/2″ squares with a sharp knife.

I do a two part cooking process. First I boil the gnocchi in rapidly boiling, salted water for 6 minutes. Next you have the choice of how (if at all) you want to brown up your gnocchi. I prefer to brown it to give the gnocchi a nice seal – you can decide on the degree of brownness you like.

To Sauté the gnocchi: Using olive oil cooking spray (for the least added calories and fat), generously spray a skillet and, working in batches, place a single layer of gnocchi in the pan and then give them a light coating of olive oil spray on the exposed side. Cook about 5 minutes per side if you like them crisp and deep brown. You can reduce the time for lighter brown, less crispy, more traditional gnocchi.

To Oven Roast the gnocchi: Line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly spray it with olive oil cooking spray. Place your boiled gnocchi down in rows, spray the tops with olive oil spray and lightly season with salt & pepper. In a preheated 425° F oven, bake for 12 minutes then turn the gnocchi over, return to the oven and continue cooking for an additional 10-12 minutes. This will give you a nice, crispy, medium brown gnocchi.

To Serve: I melt some butter in a skillet and add some freshly chopped basil and garlic to the butter and sauté for about 3 minutes over medium heat until the butter just starts to brown a bit. Drizzle the sauce over the piles of gnocchi and serve immediately. Alternatively, these hold up great in a spicy marinara sauce with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese too. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Nutrition Information per serving (Serves 4)

Calories 100
Net Carbs 6.75 grams
Fat 2.5 grams
Protein 5 grams

Spicy Bacon Baby Potatoes

petitepotatoes Being Keto doesn’t mean you can’t have ANY carbs, in fact, depending on the stage you are at in your weight loss journey, you can actually enjoy a fair amount of carbs as part of your lifestyle maintenance.

At this point in my journey, I am enjoying 20 to 40 grams of carbs a couple of days a week, especially when I want a real sandwich, sweet potato, or something fun like this mini-potato recipe.

One trick I use to control my carb portions is to only prepare small amounts so I am not tempted to gorge myself on them and derail my health goals. This recipe is perfect for doing just that.

Nutrition Information for this entire recipe (2 servings)

Calories 290 (145 ea)
Fat 18.5 grams (9.25 g ea)
Carbohydrates 22 grams (11 g ea)
Protein 7 grams (3.5 g ea)

The potatoes are an excellent source of potassium (more than a banana) and vitamin C. Petites are also a good source of vitamin B6 and are fat, sodium and cholesterol free.

If you prefer these to be Vegetarian, omit the bacon. The Vegetarian nutrition information is: Calories 219 Fat 13.5 g Carbs 22 g Protein 3 g

Spicy Bacon Baby Potatoes

5 oz (About 1 Cup or 20) baby/petite potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
4 Slices Bacon, diced while raw (I use kitchen shears)
1 TBLS Olive Oil
1 tsp Chopped Garlic
1/2 tsp Dried Red Pepper Flakes (+/-)
Freshly Ground Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

In a skillet heat the oil and red pepper flakes for about 1 minute on medium heat. Add the bacon and the potatoes. Cover and cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the potatoes and finish browning the bacon. Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Add the garlic to the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 3 – 4 more minutes.

When potatoes are fork tender (total of 7-8 minutes cooking time), remove them to a small serving bowl and add the bacon back in. Toss to distribute and add more red pepper flakes if desired. Serve warm. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Keto Friendly – Zoodles Alfredo

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I was looking for a quick and tasty, but not boring, side dish to serve with the filet mignon steaks I grabbed from the butcher on the way home tonight and this recipe gave me a great excuse to try out the #ImpulsePurchase of the #SpiralifePro vegetable spiral slicer that I made on Amazon last month. #WinWin

Zoodles Alfredo

2 Medium Zucchini
Freshly Ground Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
2 TBLS Butter
4 oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
3 oz Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Garlic Minced
Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Using a spiralizer or hand held strip peeler, prepare your zucchini, pile onto a cutting board lined with paper towel or a hand towel and salt generously with the pink sea salt to help draw out as much water as possible.

