Riced Cauliflower with Ginger, Lime, and Mint (Vietnamese-Inspired)

This Vietnamese riced cauliflower is packed with flavor and antioxidants from ginger, mint, lime, and cilantro. This healthy side won’t disappoint and goes great with Green Curry Chicken.

I really don’t know what I’d do without cauliflower. It’s so diverse and versatile and it’s easy to find organic all year round. Cauliflower also tops the list of liver-supporting foods. It is a great source of dietary sulfur, in the form of sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. These compounds are key to both phases of liver detox and have the ability to detox especially harmful, cancer-causing compounds from the body.[1]

Cauliflower is also a great source of vitamin C, B vitamins, and manganese. Each of these nutrients also play important roles in detox. You’ll also find ghee (my favorite!) in this recipe. Ghee and grass-fed butter are both good sources of the short-chain fatty acid, butyrate. Butyrate is important for gut health. It can improve intestinal function and integrity.[2, 3]

Here’s what you need:

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 t coconut oil
• 1 t ghee
• 1/4 cup shallot (or yellow onion)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 t grated fresh ginger
• 1 T mint, finely chopped
• 1 T cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• Juice from 1/2 lime (about 1-2 T)

Here’s what you do:

1. Place your cauliflower florets in your food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is the same consistency as white rice.
2. Heat the ghee and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is good and hot, add the onion or shallot and saute until they start to soften, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Once the onions have softened, add the riced cauliflower and stir to combine the cauliflower with the cooking fat and onions. 
4. Add the coconut milk to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the sea salt, black pepper, ginger, mint, and cilantro to the pan and give it all a good stir. Cook about 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and squeeze the lime juice into the cauliflower. Stir so everything is evenly mixed.
7. Transfer the riced cauliflower to a serving bowl and garnish with sliced green onion, more cilantro, and/or more mint.

References:

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11836580

[2] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22731715

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10940278/