Foodie Friday: 4 Interesting Ways to Eat Cauliflower

Cauliflower crust pizza

I have never been a huge fan of cauliflower, probably because the only way I've eaten it is raw on a party platter with ranch dip. But lately I've been seeing tons of cauliflower recipes floating around Pinterest, so if you're interested to know how they actually taste, I've tested a few out for you.

Cauliflower fried "rice"

1. The first recipe I've tried, and my hands down favorite, is this cauliflower fried rice. When I first read the ingredients list, I figured there was no way it could be that simple and actually taste like fried rice. I even almost bought a ready-made packet of fried rice seasoning at the grocery store, but it was not vegetarian. So I decided to do something I almost never do and I followed the recipe exactly. I'm so glad I did. It takes about 15 minutes to make and tastes amazing. I don't have to trick Joe into eating veggies, but I really think you could trick someone into thinking they're eating rice instead of cauliflower. I've made it at least half a dozen times and Joe and I both love it. For anyone who cares about calorie-related stuff, one cup is about 85 calories, compared with 220 calories for a cup of generic fried rice at a restaurant.

2. I bought some purple cauliflower at the farmer's market, and I wasn't really feeling purple fried rice, so I decided it was time to branch off and try something new. That's where this cauliflower crust pizza comes into play (photo above). I used almost the whole head of cauliflower, so I doubled the rest of the ingredients and made two medium/smallish-sized crusts. Unlike the cauliflower fried rice, I don't think you can trick someone into thinking they're eating real pizza. While it is possible to pick up and eat with your hands, it's much easier to eat with a fork. The consistency isn't quite the same as regular pizza dough, but the taste is really yummy. And it's only 265 calories for the whole personal-size cauliflower pizza, compared with about 600 for a Pizza Hut personal-sized cheese pizza, so I'll definitely be making this again.

"Rice" Stuffed Peppers - (it tastes more appetizing than it looks, I promise!)

3. As a variation on the cauliflower fried rice, I "riced" some cauliflower and sauteed it with soy chorizo, onions, corn, and mushrooms. I added that mixture to bell pepper halves, topped it with some enchilada sauce, and cooked it in the slower cooker on low for about 5 hours. I added cheese for the last fifteen minutes. Once again, so yummy and so filling! (240 cals per pepper half.)

Cheesy Cauliflower Bites

4. The most recent recipe I've tried are these cheesy cauliflower bites. They looked like a vegetarian version of kid comfort food, and they didn't disappoint. They came together really fast, I liked the texture, and they were very flavorful. In the future I'll experiment with different seasonings - maybe a cajun/spicy flavor for next time? These are only 98 calories per 6 nuggets. 

Another recipe that I'm excited to try, but haven't gotten around to making yet:

• Creamy Cauliflower Sauce (as an alfredo substitute).

Next up, Joe and I are working our way through Buzzfeed's 21 High Protein Vegetarian Meals.