In a small frying pan, heat about 1 TBLS of olive oil and add the zucchini to the pan. Stir-fry until heated through then turn heat off.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter then add the garlic, the cream cheese and whipping cream. Stir until the cream cheese has melted and is combined with the whipping cream. Simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching. Sauce will be thick and very cheesy.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Adjust the seasonings.

Add as much sauce as desired to the zucchini in the frying pan and toss the zucchini until it’s well coated. Super thick and satisfying. Store extra sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Turkey Day Prep: Chunky Bacon Creamed Spinach

Spinach This is the recipe made famous by the Southern California prime rib institution, Gulliver’s, with the barest of modifications to take away the baby food consistency and make it meatier. There is also a seamless modification to make this a perfect Keto side dish.

Chunky Bacon Creamed Spinach

2 – 16 oz packages frozen chopped spinach
12 pieces thick cut bacon (Usually a 12 oz pkg) I buy from the butcher so it may be more than 12 oz
3 cups milk (I recommend whole milk)
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped (1 1/2 tsp if jarred minced garlic)
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2/3 cup all purpose flour (for Keto use 1/3 cup almond flour)

Thaw spinach and squeeze as much liquid out as possible.

Cut bacon into about 1″ pieces and cook in a large saucepan or medium dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat until it’s brown but not yet crispy. You want as much fat to render as possible so it’s not too chewy. Using tongs, remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel.

Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. While onions are cooking, microwave your milk on high for 4 minutes. Stir in pepper and flour, stirring continuously for about 2 minutes.

TIP: Pre-packaged bacon tends to be fattier, so you’ll have more grease and a better roux. You may need to add a little butter (olive oil if you used almond flour) to the pan to give your mixture a better consistency if it’s too dry, if you used bacon with less visible fat. If your bacon gave off more grease than whichever flour you used could absorb, add more a teaspoon at a time, thoroughly stirring in between additions until your roux is holding together and not too wet or dry.

Add milk and whip until smooth. TIP: If you don’t like the consistency of your almond flour, at this point you can use your immersion blender to smooth everything out, including the onions and garlic.

Stir and cook another 2 minutes, or until a slow boil starts. Add bacon back in, then add spinach Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. TIP: I like the creaminess of adding an additional 1/4 cup of heavy cream when it’s done cooking, but before the next. step, especially if you are doing the Keto version. Cover top with 1/2 cup melted butter and lid until ready to serve. If you can make this the day before, it is one of those dishes that gets better the longer it sits in the refrigerator. Just warm it up slowly in the oven. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Turkey Day Prep: Keto Friendly, Low Carb Baked Cauliflower Au Gratin

Tomorrow’s all about talkin’ turkey, but tonight I wanted to look at an alternative to the usual sides and came across this recipe for baked cauliflower au gratin. Anyone who is doing Keto or trying to avoid the bread and potatoes will definitely appreciate your (very limited) effort on this comforting side dish.

Baked Cauliflower Au Gratin

1 pound cauliflower cut into florets (or precut/bagged florets) 4 cups +/-
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP + 1tsp almond flour
1 TBSP + 1tsp coconut flour
1+1/2 cups 2% or almond milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Preheat oven to 375° F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add the cauliflower to the boiling water and cook 5 to 7 minutes until just tender. Drain well and spread out on paper towels. Using another layer of paper towel on top, gently press out as much moisture as you can.

While the cauliflower cooks, melt the butter in a medium pan over medium/high heat. Once melted, add in the almond and coconut flours and whisk, stirring constantly, until it just begins to brown, about 1 minute.

Whisk in the milk, salt, garlic and onion powder and pepper until smooth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, stirring occasionally, until VERY thick, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese until smooth.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8×8 inch pan. Pack the cauliflower into the pan on top and then spoon the rest of the sauce over top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. OPTIONAL: broil for 2-3 minutes until golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Turkey Day Prep: Zinful Cranberries

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This is a recipe I shared yesterday to my wine lifestyle blog #GirlsGoneWine that I love pulling out for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s one that I have been making for a few years. It’s fast, easy, and tastes so good! If you’re serving a #KetoCrowd, there’s an adaptation at the bottom of the recipe.

