Mind-blowing Fried "Rice"

My sister sat down at the dinner table after putting a large helping of the "rice" on her plate. As she took a bite she said, "What is this?? It looks delicious!"

"Oooo!" Was what came out of her mouth next. I had her guess what she was eating and after multiple tries, she still couldn't guess. When I told her it was cauliflower she was amazed at my fantastic cooking and ingenious idea!! (haha no, I can't give myself all the props. I did get the idea from glancing through some food blogs focused on low-carb options.)

This recipe can be adjusted for any flavoring you like. If you just like the "rice" idea, maybe add just a bit of garlic, salt and pepper and call it good. If you like more of a Thai flavor, put in some lime juice, ginger, and garlic. The cauliflower + egg is a great starting point... then tune it to your style of meal you're paring it with.

In this case I pan cooked some Basa fish in lime juice, chili powder, Siracha, and cumin and ate it with broiled tomatoes and onions, fresh and delicious guacamole, and baked kidney beans. Yum!

Ingredients

Head of cauliflower
1 egg

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 of a red onion, diced
3-4 stalks of green onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 a green pepper (or red)
1-2 Tbsp of Siracha sauce
1-2 hot chili peppers for heat
Handful of cilantro, chopped

A couple pinches of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1 big lime, juiced

Directions

1. Wash and remove the stalks from the cauliflower. Cut each little head into quarters and throw into a food processor. (You may have to do this in a couple batches.) Pulse the food processor about 10 times to get the cauliflower to little "grain-like" sizes.

2. Put all of the chopped cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute. This will keep the cauliflower from turning mushy during cooking.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat.

4. Toss in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. (About 1-2 minutes)

5. Add half of the red onion and half of the green pepper to the pan and heat up slightly. (1-2 minutes). Turn up the heat slightly to medium-high (about 4:00 o'clock on the dial).

6. Break the egg into the bowl of cauliflower and stir until the egg is well incorporated.

7. When the pan is nice and hot, dump in the cauliflower and spread out in the pan and stir in the garlic, onion, and bell pepper.

8. Add the lime juice, Siracha sauce, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir in well. The mixture will seem pretty wet at this point, but the egg will cook as it heats up in the pan and the cauliflower "grains" will separate.

9. Keep the heat up and keep stirring! This is going to "fry" the cauliflower and keep it from sticking and burning on the pan. If you want some browning on your cauliflower (which adds to the deliciousness!), let the mixture sit in the pan for a minute or two without stirring, then scrape up the nicely browned bits from the bottom and stir into the rest of the mixture.

10. Eventually add the rest of the onion, peppers, and chili peppers and turn the heat down to medium heat.

11. Right before serving, turn the heat down to medium low and toss in the cilantro and green onions.

12. Be amazed this is not any sort of carb-bomb rice, but a vegetable!!

Grilled T's and Red Cabbage Slaw

I was able to get home a bit earlier than I usually do from work one day last week. I dawdled a bit in my kitchen and peered into my refrigerator, hoping something would stand out as a good side dish. I was feeling inventive and wanted to try some new sides to go along with the beautiful Bone-In Steaks I knew would be cooking on the grill within the hour. I managed to easily pull together the following two sides. And oh, they were tasty!

Grilled Tomatoes

1. On a large plate, rub on some olive oil and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings. I used:

- Garlic powder
- Pepper
- Touch of salt
- Oregano
- Dash of cayanne pepper

2. Cut the tomatoes into large, 1/2 inch slices and place on the seasoned plate.

3. Give the top side of the tomatoes the same treatment as the plate.

4. Splash on a bit of red wine vinegar and let the tomatoes sit for a few minutes.

5. Grill until tender and grill marks are present :)

* * * 

And now, I must make a shout out to my culinary inspiration,  Regina Rea. I have whippped up so many of her recipes in my kitchen and have never been disappointed. This (what I call) Red Cabbage Slaw (because of the ingredients I had on hand) is phenomenal and shockingly healthy compared to your typical mayonnaise-dripping "slaws".     *shutter*      This slaw is light, tangy, crunchy and makes the perfect side or salad topper.

(Addapted from Regina's Knock Out Tangy Slaw Recipe!)

Red Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients

1/2 a head of Red Cabbage, chopped up small
1/2 of a small white or red onion, diced small
1/2 of a ripe avocado, diced
Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice (this flavor comes through very well, so taste as you go so its not too tangy for you)

Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Directions

1. Mix up the dressing in a big bowl by combining the 1//4 cup of greek yogurt, lime juice, olive oil and minced garlic. Stir together until well mixed.

2. In the same bowl, dump in the chopped cabbage, onions, and basil.

3. Stir together until cabbage is well coated.

4. Fold in the toasted pecans and top salad with diced avocado. It's the avocado that gives the salad its "creaminess", so add more avocado if you want!

Smoky Kitchen, Left vs. Right, and TARMLS

Spur of the moment dinner with a good friend lead to talks of politics, house hunting, and a delicious, flavor-packed dinner.