Orange Cauliflower Rice with Dried Currants and Almonds

“Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to the snowy white cluster of flowerets and eating much more of it. … I’m now on a mission to serve it in exciting new “raw” ways.”

The “it” I refer to is cauliflower. During the past couple weeks this cruciferous vegetable has been the sole instigator in my frequent trips to the health food store. Each visit I walked out with one, sometimes two heads of cauliflower and I could sense inquiring mind beginning to wonder. In an attempt to call attention away from yet another cauliflower purchase, I’d toss one or two additional items in the mix but, the slightly tilted heads and curious looks from my friends behind the counter finally led to the inevitable question, What are you doing with all the cauliflower? Well, um, I’m having a little fun in the kitchen.

Some of my creations were good, some turn out great, and others were a complete flop. This particular cauliflower recipe is one of the good ones that I am happy to share with you. It is also one that I submitted as part of my menu contribution for the soon-to-be-released ebook, One Week Raw by Heather of Kombucha Chic, more on her upcoming ebook soon.

Cauliflower makes a great vegetable rice-like alternative. It has a subtle nutty, slightly sweet flavor and is available year round but it’s in season and at its best from December through March.

Serve this recipe as a main or a side dish, either way it is delicious. Another good thing, I love the simplicity of one-dish meals, and this one has a great mix of flavors for little fuss.

Orange Cauliflower Rice with Dried Currants and Almonds

Cut away the cauliflower florets from the stalk by making incisions along the base of the stalk with a shape knife. Break away the cauliflower flowerets, then break or roughly chop the cauliflower into 1-inch pieces. Wash the florets carefully and drain off any excess water. Working in batches, chop the cauliflower in a food processor in short pulses until roughly the size of grains of rice (the sizes will vary from a combination of very fine pieces to larger pieces). Transfer the cauliflower into a large bowl.

Cut one orange in half and juice one of the orange halves [reserve the other half for segmenting]. Add the extra virgin olive oil the juice and whisk together and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Pour over the cauliflower rice and stir to mix. Add the parsley, celery, onions, dried currant, and almonds; stir until well mixed, then carefully fold in the orange segments.

Garnish with parsley or orange segments.

Serves 4

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