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Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice Recipe


I've tried making cauliflower rice in the past and while it was edible, it wasn't my favorite. That is, until I started playing around with cilantro, lime, and a little bit of spice, which developed into this very tasty recipe that I'm sharing today.

This cauliflower rice goes REALLY well with my recipes for Sara's Chicken or Adobo Lime Chicken. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice Recipe

Recipe Ingredients:
1/2 medium head of cauliflower, chopped in food processor (about 6 cups "riced")
2-3 TBSP ghee, or other cooking fat of choice
1 garlic clove, minced
3 green scallions, sliced
1 TSP homemade Adobo seasoning
Zest and juice of one lime
1 heaping TBSP chopped fresh cilantro
Drizzle of chili infused oil or a pinch of red pepper flakes - optional


Recipe Directions:
1. Chop up 1/2 head of cauliflower in a food processor until it is the consistency of rice. In my ninja, it takes about 4-5 pulses. Set aside.
2. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
3. Melt ghee or other cooking fat of choice and sauté scallions and garlic for about 1 minute.
4. Add "riced" cauliflower to pan, sprinkle with adobo seasoning, and stir to combine. Let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add juice from 1 lime, stir to combine, lower heat to medium low. Let cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until done to your liking. I like my rice soft but slightly browned, and not mushy. (Don't over cook or cover - extra moisture will make it soggy).
6. Stir in fresh cilantro and lime zest. If you'd like a little heat, add a drizzle of chili infused oil or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
7. Do a final taste test and enjoy!

Tip: I like to chop up the whole head of cauliflower and save the rest in the fridge so I can quickly make this again later on in the week! 

Until next time!

XOXO,
SMP
cauliflower, cilantro, clean eating,
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Leftovers - One of my Secrets to Success!

How do you feel about leftovers?

Depending on who you talk to, people typically either hate them or love them. I'm of the kind that absolutely loves having yummy leftovers in the fridge.

Especially when you're trying to eat healthier, I find it's especially important to always have something quick and easy to eat on those busy days. Before I cut out processed foods, I would always turn to a granola bar or a microwaveable meal to get me through those times - but not anymore! So no matter how small the leftovers are, I always throw them in a glass container and refrigerate. Let me tell you, even the smallest bite of chicken or couple spoonfuls of vegetables could be the difference between you staying on track or running to the secret stash of pretzels you have at the back of the cabinet. It can be a game-changer.

I also enjoy having leftovers around because I can easily turn those leftovers into a new dish in half of the normal prepping time. That's another game-changer when you're contemplating take out because you just "don't have any time."

Plus - has anyone else realized that food tastes better the next day, anyway? Take advantage of those developed flavors! 

Today, I used some sort of leftovers for all three of my meals - which actually inspired this post!

For breakfast, I made a beautiful and delicious frittata with the leftover Roasted Vegetable Medley with Chorizo Pork Sausage from last night.



 To make the frittata, first I took out my leftovers and chopped up the chorizo into smaller, bite sized pieces:
 

 Then I scrambled six eggs with salt, pepper, and fresh italian parsley:

 
Once my cast-iron skillet was hot, I added some ghee, poured my eggs and sprinkled my chorizo and veggie leftovers:
 
 After the edges were starting to set, I placed the whole skillet into the oven and broiled the frittata for about 5 minutes on high. The end result was very yummy and colorful, as you already saw in the first picture above.

For lunch, I found half of a butternut squash in the fridge that I had wrapped in plastic wrap to use for another time. Well another time was today! I chopped that baby up, added a sweet potato and some onions and roasted according to this recipe. (I just omitted the carrots this time).
 

 To go along with my orange vegetables, I make some garlicky boneless chicken thighs on the stove top:
 
 
 Between Mark and I, we finished the chicken during lunch time but I had at least two cups left of the roasted butternut squash and sweet potatoes. As I do, I saved them in Pyrex and used them up during dinner!

Now, sometimes you have to be a little creative and allow yourself to step out of the culinary box when it comes to recreating meals with leftovers. The leftover veggies from earlier were seasoned with rosemary which is a strong flavor. But that didn't stop me from combining the veggies with my carne molida - Puerto Rican style ground beef. This ground beef has cilantro, onions, peppers, tomato sauce, oregano, olives, etc and at first thought - doesn't appear to go well with butternut squash and dried rosemary. But let me tell you - the combo was AMAZING.



