Whether you're looking for a paleo, low carb or vegan side dish, or just something that tastes really darn good, this Curry Asparagus and Cauliflower "Rice" should do the trick!
This whole veggie thing is taking on a life of its own. As I mentioned in my last couple of posts, Easy Vegetable Soft Tacos and 10 Healthy Recipes for Spring, my craving for veggies shot through the roof last week. I'm sautéing zucchini and mushrooms for breakfast (topped with a fried egg, of course) and eating big salads for lunch. The leftovers of this cauliflower and asparagus "rice" became an afternoon snack the other day. And when I say "snack", I mean a cereal bowl filled to the brim.
Of course, all of that came a screeching halt when we tossed aside the idea of ham and grilled a flank steak for Easter dinner instead. But still, it was served alongside grilled asparagus, peppers and zucchini.
Cauliflower "rice" has been on my must-try list for quite awhile. It started showing up on blogs a year or so ago, touted as a low carb and paleo alternative to rice. The idea is to give the cauliflower a quick whiz in the food processor until it takes on the consistency of small grains of rice. If you don't have a food processor, just use the large holes of a box grater, like I did for this Grated Cauliflower Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing.
Sautéing the cauliflower in olive, butter or even soy sauce would work really well. The day I made this, I had curry on the brain and since cauliflower and curry are a match made in heaven (my Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry convinced me of that a long time ago), I dove into my spice cabinet for the bottle of curry powder.
With all of the veggie eating going on around here, there was a handful of asparagus in the fridge. Why not throw that in the food processor, too and mix it into the rice? Now that was one of the better ideas I've had in a long time!
Printable Recipe
Curry Asparagus & Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cauliflower 1 lb. total, stem removed, cut into florets
- ¾ pounds asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower pieces until slightly smaller than grains of rice. Transfer to a bowl, then repeat with the remaining cauliflower.
- Place the asparagus in the food processor and process until the asparagus is the size of a grain of rice.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender and starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Stir in the cauliflower, asparagus, curry powder and red pepper flakes. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet.
- Cook the mixture for 2 minutes, then stir. Repeat this process until the asparagus and cauliflower are tender and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes total.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Erin@WellPlated
I am a recent convert to cauliflower rice, and I absolutely love it! I could take a cereal bowl of this goodness too!
becky
I LOVE cauliflower fried rice so when I saw this recipe I was so excited. It will be fun to make a seasonal version with asparagus and the curry will be a great change! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 And I'm so glad you're joining the eat seasonal crew!
Susan
This sounds like a nice way to do veggies for a change. It would be great with something like grilled pork chops. Oops, I'm starting to drool a bit… 🙂
Martha @ A Family Feast
I've never thought to combine curry and asparagus...what a delicious flavor combination!
The Food Hunter
I love veggies of all kind. this is nice one to add to the recipe rotation
Stephanie @ Back for Seconds
This sounds so perfect for spring! Delicious!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
I'm obsessed with cauliflower rice! This looks fantastic, Dara!
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain
Two of my favorite veggies! Adding this to my must-make this week!
Liz+@+Floating+Kitchen
This sounds great, Dara. I love making cauliflower rice. And all the flavors you've got here are such a nice twist. Looking forward to trying it out!
Aimee @ Simple Bites
Loving the sound of this, Dara. I can't wait for spring asparagus!