Well it’s officially official! Joe, Hula and I will be moving from sunny Southern California to (not so sunny) but beautiful Bellingham, Washington! We are happy, excited, anxious, scared and every other emotion you can imagine but feel deep in our bones that this move is a blessing and we can’t wait to explore the new adventure that awaits.
The new move happens the the week of April 25th, which seems fitting that it is also the week of Passover. I’m bummed that I won’t be able to cook more Passover dishes this year but I think its best to wait until we’re settled to get any cooking in.
A few things I will miss about Cali: ramen, Mexican food, but then I’ll just have to make my pozole more oftenand my beloved Middle Eastern treats, such as these bamieh. I was certainly spoiled with living in such a culturally diverse area and still have to do some research to see what is around in the Washington area. So if anyone has any tips, send ’em my way!
Now onto this jeweled cauliflower rice! Remember last month when Joe and I were doing Whole 30? Well this was one of the dishes I made during the month and thought it would be perfect for anyone doing Whole 30 or GF, paleo and great for Passover (since there’s obviously no flour). 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.
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 Joes). 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. Aint it a beaut?
Here is some more cauliflower inspiration, because really…it is so versatile! Sauteed cauliflower rice with caramelized onions and spinach sounds so savory and delicious and I am loving this Mexican cauliflower rice skillet..extra hot sauce, please! And this one pot curried cauliflower rice would be lovely with a dollop of cool yogurt and chutney!
So there you have it, the big news of the day! Things will be a bit chaotic in the coming weeks but I plan on sharing as much as I can on the blog and on my Instagram. I am so excited to see the new scenery, meet new people and learn the culture!
Has anyone been to Bellingham? I would love to hear about it!
More great rice dishes:
Persian Rice with Dates and Pistachios
Jeweled Cauliflower Rice with Pomegranate and Pistachios
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
- 1/2 yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 Tb saffron water saffron threads soaked in warm water
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp za’atar
- 1 cup dates pitted and chopped
- 1/2 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
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.
Hi Alex! So glad you liked it..I love the contrast of sweet and savory! Happy Holidays 🙂
I am so excited for your book…and this is a fab recipe too!
Yay thank you so so much Carolyn!
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?
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!