Jeweled Cauliflower Rice, with all the flavors of the traditional dish including saffron, turmeric, dates and pistachios, but low-carb!
Now onto this jeweled cauliflower rice! Cauliflower is easily one of our favorite vegetables and we eat it in all forms: roasted, steamed, mashed and now as spiced up jeweled cauliflower rice.
This would be fantastic served alongside slow cooked lamb shawarma too!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower
- Ghee
- Yellow Onion
- Carrots
- Saffron Water
- Cinnamon
- Turmeric
- Za'atar
- Dates
- Pistachios
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Fresh Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- If you don't have riced cauliflower already, add cauliflower florets into food processor and pulse a few times until crumbly and looks like "rice".
- Then in a large skillet, add ghee, chopped onions and carrots. Cook on medium heat until onions are caramelized and carrots are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Then add riced cauliflower rice and toss to coat.
- Add spices and saffron liquid and mix everything well until color changes to a deep yellow. Cook on medium heat and cover for 6-8 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked. I prefer mine a bit less cooked, but taste for preference.
- Once done, add in the chopped dates and pistachios and toss to coat. Remove from heat and finally garnish with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.
Keep it simple and use your food processor to make the "rice", or even better...I've seen them prepped in stores and frozen in bags (Whole Foods and Trader Joe's). Cook for a bit with aromatic spices of saffron, turmeric and cinnamon and then add all the "jewels"; pomegranate seeds, pistachios, chopped carrots and dates.
Jeweled Cauliflower Rice with Pomegranate and Pistachios
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Jeweled Cauliflower Rice, with all the flavors of the traditional dish including saffron, turmeric, dates and pistachios, but low-carb!
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets (or about 2 cups of riced cauliflower)
- 1 Tb ghee or olive oil to make it vegan
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 Tb saffron water saffron threads soaked in warm water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon za'atar
- 1 cup dates pitted and chopped
- ½ cup pistachios roughly chopped + some left whole for garnish
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- Fresh parsley roughly chopped for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you don't have riced cauliflower already, add cauliflower florets into food processor and pulse a few times until crumbly and looks like "rice".
- Then in a large skillet, add ghee, chopped onions and carrots. Cook on medium heat until onions are caramelized and carrots are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Then add riced cauliflower rice and toss to coat.
- Add spices and saffron liquid and mix everything well until color changes to a deep yellow. Cook on medium heat and cover for 6-8 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked. I prefer mine a bit less cooked, but taste for preference.
- Once done, add in the chopped dates and pistachios and toss to coat. Remove from heat and finally garnish with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.
Nutrition
Calories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 8gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 68mgPotassium: 1067mgFiber: 10gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 5176IUVitamin C: 78mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!
Jane says
I am about to make this for tonight. (Not sure you will be able to answer beforehand) Anyway, how much saffron threads do you use when you place them in warm water? Or, are you saying 1 T of saffron threads?
Samantha says
Hi Jane! I'm so sorry I didn't see this soon enough. No, not 1 tablespoon of threads...thats a lot. I just take a small pinch of threads and then let it soak in 1-2 tablespoons of water. You can also find saffron water at Mediterranean stores as well. Please let me know if it came out ok. Happy Holidays!
CArolyn says
I am so excited for your book...and this is a fab recipe too!
Samantha says
Yay thank you so so much Carolyn!
Alex says
This was absolutely delicious. Will be making it again for NYE dinner. Because my mom dislikes cinnamon, I left it out (I also halved the amount of dates). Definitely agree with you about cooking the cauliflower rice less rather than more! Thanks so much for this recipe.
Samantha says
Hi Alex! So glad you liked it..I love the contrast of sweet and savory! Happy Holidays 🙂