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Band’-wag-on, noun: an activity or thing that has become fashionable or popular.

I’m a little late jumping on this particular bandwagon, and it’s high time I did! I’d heard about cauliflower “rice,” of course. It’s hard to be a foodie and completely miss that. I just was never interested enough to try it. Big mistake! Then I bought a cauliflower, completely forgetting that I already had one at home. Two people, two cauliflowers means getting either creative or bored. I was making some leftover Cranberry-Orange Pork Roast into Vindaloo and thought it would be a good time to try ricing cauliflower instead of cooking actual rice. Making vindaloo with leftover pork is pretty easy; I wouldn’t mind the extra work. Vindaloo is a robust dish, so if we didn’t like the cauliflower, it could get lost in the sauce. At least I could say I tried it. What I discovered: With a good food processor, it’s hardly any work at all, it keeps its firmness quite well if you don’t overcook it, and it was delicious! We hadn’t even finished eating before my mind was teeming with ideas of ways to dress up riced cauliflower to make a separate side dish. More of that to come, I’m sure! This recipe is for plain riced cauliflower to serve with/under a saucy dish. If you’d like to eliminate the oil, just add a little water up front so that the cauliflower doesn’t scorch. Either way, it’s a great way to add more veggies to your plate, with more nutrients (just look at that Vitamin C!) and far fewer calories than rice.

Have you tried riced cauliflower? Do you have a favorite recipe for it? Feel free to add a link in the comments below.

Ingredients:

10 oz. (284 g) cauliflower

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons water

Preparation:

1.) Wash the cauliflower and cut into large florets — whatever will fit in the tube of your food processor.

2.) Fit the processor with the large grating disc. Working in batches if necessary, run the cauliflower through the processor.

3.) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat. Add the cauliflower and a tablespoon of the water; cover. Cook for two minutes.

4.) Remove the cover and stir. Add a little more water if the cauliflower seems to be sticking to the pan. Cook another one to three minutes or until the cauliflower is just starting to soften.