side dish

04.24.19

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

Posted on by Kelli Avila , Views: 3249

You can find cauliflower rice in most grocery stores these days, but if you’ve never made (or eaten) it, learning how to make cauliflower rice may seem difficult or time consuming. But trust us, it’s easy peasy! We’re offering two different methods on how to make it, giving you all the tips you need to know about storing it and letting you in on our favorite way to cook it up.

Cauliflower Rice in a Pan

Cauliflower Rice How To

Cauliflower rice is not new to this site, in fact we’ve been talking about it for years. But we realized that there wasn’t one comprehensive guide here that tells you all you need to know about cauliflower rice, whether you are new to adding it to your meals or you’ve been eating it for a while but buying it in the store. So we’re filling you in on all the cauliflower rice knowledge we’ve gained over the years!

Ready? Let’s dig in!

Why eat cauliflower rice?

If you’ve never eaten it before, you may be wondering what it is and why you should eat it. Putting it simply, cauliflower rice is rice-sized pieces of cauliflower that is cooked and served in place of regular rice.

When compared to regular white or brown rice, cauliflower rice is:

  • Grain-free
  • Low-carb
  • More nutrient dense
  • Fast to cook (5 minutes only!)

Why make cauliflower rice at home?

  1. It’s easy!
  2. It’s inexpensive.
  3. Some recipes actually do best with finally made cauliflower rice versus store-bought larger pieces, like our ‘Everything Bagel’ Topped Cauliflower Rolls, Cauliflower Hash Browns (Keto!), and Cauliflower Pizza Bites (Gluten-Free and Grain-Free)! These recipes call for VERY FINE cauliflower rice that can only be achieved at home.

How to make cauliflower rice

Does is taste good?

To be clear, cauliflower rice does not taste like white rice. It surely taste like cauliflower. So if you are strongly opposed to the taste of cauliflower, this is not the rice alternative for you. But if you like or don’t mind cauliflower, much like white rice, it takes on the flavor of whatever it is served with, such as this Paleo Asian Beef, Fried Rice, Chicken and Broccoli or Stir Fry.

Making Cauliflower Rice:

While we definitely love using the food processor to make cauliflower rice as our preferred method, if you don’t have one you can just as easily use a box grater.

How to make cauliflower rice with a food processor:

Cut the cauliflower into 2” florets (making sure they are all similar in size). Add the florets to the food processor and pulse 7-9 times until they are all broken down into “rice sized” pieces. 

How to make cauliflower rice without a food processor:

Cut the stem out of the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower into 4 pieces. Using the larger holes in the box grater (the ones you would typically use to grate cheese), grate the cauliflower.

Cauliflower rice in food processor

Freezing Cauliflower Rice

Just like you can buy frozen cauliflower rice at the store, you can make your own at home and freeze it. It’s truly cheaper and we do prefer the quality of cauliflower riced at home (though we buy our fair share at the store too, since it is so readily available). Place your riced cauliflower in a bag or container and freeze for around one month. It’s easiest if you freeze it in the portion you are most likely to use. We find that about 4 cups uncooked cauliflower rice is a generous portion for 2 people.

How long will it last in the refrigerator?

Uncooked riced cauliflower will keep about 5 days in a closed container or bag in the refrigerator. Cooked cauliflower rice will last about 3-4 days.

Prepared cauliflower rice

Best Ways to Cook Cauliflower Rice

We love using a nonstick skillet to quickly cook up cauliflower rice, with a touch of garlic powder and salt that is then topped with a few pieces of thinly sliced green onion. Scroll down for the entire recipe.

