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Roasted Tahini Cauliflower

Let me tell you, this tahini cauliflower is magical! Not jist magical in that it is delicious and addictive; there is some serious alchemy going on here. Despite there being absolutely no cheese or dairy at all in this recipe, it actually have this cheesy flavor. 

The cauliflower is actually coated in tahini (which is a nut butter made out of sesame seeds and used in hummus) along with some other very key spices: paprika and smoked paprika. I aslo added a bit of sumac for some acidity, but its not totally necessary since I know its not a common spice in a lot of your spice cabinets.

Somehow the mixture of all these things along with the cauliflower creates this creamy, salty, smokey, delicious dish! If you are on a Paleo, vegan, or dairy free diet but want a little cheesiness in your life, then you must make this! 

Start with one head of cauliflower chopped to bits (or your preferred size).

Mix together the tahini, lemon juice, parsley, and spices until you have a thick sauce-like consistency.

Toss the cauliflower in the sauce and then spread out on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

Tip: keep the baking sheet in the iven while it warms up. The cauliflower is less likely to stick on the pan when you start with a hot one.

After its roasted and tender, take out of the oven and serve immediately! Its best fresh from the oven!

Now be prepared to have your new favorite cauliflower dish! It’s definitely mine! It feels like you are eating something indulgent, but you’re actually just eating cauliflower!

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Delicious Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ok folks, I know what you are thinking, “cauliflower pizza crust….real original!”. Oh yeah, I can hear your sarcasm from here. But here me out, guys! This one is actually really good! 

I have tried a lot of cauliflower crusts over the past couple years and they have always been a little lack-luster. Of course cauliflower crust will never be like pizza crust. It’s made of vegetables after all. But I knew it could taste better than bland old cauliflower. 

My solution: roasting the cauliflower. 

To me, roasting the cauliflower makes a HUGE difference. It not only gives the cauliflower a nice nutty flavor, but it helps to dry it out so it’s not so watery when it’s processed. 

My other secret to this anything-but-bland cauliflower pizza crust is roasted garlic. I just threw a couple of cloves in the with cauliflower while it roasted. Then everything got thrown into the food processor to transform the cauliflower and garlic to something that resembled mashed potatoes. 

Now at this point the cauliflower still has quite a bit of moisture in it. So to get rid of some of the excess moisture, I laid out two big paper towels and dumped the cauliflower mixture on top. Then I wrapped the towels around the cauliflower and pressed out any remaining moisture. 

Once my cauliflower was as dried out as it was going to get, I mixed in some spices, an egg, and cheese.

Then I dumped the mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and pressed it into a rectangle (although, a circle will also work) that was about 1/4 inch thick. I wanted this crust to be pretty thin so that would get nice and crispy all the way through. Nothing is worse than a soggy crust that just falls apart. 

To make sure it was nice and crispy, I baked it first before adding the toppings. Then I added my favorite pizza toppings: sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. 

After another turn in the oven, the cheese got nice and melted and the crust crisped up even more around the edges. 

While this cauliflower pizza crust will never fully take classic pizza crust’s place in my heart, it has found it’s own cozy corner. It is healthy without really tasting like it. Sure, you will know you are eating cauliflower. But it’s flavorful, roasted garlic cauliflower. Basically the best kind of cauliflower there is. 

So if you want a healthier pizza option that still tastes delicious and that crispy crust that you love about pizza, you need to try out this crust. Especially if you have tried and been very disappointed by other cauliflower crusts. I think this one will win you over, and may even win your heart. 

That was cheesy….just like this pizza. 

Ok, I’m done. 

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:129]

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5 Minute Cauliflower Rice

5 minute cauliflower rice | Follow the Ruels

I have been using cauliflower rice as a substitute for rice for years! But I hadn’t perfected it until recently. 

In the early days, my cauliflower rice (or cauli-rice) would turn out watery and a bit mushy. Everyone seemed to have a different method for making rice. One popular method says to make cauli-rice just as you would normal rice, by boiling the pulverized florets in twice as much water or broth. Well cauliflower isn’t rice and it isn’t going to soak up all that water so instead I would end up with mushy cauliflower soup.  

Regardless of the method, I found that just about every recipe took longer than anticipated to prepare. Chop the cauliflower, rice or process the cauliflower, boil or saute the cauliflower. It was very labor intensive for a side dish. Maybe I am just lazy, but this seems like a lot of work when I am trying to prepare a whole other dish.

Finally, I decided to take matters into my own hands and do things my way. After thinking it through, I realized the end result of cauliflower rice is just small pieces of steamed cauliflower. So why couldn’t I steam the cauliflower and then process it? That’s how I would make mashed cauliflower, why should it be different for the rice? 

It shouldn’t!

So here’s what I do:

First, I buy the cauliflower that has already been separated into florets. This saves me about 5 minutes I would spend hacking away at the cauliflower. Of course, if there is a good deal on a full head of cauliflower, I will buy that and put in the extra work. I’m a sucker for a good deal.

Then I steam the florets with a bit of water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, which only takes 2 to 3 minutes. 

Finally, I toss in the florets (making sure not to add in any water that may be left from steaming) into my food processor and pulse about 15 times (more or less) until all the florets have been chopped down into itty bitty pieces. I watch this part carefully, because if I process too much, I will end up with mashed cauliflower. Which is perfectly fine, but that’s not what I am after.

5 minute cauliflower rice | Follow the Ruels

And 5 minutes later I have myself a nice big bowl of cauliflower rice. Soooo much easier, right? Dare I say easier than actual rice?

I will never hassle over cauliflower rice again! I am just trying to make a healthy choice, so why not make it as easy as possible. 

And for those of you who have never tried to make cauliflower rice, I hope this shows you how quick and easy it can be. And just like rice, it takes on the flavor of whatever you pair it with, so top it with teriyaki chicken, chicken tikka masala, carne asada, or whatever your little heart desires!

TIkka Masala-8

Enjoy!

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