Riced Cauliflower + How to make prepped and frozen riced cauliflower

As I talked about last week, I did Whole 30 last month (yesterday was my last day!). One of my favorite hacks was discovered when I was shopping at Trader Joe's and found prepped and frozen cauliflower rice. I grabbed a few bags, and as I was checking out the cashier noted "It's a good thing you grabbed a few of these things. They are like gold around here!" And so it held true, I couldn't ever really find them again when I went, as they were always selling out a few hours after they were out on the shelf.  So I decided I would have to just make my own frozen version, and it has done wonders!

Riced Cauliflower quickly became my favorite go to during Whole 30, and it will continue to be a favorite. I made so much Coconut Thai Curry and absolutely loved it over the cauliflower. Anytime I made some sort of saucy meat I had it over the cauliflower. It takes about 2 minutes to warm up after it's been prepped and frozen and is really delicious on its own!  

First I will talk about how to prep and freeze your riced cauliflower so it's all ready to go, and then I will address how I actually make it for meals. 

Here we go! Start with one head of cauliflower. Nothing fancy, just roughly chop, and KEEP ALL THE STEMS. The rice is much better the more rough stalks it has, so don't throw any away. 

I throw mine into a food processor in fairly small batches because I don't want the cauliflower to get too fine. I like bulk to it, I am not trying to make a soup here. 

Once it's been pulsed, you will spray a baking sheet with a non-stick spray and layer your riced cauliflower in one layer. Make sure you find a sheet that will fit into your freezer. We are flash freezing here, so just throw it into the freezer for a few hours!

TA-DAH (I am around toddlers too much, obviously). Use a spatula to transfer the frozen riced cauliflower into a freezer Zip-Lock and you are done. Don't worry about it until you need to eat dinner or lunch.

Now that you have your prepped and frozen riced cauliflower, this is how you make it:

You will need a non stick skillet and an oil of your choice. I use coconut oil when I am using the cauliflower as a carrier for an Indian dish, and clarified butter (ghee) when I use it for any other purpose.

Heat your oil of choice over medium heat and add your frozen (not thawed) cauliflower. Don't pile up your rice- it still needs room to breathe. I use about a cup with my 8" skillet. I add garlic salt, pepper and a little shake of seasoning salt. Use a spatula to continually stir the rice until it is heated through a slightly aromatic (about 2-3 minutes).

Frozen Riced Cauliflower
The Everyday Veggies

1 head of cauliflower
sheet pan that fits into your freezer
Freezer safe zip-lock bags
high-tech blender or food processor (preferred)

Spray a metal sheet pan (that will fit into your freezer) with a non-stick spray. Set Aside.

Start with one head of cauliflower. Roughly chop, keeping the stems and discarding the leafy ends. Put chopped cauliflower into food processor in fairly small batches, preventing from pulsing the cauliflower too finely. Spread your riced cauliflower in one layer on the pan, using more pans, or freezing in batches if necessary. We are flash freezing the rice here, so place the pan it into the freezer for a few hours! Remove after 2-3 hours when frozen solid and place into freezer safe ziplock bag.

When ready to cook, heat your oil of choice over medium heat and add your frozen (not thawed) cauliflower. Don't pile up your rice- it still needs room to breathe. I use about a cup with my 8" skillet. I add garlic salt, pepper and a little shake of seasoning salt. Use a spatula to continually stir the rice until it is heated through a slightly aromatic (about 2-3 minutes).