Delicious Cauliflower Recipes: The Ultimate Carb Replacer

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Cauliflower is the ultimate carb replacer offering fewer calories and carbs than the replaced dishes. This versatile vegetable is an ideal fit for Paleo diets, making it easy to prepare meals like cauliflower pizza crust recipes while maintaining your diet. Try cauliflower today!

Maintaining a balanced diet is key to a healthy lifestyle. Keeping tabs on your macronutrient intake, such as limiting carb intake relative to fats and proteins, can help achieve this balance. An excellent alternative to heavy carb dishes is cauliflower – a veritable chameleon in the kitchen. Here are five of our absolute favorite cauliflower-based recipes.

5. Margherita with Cauliflower Crust

That’s right, you can have pizza even when you’re on a Paleo diet!

Ingredients

Makes 1 large pizza, 3 or 4 servings

Cauliflower Crust

• 1 medium cauliflower (about 750g)
• 1 cup (100g) ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping

• 4 tbsp. tomato sauce
• 3 or 4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 4.5 oz. (130g) Mozzarella cheese, sliced
• Fresh basil or parsley, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare the cauliflower crust. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Wash and cut cauliflower into florets and place in the bowl of your food processor and process until finely chopped, like rice.
4. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove and let cool a little.
6. Place the cooked cauliflower into a tea towel and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of it and transfer toa clean bowl.
7. Turn the oven up to 470ºF (240ºC).
8. Add almonds, eggs, dried herbs, salt and pepper.
9. Stir until well combined.
10. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease with oil.
11. Place the cauliflower mixture into the center and using a spoon and hands spread it out onto a 12 inch (30 cm) round.
12. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
13. Remove and set aside to cool a little.
14. Spread tomato sauce over the crust.
15. Add Mozzarella cheese slices, tomato slices, chopped fresh basil leaves or parsley and freshly ground black pepper on top.
16. Bake for another 8–10 minutes until cheese is melted.
17. Let cool a bit before serving.
18. Add some more fresh basil/parsley leaves on top.

4. Tortillas

Paleo Leap

Try this cauliflower recipe from Paleo Leap and fill the tortillas with whatever you desire.

Ingredients

Makes about 6 tortillas.

• 1 head of cauliflower (cut up and stems removed)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
2. Using a blender or a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until you get a texture finer than rice.
3. Steam the riced cauliflower over boiling water for 5 minutes.
4. Place the steamed cauliflower in a dish towel and squeeze out as much excess water as you can.
5. Make sure you get as much water out as possible or you’ll end up with soggy tortillas later.
6. Transfer the cauliflower to a bowl.
7. Add in the eggs, oregano and paprika and season to taste.
8. Separate the mixture into 6 balls of equal size.
9. Spread each ball out on a parchment-lined baking sheet to make six small circles.
10. Place in the oven and bake for 8–10 minutes.
11. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
12. Reheat in a pan placed over low heat when ready to serve.

3. Cauliflower Rice

A delicious cauliflower “rice” recipe that’s paleo friendly, vegan and filled with tons of antioxidant-rich nutrients!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cauliflower florets (one large head)
• 2 tbsp. coconut or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 sliced red onion, divided
• 4 minced cloves garlic, divided
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 thinly sliced small red chili
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 julienned large carrot
• 1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp. shelled pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until finely chopped.
2. Heat one tbsp. coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add 1/2 sliced red onion and two minced cloves garlic.
4. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring until tender.
5. Add cauliflower and season with coarse salt.
6. Stir in vegetable broth and steam for 6 minutes until broth has evaporated and cauliflower is tender.
7. Transfer to a bowl and cover.
8. Wipe pan and heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
9. Add 1/2 sliced red onion and cook, for 5 minutes stirring until tender.
10. Include two minced cloves garlic, ginger and chili and cook for 1 minute.
11. Add broccoli florets, carrot and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until tender.
12. Season with a sprinkle of salt.
13. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
14. For each serving, top cauliflower with vegetables and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds and 1 tbsp. cilantro.

READ MORE: Top 5 Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes for Paleo, Vegan, Low-Fat and Gluten-Free Diets

2. Mac and Cheese

Genius kitchen.

Here’s everyone’s favorite mac and cheese, this time made with cauliflower!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cauliflower, fresh or frozen
• 8 ounces macaroni
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1 1⁄4 cups milk
• 3⁄4 cup cream
• 1⁄2 tsp. salt and pepper
• 1⁄8 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Cook the cauliflower in simmeringwater until tender.
3. Use a slotted spoon to remove.
4. Cut the cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces.
5. Return water to the boil and cook the pasta in the same water.
6. Drain.
7. Combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.
8. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
9. Add flour mixed with salt, nutmeg and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
10. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring continuously until blended.
11. Simmer for 2 minutes or until it thickens, stirring constantly.
12. Remove from heat and add the cheese, stirring until melted.
13. Combine the pasta, cauliflower and cheese sauce and transfer to a buttered casserole dish.
14. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.
15. Bake for 20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs form a crispy crust.

1.) Grilled Cheese

You need to try this grilled cheese recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetarian Parmesan, grated
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Cheese of your choice (for the middle)

Instructions

1. Grate a cauliflower over a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the grated cauliflower and mix evenly.
3. Leave to sit for 20 minutes.
4. Pour the cauliflower into a clean kitchen towel and wring the water out.
5. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower and remaining ingredients.
6. Stir until well mixed.
7. Using a spoon transfer two hearty scoops (roughly 1/4 cup) of mixture to form each “bread slice” onto a skillet.
8. On medium-low heat cook for about 10 minutes on each side.
9. Add your cheese and any other toppings.
10. Allow a couple minutes for cheese to melt.

READ MORE: 20 of The Funniest Fortune Cookies That Will Leave You Wanting More

Have you tried any of these recipes?