(Recipe can be found on the site a Thought for Food here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
Pretty basic ingredients make this gluten-free dish come together in a snap. You just need the following: Minced Garlic (2 cloves), Salt & Pepper, Olive oil, 1 head of Cauliflower, 1/4 cup Pine Nuts, Fresh Parsley, Ground Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, 1/2 cup of Dried Cranberries, 1 Yellow Onion, and Paprika.
Begin by heating a small skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot add 1/4 cup of pine nuts. Stir them occasionally so that they get lightly brown. But you definitely want to keep an eye on them because they can go from brown to burned very quickly.
Next up I chopped one yellow onion and set it aside.
Next it was time to plump up the cranberries a bit. I put 1/2 cup of dried cranberries in a bowl and poured hot water over them until they were covered. Let them sit for 15 minutes.
Now it’s time to prep the cauliflower. Begin by removing the large stem and separating the florets with a knife.
Then I cut as much of the stems away from the florets as I could.
Next cut up the cauliflower into small pieces. Now this is where you learn from my experience…process the cauliflower in batches. I found that when I filled the food processor I had a harder time of getting a consistent texture and of getting all of the cauliflower completely processed.
You’re looking for a couscous consistency with the cauliflower where it is cut up into small pieces. Again you’ll be able to manage it better if you process them in batches.
At this point the cranberries had been sitting for 15 minutes, so I drained the water away and set them aside. Yum!!
Time to cook! Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium heat.
Add the onions to the hot oil and cook stirring regularly for 3 minutes or until they become translucent.
While the onions are cooking go ahead and chop up some fresh parsley. You’ll need 2 tablespoons and set it aside.
Once the onions are cooked add 2 cloves of minced garlic and salt and pepper for seasoning and cook for another minute.
Then add the processed couscous-sized cauliflower along with 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of cayenne and more salt and pepper to taste. Cook the mixture for another 3-4 minutes.
Finally add the chopped parsley, re-hydrated cranberries, and toasted pine nuts to the pan. Then stir it all up and dig in. This was really delicious, full of flavor, and I truly did forget during the process that I was eating cauliflower and not couscous. Such a great option for those of you looking for gluten-free or healthier side dish options. Serve this with a great chicken breast, pork chop or filet of fish. (I went with the latter and it was completely satisfying!) Happy cooking (and food processing) my friends!
Serves 4 as side dish
Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation Instructions:
1. In a separate skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat. Make sure to shake the pan frequently to ensure they toast evenly and don’t burn (note: watch them carefully as they can quickly go from perfectly toasted to burnt).
2. Place the dried cranberries in a bowl and pour warm water over them to plump them up. Let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Break the florets away from the rest of the head of cauliflower, making sure to leave behind as much of the stem as possible. Chop the florets into smaller pieces and then transfer to a food processor and pulse until the pieces until they are finally chopped and resemble couscous.
4. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper, and, stirring often, cook for another minute.
5. Add the cauliflower couscous to the pan, season with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and additional salt and black pepper. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Drain the bowl of cranberries and add them, along with the toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley, to the couscous mixture. Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add salt and pepper.
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