Sunday, January 25, 2015

Cauliflower Risotto

It's a new year. Happy New Year.

Yeah, I know I'm a bit late with the whole "Happy New Year," but I'm still amazed at the fact that it is 2015 and I'm twenty five years old. Woah.


Anyways, I'm happy to be back on the blog and anxious to start cooking/baking again. I'll admit it was hard to get started today--I'm nursing a cold, so the only thing I'm  inspired to do is watch Gilmore Girls--but now that my belly is full I'm grateful I cooked. I apologize for the short post. But not really because, isn't it really just the food that counts?!

A little bit about why I made this dish. The other day, I was talking to someone about the great variety of cauliflower uses. We talked about cauliflower pizza (of course), cauliflower rice, cauliflower mashed "potatoes," and even  plain old oven-roasted cauliflower. Then I realized I couldn't attest to the deliciousness of cauliflower rice, because I hadn't actually tried it. And obviously I needed to remedy that ASAP. So, here it is, cauliflower risotto--yeah I know I still have to make cauliflower (regular) rice and fried rice. Enjoy!


Beet Asparagus Cauliflower Rice (Adapted from Mind Body Green)
Active time: 25 minutes; total time 75 minutes.
Makes about 4 servings.

  • 4 small beets, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 asparagus bunch, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cauliflower head
  • 1/3 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (or vegan alternative; I used Go Veggie)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
  2. Place beets in a small baking pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake beets for 20 minutes. Add asparagus strips to beets and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until beets are tender.
  3. Cut cauliflower into 2-inch pieces and transfer to a food processor (I used a Ninja Blender; pulse until rice-sized. Transfer cauliflower to a triple layered cheese cloth (or paper towels) and squeeze any excess moisture out.
  4. In a large saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil Aed cauliflower and 1/2 cup broth; cover and cook stirring occasionally. Once liquid is absorbed, add 1/2 more cup and cook until liquid is absorbed again. Repeat with remaining broth. 
  5. Remove from heat and add beets and asparagus. Mix to combine. Add parmesan and walnuts, and toss before serving.