Recipes to use Cauliflower Rice

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

Print shopping list
Prep Time 00:05 Cook Time 00:05 Inactive Time 00:00 Total Time 00:10 Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cauliflower (about 16 ounces)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1 green onion, sliced thin

Directions

  1. Using a food processor: Cut the cauliflower into 2” florets (making sure they are all similar in size). Add the florets to the food processor and pulse 7-9 times until they are all broken down into “rice sized” pieces. Using a box grater: Cut the stem out of the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower into 4 pieces. Using the larger holes in the box grater (the ones you would typically use to grate cheese), grate the cauliflower.
  2. You can store uncooked cauliflower rice either frozen (for up to 1 month) or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
  3. When ready to cook: Heat a large pan of medium heat (we like using our nonstick skillet here). Once hot and then add cauliflower “rice” with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Cook until the cauliflower is tender about 5-6 minutes. The longer you cook it, the more water it will exude.
  4. Garnish with green onion and serve immediately, or let cool and place in the refrigerator for meal prep. Cooked cauliflower rice will last about 3-4 days.
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There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!
02.27.19

How to Make the Best Rice Ever (Stove Top and Instant Pot)

Posted on by Kelli Avila , Views: 4323

If you’ve ever thought rice was a plain-nothing-special side dish, this recipe on How to Make the Best Rice Ever (either in the stove top or instant pot) is for you! It’s the perfect recipe to pair with just about anything, is largely hands-off cooking time and is flavorful thanks to added onion, garlic and toasted noodles. Our LCK Food Editor, Kelli Avila, shares how she came to love and cook this rice weekly.

homemade rice pilafHow to Make the Best Rice Ever

Want to know How to Make the Best Rice Ever? Kelli here, and I know I did after years of eating the rice my husband John, who hails from Colombia (where rice is a staple dish), has cooked for our family. Anybody who has ever eaten it has claimed that it was indeed the best rice they’ve ever had.

His version of rice, also called arroz con fideos is similarly close to a what Americans would know as rice pilaf (or in Egypt is known as bil shareyah). It’s basically rice enhanced with onions, garlic and fried noodles. We use gluten-free spaghetti, and it’s quickly fried in oil that transforms it into something different with a  nice toasted flavor. Over the last few weeks I’ve asked John to cook a few batches so I could watch how he made it. Lexi and I then got in the kitchen to test our own take on it, and are so happy with the results. There isn’t anything difficult to cook in this recipe, but it is all about building flavor with a few tricks to make the best rice ever.

This dish is so good it could be eaten simply on it’s own, or in our family with two toddlers topped with a fried egg and happily eaten as dinner (and then remade into a new dish the next day such as a stir fry). You can also make a really large batch and freeze mini portions of it to take out as needed for a quick dinner side dish. And in the next few weeks we have some new amazing leftover rice recipes we can’t wait to share.

How much salt do you put in 1 cup of rice

Tips on How to Make the Best Rice Ever

  • Start with long grain white rice. Alternatively we also tested this with jasmine and basmati rice and it works similarly with a slightly different flavor profile. Do not use short grain white rice or brown rice for this recipe.
  • Wash the rice REALLY well, like wash it more than you’ve ever washed rice before. This is probably the most critical step when making the best rice ever. Washing the rice rids it of excess starch that can make the final dish sticky. To wash, place the rice in a large bowl and fill it with cold water. Agitate the rice with your hands and then empty out the water. Fill it back up and repeat. You’ll do this several times until the water starts to get clearer, and then you can drain the rice and give it one more rinse until no cloudy runoff remains.
  • Brown the noodles until it is almost burnt. The more you toast the noodles, the more flavor they will impart on the final dish. Just be careful because it can go from toasty, to burnt really fast.
  • Mince the onions and garlic really well. The finer you can mince the aromatics the less bitter and harsh they come off in the final dish. The finally minced onions and garlic almost melt into the background of the dish instead of the rice very clearly having chunks of onion in it.
  • Let the water boil down before you cook it. This recipe calls for boiling down the water until it has completely evaporated below the rice before you reduce the heat and cover. This deviates greatly with traditional recipes, but it results in a more pleasant texture in the final result. You’ll know you let the water boil down far enough once the little bubbles coming up through the rice disappear completely. Then you lower the heat and cover the rice for the remainder of the cooking.
  • After the rice has finished cooking, uncover and let the heat remain on if you wish to get a crispy bottom. The crispy bottom is referred to as the pega. In my husband’s Colombian family everybody fights to get the pega because it’s so tasty. It’s basically a fried rice stuck to the bottom of the pot that is crunchy.

