Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Another Weight Watchers delicious recipe! Cauliflower does a fantastic job subbing for white rice in recipes. The cauliflower itself is a big ZERO in points, so starting that low, you have even more freedom to explore and add your favorite flavors!
My recipe uses 2 teaspoons of oil, which gives only 1 point total per serving! All the remaining ingredients are zero points, so a good-sized portion makes this an ultimate WW dish!
I have found that nonstick skillets/pans work best for this recipe. Stainless pans can struggle with the cauliflower sticking. So… if you do use a nonstick pan, you can probably get by without the olive oil in the recipe, making the dish ZERO points! But, I can live with the single point and enjoy the flavor of my infused oil. See next paragraph for my favorite brand!
If you’ve seen my last few posts, you’ve probably noticed I’ve boasted about Abingdon Olive Oil Company. My family has loved this brand for many years. They offer many infused olive oils along with the best-quality and best flavor of extra-virgin olive oils I’ve ever had.
In this recipe, I have used Butter Infused Olive Oil and Persian Lime infused Olive Oil. Both are phenomenal. You don’t have to use an infused oil, but it certainly does add to the final dish.
I know you can purchase frozen or fresh cauliflower rice in a bag. My experience has been that ricing my own tastes noticeably better. The frozen cauliflower is filled with ice crystals that bring a lot of moisture to the pan. Either deal with the wet “rice,” or cook until the water evaporates, which will probably leave you with mushy cauliflower. The packages sold in the produce sections, along with broccoli florets, etc., are not the best quality. I have always noticed an odd smell in these packages.
Even if you do not have a food processor, you can still accomplish the “riced” effect. Using a sharp knife, chop the cleaned florets, a few at a time, until the correct size. Scrape them into a bowl, and continue with the remaining florets. It will take some time, but it is worth it. Grating the florets on a box grater works, too. You may have some small cauliflower pieces jumping around, but that’s ok. Just keep those fingers protected!
I noticed some recipes online add liquid (water or stock) to the cauliflower rice as it cooks. I find this unnecessary as the cauliflower is not going to absorb the liquid as rice would, and that will leave a “wetter” feel in your mouth. I personally like for my cauliflower rice to be as closely resembling traditional rice as possible, light and dry, the “grains” separated.
Season it well! Cauliflower is not known for its nuances. You must add seasonings and other ingredients (lime and cilantro in this case) in order to bring a flavorful experience to the table. Be sure to taste and adjust any salt, pepper, lime and cilantro before serving.
Enjoy!
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice (WW Friendly)
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, may yield approx. 3 cups riced
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, or olive oil, see Notes
- 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt, or sea salt, to taste
- 1 green jalapeno, or serrano, seeded and finely minced, optional
- 1 lime, zested and juiced, (yields approx. 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, hardy stems removed and discarded
Instructions
- Please, read through the recipe before proceeding, as various methods of “ricing” the cauliflower are given.
- Remove the leaves from the head of the cauliflower. Cut the florets off the stem. Chop them into 1 - 1 ½” pieces. Rinse and dry the florets. A salad spinner or towel is fine.
- Using a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse the florets into rice-size pieces. You will most likely have to do this in batches. My head of cauliflower took 3 waves in the processor. A box grater is an alternative method to ricing cauliflower. If you choose to use a box grater, you can chop the florets into 2 - 3” pieces.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet/pan over medium heat. Add the riced cauliflower, garlic, and jalapeno if using, and kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
- Continue to stir occasionally, until the cauliflower is just tender, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the lime zest and juice. Toss together to thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust any salt, pepper, or lime juice as desired.
- Scrape the rice into a serving bowl and allow it to cool for about 2 minutes. Add the cilantro and toss again. Serve warm.
Notes
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