Sunday, October 25, 2009

Cauliflower "Risotto"


Are you looking for the give away!? Head on over here and good luck!



I've heard of using cauliflower to make mashed potatoes if you're on a low-carb diet. But until I saw Alisa's post last week, I'd never heard of cauliflower risotto! I loved the idea and happened to have a head of cauliflower in my produce drawer.

Alisa's recipe is dairy free, due to her allergies, but I took some liberties, listed below. I also doubled her original recipe because we had company for dinner. It made a lot and would probably serve 6 as a side dish.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 head cauliflower, grated (either by hand or food processor)
1 cup onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup broth of your choice (I used vegetarian)
6 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
pepper, to taste

Thank goodness for my Cuisinart grating attachment! If it weren't so sharp I'd kiss it! This saved me so much time by grating the whole head of cauliflower and a few little onions in literally seconds.

Grate the cauliflower and set aside. Grate the onion and add it to a large skillet over medium heat with oil and cook for a few minutes until it becomes translucent. Add the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue to cook for a minute more. Add the broth, reduce the heat and cover, letting it cook a few minutes. You'll want the cauliflower to be "al dente" with a little texture so it isn't just mush.

Meanwhile, pulse together the pine nuts, cheese, and salt until it forms a powdery consistency. (My food processor was wet from rinsing it out, so mine was a little more in paste form.)

Remove the cauliflower from the heat and stir in the nut mixture until well combined. Add pepper to taste.

We have about half (maybe 3 cups?) leftover. I'm thinking of forming it into patties and pan-frying them in a little oil for a variance. Alisa also suggests adding steamed veggies or leftover meats for a quick lunch.

Thank you, everybody for your birthday wishes! I had a great day! While Sabor do Brasil ended up being closed unexpectedly, we had a nice impromptu lunch at Red Lobster instead. Later, we headed to Medieval Times where we feasted like kings in the green knight's section and cheered him on until we lost our voices!



Saturday I received a wonderful surprise package from Miss Sophia of Burp and Slurp~ (She had told me I was getting a card!)


Inside was a beautiful drawing she did by hand! Also a heartfelt card, two packages of her favorite crackers from Korea, and two packages of nori seaweed sheets. Those are definitely a first time ingredient that I can't wait to experiment with! Thank you again, Sophia, that was really sweet of you!

13 comments:

Alisa - Frugal Foodie said...

Aw, what a cool gift! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!

Linda said...

The cauliflower risotto looks tasty. I will have to try this recipe soon.

And that is one cool care package. I'm a huge fan of the Korean seaweed and I noticed that yours is the roasted flavor, yum - yum.

Maggie said...

I saw this too! I'm so glad it works... I will definitely be making this (starred it in my google reader).

Sophia is so sweet :)

Laura said...

Oh wow love the look of this Christina! We are going to Medieval times in a few weeks and we are excited!

Happy Birthday my dear! Hugs and love and stuff.

Sophia said...

Oh wow, that cauliflower "risotto" is such an inspiration! So creative!
and lol, love the picture of you and the crown! King Christina! :-)

Hee hee, enjoy the seaweed and crackers! Please don't use my drawing as toilet paper though! haha, I kid ;-)

nora@ffr said...

this is absolutely irresistible! great post!! looking forward for more!
cheers!!

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

Cauliflower risotto!? Oh man! I've only heard of faux mashed potatoes too, which I just might make this T-Day!! Your risotto looks amazing and totally jealous of the card. Happy belated birthday!! (sorry for the belatedness, I had to swear off blogs for a couple days in favor of my grades!!)

Anonymous said...

I would definitely make those cauliflower into pancakes - maybe add some shredded zucchini to kick them up a notch!

Love Sophia - that was so nice of her!

Christina said...

I made some of them into little pancakes, but they mostly fell apart. I think I needed to probably bread them first. The rest I've been sprinkling in w/ eggs. In the future I won't make so much! hahaha It's taken awhile to use up the leftovers.

Michelle said...

Awww Sophia is a real sweet heart!! I love her blog too!!
Ahhh I’m glad you tried that cauliflower risotto at home. I’ve totally been wondering how that tastes!!! Yours looks fabulous!! Hahah and thanks for photographing the menu. I’m enjoying the picture of you and the crown. Teeheehee VERY cute Christina! Looks like it was lots of fun.

April@The 21st Century Housewife said...

That sounds delicious - and I've got a cauliflower in the fridge as well so I think that is dinner for tonight sorted - thank you!!

The Orange Crush Kitchen said...

Here from Meatless Monday. I love NEW ways of making cauliflower! Thanx for the idea and a new way to use my food processor!

annies home said...

sounds delicious love your post all the great pictures