Brown Rice with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

If I had to pick my favorite dinner, it would be something Italian with a super unhealthy creamy white sauce. Alfredo something or other. Something with lots of butter, cream, and cheese. Sadly if I ate that as much as I wanted (every day) I would probably dead in 5 years. Luckily I have found a healthy substitute to satisfy my need for something thick and creamy. This sauce is made almost entirely of cauliflower! It has great flavor, it’s creamy, it’s thick, it’s just what I need in my life.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 C. short grain brown rice
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 C. –3/4 C. vegetable broth ( you could really use any liquid as long as you adjust the salt level)
• salt to taste (probably at least 1 tsp.)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. Italian herb blend (I used an Italian Pasta Sprinkle from Penzy’s Spices)
• 2 TBSP. olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 C. Mozzarella cheese
• fresh parsley roughly chopped, for topping.

Directions:

1. Prep the short grain brown rice. I like to soak my brown rice because I feel like it makes it softer. If you want to soak your rice, just follow the instructions on the package, but before you cook it, just leave it to sit in the water while you prep your veggies.

2. Wash and cut your cauliflower in to smaller florets. Try to make them roughly the same size so they cook through at the same rate. While you have the knife out, chop up the zucchini, garlic, and tomato and set aside. Boil the cauliflower in salted water until it is tender. Start cooking the rice according to the package now.

3. After the cauliflower is soft, drain out the water and transfer the cauliflower to a blender, food processor, or use a stick blender. Blend with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth it until it is smooth. If you would like it a little thinner or smoother, add a little more veggie broth. Add the Italian herb blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you used used veggie broth, you wont need quite as much salt as you would if you used milk or water ( I have used milk before and it works fine). Set sauce aside.

4. In a large skillet, sauté the garlic in the olive oil on low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and increase the heat to medium. Stir occasionally, cooking until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy. If the garlic is starting to burn or stick, add a little bit of veggie broth or water to deglaze the pan.

5. Add the rice and cauliflower sauce to the skillet and stir until everything is all mixed together. Add the cheese and tomato and stir again until the cheese is melted. Taste one last time and add more salt, pepper, and Italian herbs as needed. Top with parsley.

Recipe by Edible Experiments, idea from Pinch of Yum