I lived most of my life in Orange County, California where Mexican food reina suprema. I used to love eating Spanish rice and every time I tried a recipe online for cauliflower rice it just wasn’t cutting it. That was until I just let my eyes roll back in my head and let the spices fly… I was like the Pinball Wizard of spices. Another reason my recipe works so well is that there is still a bit of a starchy mouthfeel with the tapioca/arrowroot starch. Not too much though, or you’ll carb-overload it.

If you like it spicy, add more of any of the listed dry spices. This recipe is great for keto, vegetarian, vegan (with some minor changes listed below), or just as an alternative to rice to get more veggies into your picky kids!

I like to have mine with melted muenster cheese on top, with my fajitas, guacamole and almond meal tortilla quesadilla!

Special tools:

• Food processor to rice cauliflower (you can buy riced cauliflower in the store but it’s more expensive albeit convenient)
• A large skillet or wok or even a big stock pot will do nicely for all the cookin’

Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 2 jalapeños, chopped and seeds removed (unless you want it really spicy)
• 1 large head of cauliflower, riced (about 6 cups)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegan version)
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsps onion powder
• 2 tsps garlic powder
• 2 tbsp stock set aside
• 2 tsps tapioca starch or arrowroot

Method:

1. Chop up tomatoes and put them in a very large pan on medium high heat with olive oil, red chili flake, and jalapeños.
2. While that’s sautéing (stir occasionally) rice cauliflower in the food processor (should be roughly 6 cups riced).
3. Dump cauliflower in the pan and stir in a half cup of chicken stock and spices.
4. Cook on high heat and stir continuously until the liquid is almost gone.
5. Turn down the heat at the end to medium.
6. In a small dish, mix the two tablespoons cold stock with the tapioca starch or arrowroot.
7. Evenly pour that around on your “rice” and stir really well. It will thicken up the liquid and make it more rice-like.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Yields 6 servings

Nutrition for 1 serving (with chicken bone stock)

• Kcal: 88
• Fat: 5g
• Protein: 4g
• Total carb: 10g
• Fiber: 4g