Coconut Cauliflower Rice & Lentils
By Nyesha Arrington
Cauliflower rice is amazing!
It’s a beautiful alternative to starchy rice and you can use it to make pretty much any recipe that calls for any type of rice. Substituting cauliflower is a delicious, fun and easy way to include more veggies into your diet.
It’s a popular way to replace rice for people who follow low-carb diets like paleo or keto diets, in recipes like risotto, fried rice, curries, etc.
You can freeze it in an airtight container before you’ve cooked it. It lasts about 3 months in the freezer. Transfer the container to the fridge the night before you’re going to use it and then cook it following my instructions or reheat it in the microwave or a skillet (add more oil if needed).
My favorite way to enjoy cauliflower rice is cooked, but it can also be eaten raw in a salad. You can also combine regular cooked rice and cauliflower rice (half and half) to make any recipe lighter and also to eat more vegetables.
Riced cauliflower can benefit from a quick sauté, but be mindful of the clock. Leave riced cauliflower on the heat too long and it will become soft and soggy.
Follow this tip: Quickly cooked in a coconut or olive oil on the stovetop, riced cauliflower becomes softer and more tender. As a rule of thumb, about three minutes over medium heat and not too oil much should do the trick!
Coconut Cauliflower Rice & Lentils
Ingredients:
2 tsp grapeseed oil
1ea celery stalk, small diced
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
½ cup green bell pepper, small diced
2ea cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups cauliflower, riced
1 tsp + 1tsp Himalyan salt, divided
1/2 cup coconut milk, organic
1 cup French lentils, cooked
2 tbsp lime juice, and zest
chopped fresh herbs - mint, parsley, cilantro, basil
Directions:
In a nonstick pan, heat grapeseed oil over med-high heat.
Place the ginger, garlic, celery, bell pepper in saute pan and season with himalyan salt.
Turn heat to med-low and cook aromatics until fragrant (about 5 mins).
Push sauteed aromatics to one side of the pan and turn up heat to med-high, add “riced” cauliflower into pan mixing thoroughly season with remaining salt, add coconut milk and cook over medium high heat until coconut milk is absorbed.
Fold in cooked lentils and chopped fresh herbs.
Finish with a squeeze of lime juice.
