End of Summer Cauliflower Rice with Kale, Broad Beans and Peppers
Like most of my day to day cooking, this dish was born out of the necessity to clear the veggie drawer in the fridge to make space for my weekly organic delivery... I had also just been listening to a podcast in the car that reminded me of the importance of eating cruciferous vegetables (basically, all the cabbage family) every day if possible. It’s super simple and quick to prepare and you can store it in the fridge for a few days.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 medium cauliflower (I used a green one, but any colour will do)
1 bunch of kale (I used cavolo nero or black kale)
2 cloves of garlic
Frozen peeled broad beans, as you like
Red and orange pepper, as you like, chopped into small cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Smoked paprika
Ground cumin
Ground turmeric
Broccoli sprouts (optional)
Method
Wash the cauliflower and cut it into florets.
Put it in a food processor and pulse until it resembles crumbs or rice grains. Set aside.
Meanwhile, peel the garlic cloves, crush them and put them in a pan (I actually used a wok, but any large frying pan will do) with a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil on medium heat. Let it sizzle for a couple of minutes taking care it doesn’t burn.
Wash the kale and eliminate the bigger and harder stalks. Cut the rest into strips and add to the pan with the garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until it wilts a bit. Add a pinch of salt.
Add the cauliflower and mix with the kale. Keep sautéing for another few minutes.
Add the frozen broad beans straight to the pan, they will cook very quickly.
Finally, add the chopped peppers. I used some small sweet peppers I had, but you can use any peppers you have and as much as you like.
Add salt and pepper to your liking, a pinch of smoked paprika, cumin and turmeric. Take off the heat.
It’s very hard to give quantities for the spices as I find it’s such a personal taste. You could omit them altogether if you prefer, or give it a more Mediterranean twist adding anchovies, olives and capers. Or herbs, like oregano and basil. You might need to add some more olive oil if a bit dry.
One last thing. This is supposed to be a quick, light sautéing dish. You don’t want to stew the cauliflower as it needs to retain some crunch when you bite into it.
Serving Suggestions
This cauliflower rice is very colourful and tasty and would go very well with some salmon on the side or any kind of meat. Or just by itself, with some avocado and broccoli sprouts to add another level of texture and nutrition to it. Broccoli sprouts are a nutritional powerhouse, containing more beneficial and disease fighting compounds than adult broccoli...so I try to sneak them into my food as often as I can.