Sometimes I find a piece of paper in my kitchen desk drawer that contains a scribbled recipe. I am trying to be better at writing down while cooking (or at least right after) the ingredients and amounts that I am cooking with. This way I can reproduce things that my husband and I like. This recipe is one of those. I thought it was good when I made it. My husband liked it. I was busy after dinner so I just threw the ingredients list into the desk drawer. The next evening I happened to pack and take leftovers of it for a friend and myself. A girl I know happened by and had a taste. She was amazed at how good it tasted and even sent me a private Facebook message requesting the recipe. Luckily, I had my scribbled recipe and passed it along. I then put the recipe into a blog post and saved it as a draft…and forgot about it…until I saw it today. This makes a really good side dish for chicken, red meats and fish. I have also made leftovers into a main dish for lunch by adding in chopped leftover chicken. I imagine I could add slice leftover beef or even cooked shrimp. Hmmm…I’ll have to try that.
One of the best parts about this recipe is the ability to throw frozen food right into the skillet. Really! I freeze the bags of fresh cauliflower rice that I purchase from Trader Joe’s. I also buy the frozen artichoke hearts there. I don’t thaw them at all before I add them to the skillet. The liquid that they contain provides the liquid needed to cook and steam the cauliflower.
Italian Cauliflower Rice
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 Sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 – 12 ounce packaged frozen artichoke hearts
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 – 3.8 ounce can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
- 1 – 16 ounce package cauliflower rice (frozen okay)
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel.
Heat oil in large lidded skillet. Add onions and salt and stir. Sauté over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions start to caramelize. Add the Italian seasoning, mushrooms, frozen artichoke hearts, garlic, olives and cauliflower rice. Stir and cover. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is al dente. If there seems to be too much liquid, cook with the lid off. If it seems too dry, add a little water. When the cauliflower is done, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley and lemon peel.