What is the ratio of water to rice?

For long grain white rice on the stove top, the ratio is 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. For long grain white rice on in the Instant Pot the ratio is 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water.

What can you serve the Best Rice Ever with?

Just about everything. But if you’re looking for some ideas, here are a few:

If you like this how to, check out these others:

How to Make the Best Rice Ever

Print shopping list
Prep Time 00:05 Cook Time 00:30 Total Time 00:35 Yields 6 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ⅓ cup dried (GF) spaghetti, broken into 1” inch pieces (about 40 pieces spaghetti or 1.75 ounces)
  • ½ small onion, very fine dice (about ¼ cup diced onion)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced fine
  • 2 cup long grain rice
  • 4 cup water
  • 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Directions

  1. Rinse the rice: Place rice in a large bowl and fill with cold water and move the rice around with your hands. Drain the rice and repeat this step until the water inside the bowl is clear.
  2. Heat a medium to large pot and add oil. Once hot at the dried pasta and toast, until the pasta is light brown. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the onion and garlic and cooking, stirring,  for 3 minutes until just slightly beginning to soften.
  3. Add the rice, salt and water and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until all the water has evaporated below the rice and the bubbles have disappeared, about 10 minutes.
  4. Cover and reduce temperature to the lowest heat and cook for 10 minutes.
  5. Once done, fluff with a fork and serve immediately. If you’d like to make a pega (crispy fried rice bottom) you can leave the rice with the low heat for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Recipe Notes

  1. We really love the flavor of the full 2 teaspoons of salt, but if you prefer you can reduce it slightly to about 1-1/2 teaspoons, though it will be a little more bland.
  2. To cook in the Instant Pot (note the different amount of water added than on the stove top, all other ingredients stay the same):
    1. Rinse the rice: Place rice in a large bowl and fill with cold water and move the rice around with your hands. Drain the rice and repeat this step until the water inside the bowl is clear.
    2. Press saute on instant pot and and add oil. Once hot at the dried pasta and toast, until the pasta is light brown. Add onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes until just slightly beginning to soften.
    3. Add the rice, salt and 2 cups of water (this amount is different than the remainder of the recipe) and press the rice button (or cook on manual pressure for 12 minutes).
    4. When done use the quick release function.
    5. Fluff with a fork and serve immediately or cool down to use for meal prep.
  3. The rice will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively you can freeze in single serve portions to use for a quick weeknight dinner. To reheat place rice in a medium pot with 2 tablespoons of water and place on low heat with a cover. Cook for about 10 minutes until the rice is completely heated through and the water has been absorbed.
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There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!

Kelli Avila Bio

11.12.18

Honey Glazed Carrots

Posted on by Kelli Avila , Views: 6712

These Honey Glazed Carrots are the perfect fuss-free side dish. They’re cooked in one pan and result in the most tender, slightly sweet glazed carrots. They are so good they are borderline addictive and both kids and adults will love them! They’re paleo friendly and easily made dairy-free and a great addition to a holiday feast or a special weekend dinner.

How do you make sweet glazed carrots

Honey Glazed Carrots

When we were thinking up a name for these Honey Glazed Carrots, we were seriously considering crack carrots, because we couldn’t stop eating them. They are so addictive! They’re also really easy to make and a great compliment to a roasted bird on a holiday table, or a delicious weekend dinner.

