PEANUT LIME CAULIFLOWER SALAD
I’ve been avoiding cauliflower for a few months because it’s expensive. We had an acute shortage of cauliflower at precisely the time that the cauliflower rice, pizza crust made from cauliflower, and the”alfredo” sauces for cauliflower “alfredo” sauces hit their highest popularity, and we were sucked into a total cauliflower crisis. I remember hearing an article in the news that reported that heads of cauliflower were sold at more than $7 in certain regions! What. What’s the matter? Prices have come down a little; I’ve stumbled across this pre-shredded and “riced” cauliflower at Trader Joe’s and am having fun playing around with it. This week, I cooked this deliciously vibrant and fresh Thai-inspired Lime Cauliflower Salad, and I must eat it!
MAKE YOUR CAULIFLOWER RICE OR USE STORE-BOUGHT
The riced cauliflower may be an extremely convenient product, and I’m OK to accept that as I believe it’s worth the slight cost increase not to have to prepare the cauliflower by myself. If this isn’t your case, or you’re able to find the heads of cauliflower at cheaper than what I paid for the riced cauliflower, then here’s an excellent tutorial from the Kitchn on how to make it into cauliflower rice (food machine or box grated). It’s not too tricky. However I’m willing to pay an extra amount to prepare it for me. Additionally, I cooked my rice for cauliflower because I prefer the taste of cooked cauliflower over raw. However, for basic cauliflower lovers, you can thoroughly prepare this salad using the raw “riced” cauliflower.
TRY PEANUT SAUCE IN YOUR PEANUT LIME CAULIFLOWER SALAD
I created this salad based on my Nam Sod recipe, but I decided to keep it vegan because it was just one ingredient far from being vegan. One component is fish sauce. I love this recipe below; however, if you’re an omnivore looking to play around, consider adding the flavor of the fish sauce (maybe 1/2-1 teaspoon?) in the dressing.
INGREDIENTS
One tablespoon coconut oil (or an oil with a neutral flavor) ($0.23)
3 cups of riced cauliflower ($2.49)
Salt Pinch ($0.02)
One teaspoon fresh ground ginger ($0.10)
Fresh lime (2 Tbsp juice) ($0.19)
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce ( $0.04)
1/2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce ($0.10)
One bell pepper red ($0.99)
1/4 onion red ($0.25)
1 cup peanuts chopped in half ($0.38)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves ($0.45)
INSTRUCTIONS
A large skillet is heated to medium. Add the oil, swirling it around to cover the surface. Then add the riced cauliflower as well as some salt. Cook the cauliflower on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it reaches the desired degree of tenderness. Transfer the cauliflower to an ice cube and let it cool while you make the other ingredients (I put mine in the fridge to speed up cooling).
Make 2 Tbsp of liquid from the lime in the bowl of a small size. Add grated ginger, soy sauce, and Chili garlic sauce in the bowl. Mix to combine.
Finely chop into pieces the bell pepper red as well as red onion. Remove the leaves of cilantro from the stems, then roughly chop them. Cut the peanuts around.
Include the bell pepper onion, cilantro, and peanuts into the bowl and the chilled cauliflower. Sprinkle the dressing on the top and stir to mix the ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.
