Cauliflower “Couscous” with Dried Cherries & Toasted Pistachios

This dish is grain-free and full of flavor. I like to serve it with my mediterranean lamb kebabs but it’s a great side dish to accompany any protein main, grilled vegetables or hearty stews. My recipe is a riff on cauliflower “rice” — this “couscous” contains no grains and the flavor profile is meant to compliment Mediterranean flavors.

Cauliflower is beloved by keto advocates and dieters for many reasons — it is nutrient dense, it can provide some low calorie substitutions for carbs. Cauliflower is cruciferous so an excellent component of an anti cancer anti inflammatory diet. It’s also high in B vitamins and fiber. Harvard Health named it “Vegetable of the Month” in October 2018. Many natural foods markets now sell bags of “riced” cauliflower - that has been trimmed and chopped for this purpose, but it’s not difficult to prepare and freshly cut cauliflower will taste better.

Riced cauliflower doesn’t keep well in the refrigerator once it’s cooked so this dish is best eaten right away.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower (~2 lbs) trimmed of stems and coarsely chopped in about 8 pieces - or a bag of precut “riced” cauliflower

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/2 cup chicken bone broth (or homemade vegetable stock for a vegan version)

2 tbsp grass fed organic butter or ghee

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

3/4 tsp sweet paprika

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup dried cherries

optional: 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds and/or 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley for garnish

Preparation

Toast nuts in a large dry skillet on medium heat, stirring until very lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet.

When ricing cauliflower it’s important to keep in in small pieces like rice but not shred it. You can pulse it in a food processor fitted with blade, or grate it on a box grater with larger holes. This should yield about 4 cups. Put the riced cauliflower on several layers of paper towel and try to squeeze out any moisture.

Heat the butter or ghee in the skillet on medium-high heat. Add the spices and cook for about 30 seconds. Add all the cauliflower and stir to coat. Add salt and pepper, and cook just 3-5 minutes. Cauliflower should be softened but not too soft.

Add broth and cherries. Stir well and continue to cook for a further 3-5 minutes until just tender.

Turn off heat and add 2/3 of the nuts. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle remaining pistachios over the top. If using optional garnishes add them now and serve.