If you can, find the beautiful rainbow carrots that are so plentiful this time of year. If you can’t, regular orange carrots will work too! The most important part is to cut these carrots as evenly as possible. Our recipe says to cut them on the bias, at 1/4″ of an inch. Take a look at the photos and see that even though the carrot shapes are different sizes, they are all basically cut about the same size with some of the smaller looking ones having a greater thickness so that they cook even with the larger size ones. This is important so that you cook the carrots as evenly as possible!

Honey glazed carrot recipe

How do you make honey glazed carrots?

We opted to make these on the stove top! We love the idea of cooking up this quick side dish, all in one pan, without having to boil them. Some recipes call for boiling the carrots and then draining them out before glazing. We always try to avoid boiling vegetables because it doesn’t preserve as many of the nutrients as steaming them does. For our method we place in a small amount of water and steam the carrots, and then evaporate the liquid so as much of the nutrients remains as possible.

Once the carrots are cooked through you add additional butter (or other dairy-free oil) and honey and cook them down until the sauce has glazed the carrots. There are a few minor details to pay attention to (like cutting the carrots correctly and making sure they cook properly) but all-in-all it’s a pretty fuss-free side dish to prepare.

If you like this side dish recipe, check out these others:

Make honey glazed carrots

Honey Glazed Carrots

Print shopping list
Prep Time 00:05 Cook Time 00:21 Total Time 00:26 Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias about ¼” thick
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons butter, coconut oil or olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, to garnish

Directions

  1. Heat a large pan (at least 12 inches), over medium high heat and add oil.
  2. Once hot, place carrots cut side down and sear for 3 minutes, until the carrots start to caramelize. Give them a good shake and let them sear again for an additional 3 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir the pan. 
  3. Carefully add 1/2 cup water and cover pan with tight fitting lid and cook for 7 minutes over medium heat. Uncover and reduce heat the medium low and continue to cook until the water has evaporate and the carrots are cooked though. If the water has reduced before the carrots have cooked, add a tablespoon more water at a time until they have cooked through.
  4. Once water has reduced, add butter (or dairy free oil) and honey and stir well and continue to cook until the carrots are glazed and the honey is bubbling, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon large flaky sea salt.
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There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!

11.13.17

Healthy Creamed Spinach (Made Without Cream!)

Posted on by Sabrina Brown , Views: 43003
Healthy Creamed Spinach with Cashew Milk - Lexi's Clean Kitchen #creamedspinach #keto #lowcarb #holiday

This Creamed Spinach is a lightened up version of your favorite holiday classic and is made without cream for the perfect healthy and veggie-packed side for Thanksgiving! Creamy, flavorful and so simple to make! It’s keto friendly and low carb, too! Made in partnership with Pacific Foods.

Creamed Spinach Gratin with Cashew Milk - Lexi's Clean Kitchen #holidayHealthy Creamed Spinach (Without Cream)

I used to love traditional creamed spinach from this local chicken shop in New York that I grew up with. It was a holiday staple for us, but I knew it was loaded with junk! I am so excited to have made this healthier version!

The star of the show is my new favorite dairy-free milk from Pacific Foods! Their cashew milk is perfectly creamy and so delicious. It’s versatile, plant-based, and made with organic and Fair Trade Certified™ cashews!

Healthy Creamed Spinach with Cashew Milk - Lexi's Clean Kitchen #creamedspinach #keto #lowcarb #holiday

The cashew milk makes for such a hearty and creamy sauce without any of the dairy… such a win! We used butter in this, but if you want a dairy-free option, feel free to substitute the butter for extra-virgin olive oil and ditch the cheese!