 Oh and did I mention that I also roasted the seeds from the butternut squash for a nice salty and crunchy snack tomorrow?
 
 So today, utilizing the leftovers in my fridge, I created three new delicious meals in 30 minutes or less and a snack for tomorrow.  That's how leftovers save the day on a daily basis in our household!

To recap, here are my tips for using leftovers:

1.) Make sure to have leftovers - make a little extra of whatever you're making or even double the recipe.

2.) Save every morsel of leftovers - even if it doesn't seem like a lot, it will be worth it.

3.) Always have eggs handy - you can make a frittata or omelet with ANY type of leftovers

4.) Be creative - take a chance and add your leftovers to new dishes even if you're not sure the flavors will go well together. Most of the time, you'll just create a very delicious dish with complex flavors!

5.) Use glass containers to store leftovers - not only does the glass not absorb flavors like plastic does, but it also makes it easier for you to see what leftovers you have in your fridge. You're more likely to use it before it goes bad if you can quickly recognize what's in the container!


Hope this was helpful!

XOXO,
SMP
Advice, butternut squash, cilantro,
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Sweet Potato and Sausage Frittata Recipe

 

 We decided to start off the New Year with a big, hearty breakfast so I decided to make a frittata with some of my favorite ingredients: sweet potato, sausage, cilantro and avocado. Frittatas are super easy and can be made with whatever ingredients you have in your fridge!

 Sweet Potato & Sausage Frittata Recipe

 Ingredients:

6 eggs (we use organic, cage-free)
1/2 large sweet potato, cooked and diced
6 all-natural pork sausage links, cooked and diced
1-2 TBSP fat of choice (we used ghee)
1-2 TBSP of freshly chopped cilantro
1/2 ripe avocado, diced
ground cumin, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a medium sized cast-iron skillet over medium heat and set your oven broiler on high.
2. If you're working with leftovers for the sweet potato and the sausage, you can skip this step. If not, make sure to cook the sweet potato in the microwave, and cook the sausage links in a separate pan. Chop both the sweet potato and sausage into bite-sized pieces, once cooked.
3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the 6 eggs with  salt, pepper, a sprinkle of ground cumin, and 1 TBSP of the fresh cilantro.
4. Once the cast-iron skillet is heated (I wait until it starts to smoke just a little), add 1-2 TBSP of fat of your choice. We used ghee, but you can use coconut oil, olive oil, etc.
5. Pour egg mixture into the oiled cast-iron pan and add both the sweet potato and sausage pieces.
6. Once the egg is just set on the bottom and sides, carefully place the skillet into oven. The broiler will cook the top of the frittata, without you having to flip the massive thing!
7. Keep an eye on the frittata as it can cook pretty quickly with the broiler on high. In about 3-4 minutes, your frittata should be nice and golden brown on top and fully cooked.
8. Remove from oven, let rest for a minute or so and then serve! I topped our frittata with fresh avocado and the rest of the fresh cilantro.

This meal was incredibly delicious and very filling! It's a great serving of protein, good carbs, and good fats to keep you satiated for many hours!

Enjoy!
avocado, cilantro, frittata,
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Latest Creation: Cilantro Curry Chicken Salad & Homemade Mayo!

Cilantro Curry Chicken Salad
This recipe was inspired by two things: left over roasted chicken and the homemade mayo I made! 

First, to make the homemade mayo, I followed this recipe. I followed it to the letter and the results were great.  Take a look:

Fluffy, creamy, and super easy!
 So back to the chicken salad! The rest of this recipe I just put together based on what I had available in the fridge. After a couple of taste tests, the end result was pretty good. Mark gave it his stamp of approval so I know it's yummy!

Cilantro Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup of mayo (homemade or not)
  • About 2 cups of cooked chicken, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced 
  • 1/2 green apple, diced
  • 1/4 cup of sliced almonds
  • 1 tsp of curry powder (or more if you want a stronger curry taste)
  • About 1 tbsp cilantro, minced 
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:

This is super easy. Just combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Serve in lettuce cups or with veggies like carrots and celery. Enjoy!
Do you have a favorite chicken salad recipe you'd like to share? 
Please leave a link to your favorite recipe in the comments!

chicken salad, cilantro, curry,
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