Cauliflower Rice and thoughts on Modern Eating

What prompted me to take something so delicious as rice and replace it with something a lot of people consider bland and rather boring? Well, maybe you look at cauliflower and think, "hmm it's kind of like broccoli," and attempt to cook it the same way expecting the same results. Or maybe you've tried the various complicated recipes out there for cauliflower mash, cauliflower pizza dough, or even cauliflower rice and threw up your hands in frustration! Well, I've tried all of these recipes and certainly couldn't figure out why on EARTH such a seemingly DRY veggie could possibly posses so much dang WATER! It's like the recipes themselves were meant to help you find water in a drought. Apparently there's enough water in a cauliflower head to support a family of six for 3 months! Truly! If I have to first cook/steam a veggie and then strain the hot scalding mass to get out the water out (or worse wait four hours for it to cool off) just for it to remain soggy anyways, I don't want to do it.

I was frustrated. I knew however that cauliflower was an exceptionally important veggie to have in ones diet. I still used it occasionally, but I had truly given up on its other identities. And then it dawned on me. Maybe I should skip the steaming part of the recipe (at least for cauliflower rice) and see if it turns out the same. SURE ENOUGH! It worked! Heck, if you grate the cauliflower first it's probably easier then to make the mash and the dough as well. Speaking of, I took my cauliflower rice and mixed it with egg and chives and it came out to be a perfect pancake on the stove..... sounds like a pizza dough ready to be made!!!

Hey, I have nothing against rice, but we all know if it's white rice we're talking about a lot of empty nutrients and even possible contamination due to the soil it grew in. If any of us are on a low-carb diet, we all know white rice is enemy number one. I actually never liked rice growing up. In my family rice was in a bag boiled on the stove top, or it came from a Chinese restaurant cold and salty. It wasn't until I lived in China did I understand the variety, cooking styles, and tastes of just white rice! It's a main food source for a lot of societies. It's so important and so meaningful in some peoples lives it would be like taking bread, potatoes, or even vegetables out of ones diet (if you consume it for at least two meals a day). I understand it's significance, I truly do. What I also understand is the growing obesity epidemic on this planet. Rice was a source of energy for us when we would worked on the fields and were burning a lot of calories a day. You could eat a high carb and fat diet back in the days if you were toiling with the earth or in a labor intensive occupation. However, we aren't doing that much anymore, life is sedative. We created technology to help us work less, but instead it made us work more, just sitting down. There were days that I could literally sit at my desk for 8 hours and never get up if I choose too. Eating the same ancient way with the modern work style doesn't seem to match anymore. Thus, we have to choose a healthier diet now or face the modern medical crises of our planet tomorrow.

Growing up I was exceptionally obese. I remember when I was 17 I hit the scale at way over 215lbs. I didn't touch a scale for a long time after that (I didn't want to know), so I could have easily surpassed it. I knew nothing about nutrition even though I was a vegetarian. In my 20s I began the yo-yo dieting. Lose 50lbs here gain 30lbs back, lose 60lbs here, gain 20lbs back. I was about 23 or 24 when I went on the Southbeach diet and really lost a lot of weight. It has taken me about 7 years to put on 20lbs again though someone recently said that she knew someone who could gain 20lbs in a month, so I guess 7 years of gaining weight isn't utterly bad. However, there's a point where you know your goal weight is 40lbs or more away and you really really want to achieve it. That push and drive to get there can easily escape you as quickly as it came. I had to, numerous times, sit down with myself and say HEY this time... really THIS TIME... we're going to plan and work this out. So, I'm back on Southbeach. I'm not 24 so I know it'll take me longer, but that's the long term plan. I guess what I'm trying to say is it wasn't until my mid-20s did I finally understand nutrition and what's important to consume and what's poisonous to consume. I think now a lot of us understand nutrition more than we did a few years ago, especially because it's clearer. Thus, a lot of my videos are a bit odd. I'm subbing out things for more nutrient based things and cooking in a style that is hopefully more beneficial to my health.

In the end we all struggle with our goals whether that be career or health wise goal. Setting realistic goals and allowing yourself to heal and be happy are important. Eating healthy and losing weight is my goal. I hope to achieve my ideal weight within a year or two, but I know it's not going to happen by next month.

Good luck to those who are striving to obtain their goals. I hope you enjoyed my cauliflower (fried) rice video. Here's the link to watch it: http://youtu.be/WXizCqv-lFQ

** sorry it's blurry ** cauliflower fried rice in a "sushi" wrap and a side of cauliflower fried rice with kimchi

For the cauliflower rice you'll only need a grater and a head of cauliflower.

For the fried rice you'll need your essential ingredients you use for your own regular fried rice (minus the rice).

Suggested:
1/2 carrot
1/2 cup chopped pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger
a protein

use olive oil or a healthy oil

the more veggies the better!

Thanks!