Growing up, my family never ate any cranberry sauce that was homemade. In the preparations for cannedcranberries Thanksgiving, someone was always assigned the task of bringing two cans of jellied and one of whole berry cranberry sauce. You couldn’t try and pull a fast one by buying store brand. It had to be Ocean Spray on Grandma’s Thanksgiving table!

When I began cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my own family I automatically followed the same routine until I became obsessed with the Food Network a few years back and made my first foray into making cranberry sauce from scratch.

For the first few years, I stuck with the basic “back of the package” recipe:

1 Cup Water
1 Cup Sugar
1 – 12 oz bag of whole fresh cranberries

Boil sugar and water, add cranberries and cook 10 minutes over a slow boil until berries have popped, refrigerate until time to serve. *If you wanted it jellied you strained out the berry solids and skins using a mesh strainer before refrigerating. BORING!

This year I put some time and creativity into the preparation and came up with a winner:

Zinful Cran-Blueberry Sauce

1 & 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Zinfandel Wine (Best Quality you can afford – if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it)
1 – 12 oz Package Ocean Spray Fresh Whole Cranberries
1 Cup Frozen Blueberries
1 Whole Cinnamon Stick
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Orange or Tangerine Zest

Bring sugar, wine and cinnamon stick to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes. You may want to use a splatter shield to avoid splashing when cranberries pop. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Cool slightly then move sauce to serving dish. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and serve cold. Sauce will thicken up as it cools. Garnish with a few cranberries, blueberries and curls of zest.

Keto Conversion: Substitute 1/2 Cup+1 TBLS Granulated Swerve (Stevia) for the Sugar

Don’t worry, for the holdouts who just can’t stand not seeing the canned Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce, I still have the obligatory dish with the slices in the shape of the can. 😉 #CAGirlsGoneWine

Vanilla Bean Whipped Sweet Potatoes

maple-leaves-mixed-fall-colors-background-david-gn

For those of us hosting big family meals, at just over a month before Thanksgiving, we’ve officially reached the “almost the holidays” panic time. That time when we revisit what we did last year to determine:

What dishes served had the most leftovers
What dishes got rave reviews
What dishes had no leftovers (for adjusting amount prepared)
What dishes were too much effort and underwhelmed

It’s also the time when we take a look at new recipes that we might want to add to this year’s menu, which means we get to make our families Guinea pigs for the next few weeks while we’re trying them out.

I already have one sweet potato recipe that my family loves, but this one (from the December 2005 issue of Food & Wine Magazine) looks pretty good, it’s easy, serves 10 – 12, and can be made the day before which frees up time on the big day, another bonus.

vbwhippedsweetpotatoes

Vanilla Bean Whipped Sweet Potatoes

4 pounds medium sweet potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
4 TBLS unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise, seeds scraped
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Poke the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and bake for about 35 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly, then peel and transfer them to a food processor (I actually use my stand mixer). Puree until fairly smooth.

In a small saucepan, combine the cream with the butter and the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring to a simmer. Remove the vanilla bean.

With the processor (or stand mixer) on, carefully pour the vanilla cream into the sweet potatoes and process until smooth. Season the sweet potato puree with salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl and serve.

I’d definitely consider doubling this recipe to make sure there were plenty of leftovers for piling on a turkey sandwich or frying up as sweet potato pancakes. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Pressure Cooker Baked Beans

I love baked beans but hate all of the preservatives and calories from the sugar that come with the store bought canned varieties. This 4th of July I decided to try my hand at making my own.

I learned a few things by doing so:

Even though you can put the dried beans right into the pressure cooker and shorten the prep time, DON’T SKIP SOAKING THE BEANS.
Soaking the beans removes most of the indigestible sugars (which can cause gas) and re-hydrates the beans evenly so they are as plump and beautiful as they were when they were fresh. Pre-soaking the beans also allows the skins to be receptive to absorbing the flavors of the other ingredients.
Use as many unprocessed ingredients as possible

Pressure Cooker Baked Beans

1 pound dried Navy (White Northern) beans
1/2 pound thick cut (from the butcher if you can) uncured smoked bacon (no nitrates or nitrites) – cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped (or 1+1/2 tsp jarred chopped garlic)
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp dried mustard
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup ketchup
2 TBLS Bourbon (I use Maker’s 46)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 TBLS corn starch
2 TBLS cold water

