Mexican Cauliflower Rice

This spicy Mexican Cauliflower Rice goes well in a burrito or as a compliment to a Mexican inspired meal.

For some reason I am not the biggest fan of making rice. Maybe it’s because it’s faster to make quinoa, which I am a big fan of with it’s high protein content. Or perhaps it’s because I always make a large batch of rice when I do make it, and it seems to last a little too long.

Besides quinoa, I love using cauliflower in place of rice. I get more vegetable servings and less carbs. So instead of making Mexican rice, I decided to make Mexican Cauliflower Rice.

This is really easy to throw together, and even easier if you buy a bag of frozen prechopped cauliflower rice. Of course after I made this, I discovered that you can purchase the prechopped variety. I now keep some in my freezer to have around for whenever I make something that goes with rice.

I am all about keeping frozen veggies in my freezer. It has been in the 100s here in Tucson, and I don’t have AC in my car at the moment. So the less trips to the grocery store the better!

I love spicy food, so I used a serrano pepper in this. If you don’t want as much heat you could use less serrano, or you could take out the seeds and the vein. You could also replace the serrano with a jalapeño, which is a milder pepper. I love how Mother Nature shows you which peppers are spicier. Have you noticed that the smaller the pepper, the hotter it is? Pretty cool, right!

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Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower (approx. 8 cups), cut into large pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped serrano pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• cilantro, chopped
• limes

Instructions

1. Put 1/2 the cauliflower in food processor and pulse until it resembles a rice consistency. Do the same with the other half.
2. Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion. Cook on medium heat until translucent.
3. Add garlic and serrano pepper. Cook another minute longer.
4. Add cauliflower, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook until tender.
5. Serve with chopped cilantro and limes.