Apricot Pine Nut Cauliflower Pilaf

Recently, I came across several recipes for cauliflower pilaf on Paleo Diet websites, these recipes replaced the traditional rice in a pilaf with finely chopped cauliflower.  I loved the idea because we love this beautiful vegetable I'm always looking for new ways to cook it..  These recipes all called for steaming the cauliflower to make it soft, but I chose to roast it, to give it a richer flavor and a more grain like texture. 

Start with two medium sized cauliflowers.

Chop them into small pieces, removing the big stem.

Then, using your food processor, pulse the cauliflower until it looks like little grains of rice.  You may need to stop every other pulse and scrap down the sides and mix it up a little.  I spread 4 cups of the ground cauliflower on a roasting pan and drizzled 1 tablespoon of olive over it, stirring to coat it with oil before I roasted it.

While it was roasting, I chopped some unsulphured pitted organic Turkish apricots.  These aren't as pretty and bright orange as the sulphured ones but sulphur dioxide is bad for your lungs and causes allergic reactions in many people.  I find that the Turkish apricots are softer and taste better than the over dried California ones.

I also finely chopped some shallot (but you could substitute onion) and sauteed it in a teaspoon of garlic oil with the pine nuts.  Once the onions were soft, I added the diced apricots and the roasted cauliflower and seasoned it with a little salt.  The results were delicious!  If you love cauliflower, you have to try this simple recipe...if you don't, this recipe just might change your mind.  

Apricot Pine Nut Cauliflower Pilaf
2 large servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible

4 cups finely chopped cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallot (or sub yellow onion)
1/2 cup pine nuts
10 dried unsulphured Turkish apricots
salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 375°
Trim the big stems of the cauliflower and break into small florets.
Put the florets in a food processor and pulse until you have small grain like pieces.
Measure out 4 cups of cauliflower.
Put the cauliflower in a roasting pan and drizzle the olive oil over the top. 
Stir to evenly distribute the oil and spread out evenly.
Roast the cauliflower for 15minutes, stirring every five minutes.
Warm the garlic oil in a skillet.
Add the shallot and pine nuts.
Saute on low for 5 minutes.
Dice the apricots into small pieces.
Add them to the onions along with the roasted cauliflower.
Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.


Other Cauliflower Recipes you might like:

  Creamy Cauliflower & Carrot Soup

  Cauliflower Tagine