Rinse dry beans in cold water in a colander, removing any debris. Soak beans using either 1) the Overnight Soak Method (8-12 hours in a bowl or pot of cold water covered with a lid) or 2) following the Pressure Cooker Quick Soak Method:

Put the beans in the pressure cooker. For each cup of rinsed beans, add four cups of water
Add a teaspoon of olive oil (this keeps the foam down)
Bring the contents to a boil with the lid open using the BROWN setting
Quickly close and lock the pressure cooker lid and pressure cook for 15 minutes at high pressure
Open the pressure cooker using a Slow Normal release – open the valve very slowly
Drain and rinse the beans under cold running water

Prepare the sauce base:

Using BROWN setting – cook onions until translucent (about 5 minutes)
Add garlic and bacon and cook until bacon is almost crispy
Stir in brown sugar, and then the bourbon, scraping up all the brown, crispy bits from the bottom
Add the chicken broth, mustard, molasses, maple syrup, ketchup, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined
Return beans to the pressure cooker and close lid
Set to High pressure and cook for 90 minutes
Once cooking is complete, allow 10 minutes for the pressure to return to normal naturally, then release the remaining pressure and open the lid
Turn pressure cooker to Brown setting.
In a small dish combine the water and cornstarch.
Stir the mixture into the beans and cook until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency.
Remove from the pressure cooker to a serving dish and enjoy! #ThisGirlLovesToEat

*** Vegetarian Option: If you want to make these vegetarian, don’t add the bacon.

Artichokes With Roasted Garlic Wine Dip

home-artichoke I love living in Southern California where there is the availability of local fruits and vegetables in the stores, as well as what is trucked and flown in from around the country and from other parts of the world, pretty much year-round. It really makes cooking and eating fun! #ThisGirlLovesToEat

One of the few things that I do have to be patient for are artichokes. Nowhere grows them as big and meaty as we do in California. In fact, 99.99% of all commercially grown artichokes are grown in California.

CAF_fest_logo-2017 Since I happen to love them, it’s a pretty good thing that Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom named artichokes the Official State Vegetable of California on April 10, 2013. Artichokes from California are so fabulous that they’ve had their own festival for the past 56 years: Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival.

Some people dip their leaves in mayonnaise (which makes me want to gag), others in various aiolis, dips or other concoctions, but I’ve been a ridiculous creature of habit for as long as I can remember, eating my artichokes one way and one way only: dipping each succulent leaf into a bowl of melted butter. Occasionally I may deviate in the preparation of the steam that surrounds my artichoke, adding some white wine, maybe some garlic or some lemon to the water, but I never deviate on my buttery leaf bath. Until now.

This long forgotten recipe I’d clipped from the May 2007 edition of Cooking Light Magazine convinced me to change my ways (at least temporarily).

artichokes-dip-ck-1622453-x

Artichokes With Roasted Garlic Wine Dip

2 whole garlic heads
4 medium artichokes (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat Oven to 400° F.
Remove white papery skin from garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil. Bake at 400° F for 45 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.
Cut off stems of artichokes, and remove bottom leaves. Trim about 1/2 inch from tops of artichokes. Place artichokes, stem ends down, in a large Dutch oven filled two-thirds with water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until a leaf near the center of each artichoke pulls out easily. Remove artichokes from pan.
Combine half of garlic pulp and wine in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Add broth; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in butter and salt. Pour mixture into a blender; add remaining half of garlic pulp. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Sprinkle dip with parsley, if desired. Serve dip with warm artichokes.

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Best Way To Cook Cauliflower Rice

Anyone who has tried to diet, lose a few pounds, or who just wants to cut down on the many, many carbohydrates in the average American diet has likely heard of substituting white rice with cauliflower grated down into a low-calorie, gluten-free rice substitute that is also a good source of protein, fiber, and vitamins C, K, and B6.

I have yet to master “cauliflower rice.” The methods I have used so far have left me with either a pile of mush (something close to Cream of Wheat) or rock hard mini chunks that in no way resemble rice…UG!

