Cauliflower rice can add balance to diet

Swapping for vegetable cuts calories and adds fiber and nutrients.

I have plucked a Goldfish cracker from my child’s car seat and popped it straight into my mouth. I have served two kinds of potatoes and wished for a third. I think eating white bread is as natural as breathing air, only better because you can’t butter air. So given my starch-loving bona fides, you should believe me when I tell you that I have made cauliflower rice and you should too.

Cauliflower rice is simply raw cauliflower that has been grated into pieces the size of rice grains. Why bother with the subterfuge? Like traditional rice, cauliflower rice is neutral tasting and versatile. But the real appeal of cauliflower rice is how nutritious it is. Cauliflower is full of plantbased protein, fiber, potassium and vitamins C and B-6. I appreciate that a cup of cauliflower has around 27 calories, as opposed to the 150-plus calories in a cup of whole-grain brown rice. Also, I know the value of a vegetable that can be added discreetly to a meal, particularly since my family still refers to the introduction of a healthy green as the “steamed spinach incident.”

Making cauliflower rice is easi- est if you have a food processor. (Otherwise, use the mediumsized holes on a box grater.) Simply toss some raw florets in and pulse the S blade. Prefer longer, wild rice-looking grains? Drop the cauliflower down the shoot to the grating disk. Work in batches, because a whole head of cauliflower can’t fit in the food processor, even when you smash it and run the blade really fast.

If that all seems too simple and you think making dinner should be harder, blot your rice with paper towels. You’ll remove the extra moisture, which results in fluffier cauliflower rice. But if you’re at the car-seat Goldfish-

popping stage of life, skip the blotting and don’t feel bad about it.

To cook the cauliflower rice, heat heart-healthy olive oil in a large skillet.

Place a layer of cauliflower rice in the hot oil, and use the flat edge of a rectangular wooden spoon or metal spatula to toss it gently and occasionally. You’ll be rewarded with lovely golden rice in about five minutes.

Don’t put the lid on the skillet, or your rice will be mushy. And resist the urge to stir the rice constantly, or it will take longer to brown.

You can stop right here and serve the cooked cauliflower rice as a side dish. Or take a few extra minutes to re-create one of my favorite Caribbean dishes, rice and peas. Rice and peas is a variation of rice and beans, with the addition of sweet, creamy coconut milk.

Canned coconut milk is found in the Asian foods section of your local grocery store. The solid creamy part usually separates from the liquid, so give the can a good shake before you open it. Since coconut milk has 700 calories or more per can, I used only 2 tablespoons, which is just enough to add a veneer of richness.

Youcan freeze the remaining coconut milk in an ice cube tray, and drop a cube into your coffee, a skillet of spicy chicken curry, or a breakfast smoothie.

I will stab myself with a potato peeler before I give up my starches completely. But since beans and cauliflower rice offers 11 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber all packed into less than 250 calories per serving, it’s my go-to meal when I’ve con- sumed too much buttered everything.

It brings my diet back into balance. That is, until the next time someone passes the rolls.

Riced cauliflower ups the fiber and vitamins in this Caribbean-inspired recipe, which includes black beans and coconut milk.

CONTRIBUTEDBYKELLIEHYNES Usingcauliflower instead of ricemeans fewer calories. Plus, riced cauliflower ups thefiber and vitamins in thisCaribbean-inspired recipe, which includesblack beans.