The week I fell in love with cauliflower

I have been fasting with my church for a month and haven’t been able to eat most things except fruits, vegetables, and fish. I had to find ways to get creative with vegetables so that I could switch up the things I was able to eat every day. The vegetable I found to be most unique and easy to transform into different things was cauliflower. I think I am in love lol ❤

If you don’t follow Tasty on Facebook or Pinterest now would be the time to start because they have fabulous recipes. The three that I found to be the best and easiest are cauliflower fried rice, spicy sesame cauliflower and cauliflower fritters.

Cauliflower fried rice

RECIPE:
– Cauliflower
– 1 Tbsp. of sesame oil (I used olive oil because I didn’t have sesame and it was also expensive in the store lol)
– 1 Tbsp. of garlic
– 8 oz beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu (I didn’t use this as I wasn’t able to eat meat just yet)
– 1 cup of diced carrots
– 1 cup of frozen peas
– 2 eggs
– White pepper to taste
– 3 Tbsp. of soy sauce
– Chopped green onions for garnish

Break down a head of cauliflower in a food processor until it’s the size of rice. Heat sesame oil over high. Add garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, or tofu and cook until 80% done. Add carrots and peas, stir until thoroughly incorporated. Push ingredients to the sides of the pan to create a well. Pour in 2 whisked eggs and let it set for 15 seconds. Scramble eggs and fold into the cauliflower rice. Season with white pepper and stir in soy sauce. Garnish with chopped green onions.

2. Spicy Sesame Cauliflower

/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 a head of cauliflower
oil for frying
1 Tbsp. of sesame oil (again I used olive oil)
1 Tbsp. of garlic
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. of sugar
2 Tbsp. of sriracha
1 Tbsp. of cornstarch slurry
Sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish

Directions:
Whisk together flour, milk, baking powder and garlic powder. Add the chopped cauliflower and toss to coat. Make sure there’s a thin layer of batter over the cauliflower. Deep fry cauliflower until golden brown, remove and drain excess oil.

Make the spicy sesame sauce by combining the sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sriracha. Bring the sauce to a boil then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix in and let the sauce thicken. Add the fried cauliflower and toss to coat in sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve with rice.

3. Cauliflower Fritter aka Flower Cakes (this is what my 4 year old calls them)

3 cups of cauliflower
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 cup of wheat flour
1/3 cup of grated parmesan
1 egg
Additional wheat flour for coating
Oil for frying

Directions:
Microwave cauliflower for 15 minutes or until tender. Mash cauliflower, mix in salt, pepper, garlic, onions, parsley, flour, grated parmesan and egg. From patties with the mashed cauliflower mix. Coat both sides of patties with wheat flour. Fry in oil until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Enjoy with sour cream and chives.