Thankfully the test kitchen at epicurious.com did the hard work of trying out the many methods we’ve all seen on pinterest and gave us the method that they found to be the best tasting and closest in consistency to rice so that home cooks like me can stop screwing it up so badly. The one thing that they did note, for consistency, was that they added olive oil to all preparations (except raw).

The following is taken directly from the article found at http://www.epicurious.com: The Best Way to Make Cauliflower Rice; by KATHERINE SACKS 04.22.16

COOKING METHOD 1: NONE

They tasted the grated cauliflower in its natural state, as it is sometimes added to couscous-like salads raw and simply tossed with a rich, acidic dressing that helps break down some of its tough structure. But although the raw form is the easiest—no cooking required—it had a crunch that was too vegetable-like to approximate rice.

Epinion: Raw cauliflower rice is crunchy, and works to add texture to a salad, but it doesn’t mimic cooked rice.

COOKING METHOD 2: STEAMED IN CHEESECLOTH

Steaming the grated cauliflower is the most minimal cooking process. But since the cauliflower granules are so small, they had to use several layers of cheesecloth to hold the cauliflower in the steamer basket. The texture here was great, and the flavor was clean and fresh, very similar to the blank canvas of white rice. But removing the tiny cauliflower pieces from the cheesecloth was a pain, and some cauliflower rice was lost in the process.

Epinion: This process yields great results, but it’s too fussy.

COOKING METHOD 3: STEAMED IN WATER, THEN GRATED

They then tried steaming the whole cauliflower florets first, using a traditional steamer basket set into a medium-sized pot. Once cooled, the cooked cauliflower was grated. Although this greatly simplified the process, the cauliflower rice tasted waterlogged and was mushy.

Epinion: Steaming whole cauliflower florets doesn’t work.

COOKING METHOD 4: COOKED IN WATER

Next they tried cooking the grated cauliflower as if it were traditional rice: they added the grated cauliflower to a small amount of simmering water, covered the pan, and let the cauliflower cook until the water evaporated. Again, this yielded watery mush.

Epinion: Cauliflower rice shouldn’t be cooked the same way as rice.

COOKING METHOD 5: BOILED

Not wanting to give up on the ease of water-cooking, they tried dunking some of the grated cauliflower in a pot of boiling water and then in ice water to try out quick-blanching. But yet again, the cauliflower rice was wet and squishy.

Epinion: Water + tiny granules of cauliflower rice = soggy cauliflower.

COOKING METHOD 6: MICROWAVED

They placed the grated cauliflower into a microwave-safe bowl, stirred in the tablespoon of oil, covered the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and cooked for about 3 minutes. And viola! Super easy, delicious texture with distinct rice kernels, and clean flavor, very similar to the steamed version, minus the mess of the cheesecloth.

Epinion: For the easiest and cleanest white-rice—esque cauliflower, use the microwave.

COOKING METHOD 7: SAUTÉED

Finally, they tested high-heat methods of cooking the cauliflower, heating up the olive oil in a pan and sautéing the grated cauliflower until lightly cooked. The taste was much richer than the microwaved cauliflower (or any of the boiled/steamed versions), but the cruciferous flavor was much stronger.

Epinion: For a sweeter, more cauliflower-forward rice, sautéing is a great option.

COOKING METHOD 8: ROASTED

For the final test, they tossed the grated cauliflower with the oil, then roasted it on a baking sheet at 400°F for about 12 minutes. This version had the sweetest flavor, thanks to the caramelization of the cauliflower. But again, that earthy, cauliflower funk was much more apparent than in other cooking methods. Cauliflower rice made this way makes a great side dish on its own, seasoned simply with butter, salt, pepper, and perhaps some cheese, but for a white rice alternative, the microwaved rice was the clear winner.

Epinion: For a quick-cooking, caramelized cauliflower side dish, roasting is the way to go.

I can see now that my mistakes were:

I wasn’t adding any olive oil when cooking
I was adding too much water
I was overcooking the riced cauliflower in the microwave

Knowing where I failed, plus taking the expert advice of the Epicurious test kitchen, convince me that my next attempt at cauliflower rice is going to be much better!

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