Healthy Creamed Spinach with Cashew Milk - Lexi's Clean Kitchen #creamedspinach #keto #lowcarb #holiday

Watch the video here: 

 

If you like this recipe, try these other Holiday Side Dish Recipes:

Healthier Creamed Spinach

Print shopping list
Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 0:35 Serves 4

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x9 baking dish with butter or oil of choice and set aside.
  2. In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium-high heat.
  3. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent about 5 minutes.
  4. Add spices and cook for one minute until fragrant.
  5. Add arrowroot flour and stir for one minute until well combined.
  6. Pour in cashew milk. Mix well. Bring sauce to a boil. Once at a boil, lower heat and let simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (if using) and whisk until cheese has melted, about 30 seconds. **Make sure the mixture has thickened a good amount before adding spinach.
  7. In batches, add spinach (and kale if using) to the sauce until the greens start to wilt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Take off heat.
  8. Pour spinach/kale mixture into a greased 9x9 casserole dish and top with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese on the top is a golden brown.
  9. Serve warm!

Recipe Notes

  • Can use dairy-free milk of choice but I do love cashew milk for it's creaminess!
  • Can omit kale and use all spinach like I did in the video!
  • Make this whole30 compliant: Use ghee or extra-virgin olive oil instead of the butter and omit the cheese.
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There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!

This post is sponsored by Pacific Foods. All thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own! I love the integrity of their products and think you’ll love them too. Thank you for continuing to support LCK and the brands I work with!

11.11.16

Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash

Posted on by Lexi , Views: 22666

This Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash is the perfect Fall side dish, and perfect for Thanksgiving. The roasted onion and fresh cranberries give it warm bursts of delicious flavor, and the walnuts add a fabulous crunch! 

Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash 

This week has been a truly amazing whirlwind. The Lexi’s Clean Kitchen Cookbook is here and it has been so much fun connecting with so many long-time readers, new faces, and friends! I see so many of you receiving your books and I hope you have a blast cooking your way through it! 

But first, are you thinking about Thanksgiving yet? I am! Definitely, definitely add this to your Thanksgiving menu this year! It is my new favorite and festive side dish. We are having a Friendsgiving next week to kick off the season, and you can bet this will be on the menu! 

Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash

[yumprint-recipe id=’404′]Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash

Fresh cranberries, roasted red onion, tender acorn squash, and walnuts. The perfect combination!  

squash-cranberry-side-dishWhat is on your Thanksgiving menu this year? 

 

Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 45 min Total Time 0:55

Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Drizzle veggies and cranberries with oil, spices, ginger, and honey.
  • Roast for 40 minutes until fork tender.
  • Add the walnuts and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Garnish and serve hot.
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    There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you! However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use in my own home! Thank you for supporting Lexi's Clean Kitchen when you shop! See my privacy policy for more information about this, the information we save, and more!
    03.30.16

    Garlic Smashed Potatoes from Eating in the Middle

    Posted on by Lexi , Views: 22084

    I love roasted potatoes. 

    With garlic. And coarse sea salt. And fresh black pepper. And fresh Parmesan cheese. And Parsley.

    I mean really, what’s better than a really really good roasted potato side dish?

    Eating in the Middle Cover

    My good friend Andie Mitchell’s cookbook is officially out, and I am so excited about this book, you guys. Andie is hands down one of the most sweet, genuine, and inspiring ladies I have met– I just absolutely adore her! 

    You can go buy it NOW, and you’ll want to, because not only are Andie’s recipes amazingly delicious, but she is a fantastic story teller in every sense of the word. Her new book is a realistic approach to healthy eating, with some of the indulgences we all want along the way, because well… dessert!

    Andie-Mitchell---Smashed-Potatoes

     

    Just LOOK at those roasted potatoes. Let’s make ’em. 

    Smashed-Potatoes

    [yumprint-recipe id=’353′]

    Smashed-Potatoes1

    Some other recipes on my must-make list from the book:

    Halibut Baked in Parchment with Pistachio Mint Pesto

    Southwestern Pulled Chicken with Cilantro Lime Slaw

    Updated Waldorf Salad Cups

    Bagel and Lox Salad

    Twice Baked Breakfast Potatoes

    Breakfast Egg Salad

    Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

    Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

    Peppermint Cookies and Cream Fudge Brownies

    Congratulations, Andie!

    You can purchase Eating in the Middle on Amazon here.