Cabbage with a College Education

All of the sudden, it seems that I am besieged by suggestions of using grated Cauliflower as a substitute for rice or couscous or rice. Trish had about it from The Shiksa in the Kitchen, website she follows on Facebook. I had been reading about it from several sources. But when my friend,  Mary Luz Mejia, wrote of it,  I had to try it.

As it happens,  we are in the midst of our occasional carb purge - time to drop the holiday weight gain. Mashed Cauliflower is a staple.  A substitute for the carb heavy potato. The idea of a grain/pasta like vegetables was not only intriguing, but fit perfectly with our occasional post-holiday carbohydrate purge.

The Shiksa calls for boiling the granules, with a dire warning: "[y]our house will be filled with a-- umm, interesting cauliflower aroma as it cooks". Mary Luz's column suggests using it raw to preserve the nutrients. I like raw cauliflower, perhaps even more than cooked, but not what I wanted.

Neither method met my needs. I dunned my crunchies. So I heated the oven to 425, or whatever the ailing machine was actually at, and roasted it until it was a nice toasty brown. I did some shrimp and scallops "scampi" style and spooned it over the cauliflower.

Delicious.

Next time I think I'll toss it in some olive oil and season it more aggressively. It's a really great concept.