3 Healthy, Delicious Ways To Use Cauliflower (That Isn't Cauliflower Rice!)
Stumble upon any food blog or cooking magazine, and you’re bound to find a recipe for cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, or cauliflower mashed “potatoes.” Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable that even TIME Magazine dubbed cauliflower “the new ‘IT’ vegetable” and the New York Times recently wrote about the vegetable’s “ascension.”
As more people look to adopt plant-based, gluten-free, low-carb, or veggie-friendly ways of eating, cauliflower is a nutrient-packed choice! It’s full of good-for-you vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin K, folate and dietary fiber. In fact, each cup of cauliflower delivers nearly all of the vitamin C most adults require in one day!
You (like me!) may already enjoy cauliflower in multiple ways - like as roasted cauliflower, in stir-fry or as part of a salad, or raw with a delicious dip like hummus or guacamole. You may have also experimented with new cauliflower recipes like cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, or cauliflower pizza crust. The ways you can prepare cauliflower truly seem limitless!
That’s why I’ve partnered with my friends at Foxy Produce to share with you 3 MORE nutritious ways to say “YES!” to enjoying cauliflower more often. Cauliflower can be used to amp up the nutrition in your smoothies, to make a cauliflower “steak,” and to create cauliflower taco crumbles. Watch how easy it is!
3 Healthy, Delicious & Unique Ways to say “YES!” to Cauliflower
Add Cauliflower to Smoothies.
Adding frozen cauliflower to smoothies is sweet, literally! Frozen cauliflower ingredients are nearly flavorless in a smoothie, which means that your other flavorful ingredients can stand out. I’ll add around a 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower to my smoothies for extra nutrition. Watch how I make my Strawberry Cauliflower Smoothie here! The recipe is simple. Just combine 1 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower florets, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 tablespoons of almond butter, and ice.
Make Cauliflower Steak.
Cutting and roasting your cauliflower in 1/2-inch thick slices makes for a hearty vegetable “steak.” You can use your favorite seasonings, spices, or spreads on your steaks - like buffalo sauce, stir-fry sauce, or a savory salad dressing. Then, roast the cauliflower steaks in an oven at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. Get the recipe for Cauliflower Steak with Pesto & Hemp Seeds here!
Enjoy Cauliflower Taco Crumbles.
I think this unique cauliflower recipe is one you’ll want on repeat every Taco Tuesday! Simply preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Finely chop cauliflower into two cups of tiny cubes and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, paprika and oregano, and add 1/8 teaspoon of salt (optional) to your cauliflower crumbles. This recipe is spicy, so use less spices (or more cauliflower!) if you’d like it more mild. Add the crumbles to a sheet pan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Then, add cauliflower taco crumbles by the spoonful to your hard or soft tortilla shell and layer over your other favorite taco ingredients, like corn, black beans, salsa, and avocado.
What’s your favorite way to use cauliflower? Are you a fan of cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice? Will you try adding cauliflower to your smoothies, as a cauliflower steak, or will you make cauliflower taco crumbles? As always, I love hearing from you! Leave a comment below and share your cauliflower creations with me on Instagram @ToriSchmittRDN.
Thank you to Foxy Produce for sponsoring this video! Partners like Foxy Produce allow YES! Nutrition to continue to share healthy tips, recipe ideas, and nutritious solutions with all of you! Thank you for your support!