I told you I was playing around with cauliflower rice…which is why you are getting the third consecutive recipe which includes it in part of the lineup!!
As a vegetarian, I get my share of veggies…but my favorite way to eat them…is roasting them in the oven. I love when they get that slight crispiness to them. And yes…it happens even without oil! I take oil out of the cooking process more times than not…and the results are just as amazing.
After my trip to California, I wanted to really get back on track with my eating. It got pushed to the wayside with the holidays and then with my trip…but I did have a detox in between and it really did make me feel better. So, with a promise to rely less on those processed carbohydrates and get my nutrients from more real food…I honed in on a few changes.
While I won’t always be replacing pasta and rice with alternatives, I do want to do it a lot more than I have been. So, instead of plating my roasted vegetables over brown rice…I just got out the riced cauliflower…poured it in a pan with some water and cooked it until it was soft. I seasoned it the same way I would have the rice…and the results were mind-blowing. I’d make this again instantly! It would work even as a breakfast or lunch…but this week…it was dinner for my roommate and for two nights.
The recipe follows:
Roasted Vegetable “Rice” Bowl with BBQ Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends snapped
- 2 medium yellow squash or zucchini, sliced lengthwise
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick rings
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for “Rice”:
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets (or one bag of cauliflower rice)
- 1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup BBQ sauce of choice
- 1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
Directions:
**Chop head of cauliflower into florets and place in food processor. Pulse until it starts to resemble rice; set aside.
**NOTE: If you want a less-mess, no maintenance way of doing this, go to Trader Joes, Kroger, Target, or pretty much ANY grocery store these days and they have bags of already riced cauliflower in their produce section and even in the freezer section. I do this…because food processors are a pain to clean! So, skip the first step if you cheat and get the already riced cauliflower.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Spread the veggies out over the pan, drizzle with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or until veggies are tender and golden, stopping to toss at the 20-minute mark.
While the veggies are roasting, place your riced cauliflower into a pan with 1/4 cup water and cook until softened. Place cooked cauliflower rice into a large bowl and add basil, balsamic vinegar, and tamari to a large mixing bowl.
Use a large wooden spoon to stir.
Season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.
Once the veggies are done roasting, remove from the oven and set aside.
Scoop 1 cup of the cauliflower rice into a bowl, top with the roasted vegetables.
If your barbecue sauce is thick, whisk one tablespoon of water into it at a time until desired thinness is achieved. Drizzle over the veggies or serve in a small dish alongside them.
Garnish with the sliced avocado.
ENJOY!
~*~*~
I have SO much Master’s Hand BBQ Sauce in my fridge thanks to a bit of a Thanksgiving kerfuffle. But, it works out in my favor, as it’s the most amazing BBQ sauce I have ever tasted…and it was magnificent on this dish. I ended up thinning it out with 2 tablespoons of water to get more of a drizzle over the veggies. But that is all personal preference.
If you want to get the most out of your veggies…roast them. If you want to make them awesome…drizzle some BBQ sauce over them.
Oh yeah!
The Celiathlete 