Jeweled Cauliflower Rice

Welcome back after a little summer break!

I went on a three week holiday to Crete in Greece. All prepared with recipes and food photos that prepared beforehand and that I would serve you along the way. But then, all those plans to keep you entertained were thrown overboard as soon as we arrived. For good reasons only, don’t worry!

Crete is a quite big. By a Greek friend we were recommended the south of the island. Not knowing what the differences would be between north, south, east and west when we got there, we figured out very quickly that this must be the most unspoiled Mediterranean island, in the middle of holiday season.

The south of Crete is pretty inaccessible, hence no concrete forests for package tourism. Greece, and of course, Crete has great history and culture. However, I think it’s not a place where you tick sights off a list. It’s a place that wants to be explored. Quite to my liking, it’s also a place where you won’t need much more than a couple of shirts and shorts, swimwear and a toothbrush. In my case, add half a suitcase of running gear 🙂

Oh, what a beautiful place this is to run. If you live in Dubai or have followed this blog for sometime, you will know that Dubai is flat as a pancake. It’s so flat, I consider street bumps undulations. Crete, on the other hand, is hilly. Avoiding streets, I hit the trails into the mountains, through olive tree plantations, past lemon and orange trees, and fig trees on the roadside. The cicadas in the trees would be so noisy, I would hardly hear my Garmin beep. Most often I would not see a single soul on my runs, apart from the occasional ancient Cretan farmer who came to look after his olive trees in his rusty pick up truck and who would usually be too chauvinist to even acknowledge me running past. I loved it.
In those three weeks I ran more than 200k, at slow pace, due to the trails and hills that were quite a challenge in the first week. They wouldn’t stop me though, to an extent that I ended up with a little Achilles niggle in the last week. Due to excessive hill running.

You readers of this blog will appreciate another thing: you won’t find a single fast food chain on the whole island. No KFC, Burger King or McDonalds. The closest thing to a fast food shop was a little snack point called “Super Donalds” with the a hand-painted sign outside the shop. Apparently, there was a McDonalds a few years ago. But it had to close down, as it did only business during the holiday season between April and October. When all the tourists were gone, no-one was left to eat there. The Cretans, old and young, were not interested. I am not surprised: The Greeks make the best meatballs on the planet.

In my next post, I will share my thoughts on Greek food, with a suitable Greek recipe. Today, I leave you with something quite un-Greek: jeweled Cauliflower rice. I made it a few times before our holidays. A lovely refreshing vegan, paleo and grain free dish that’s light enough to be a light lunch. Or that will go well as as side dish with grilled meat. I hope you enjoy.
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JEWELED CAULIFLOWER RICE
inspired by Comfy Belly

(Print Recipe)

4 cups cauliflower florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
salt to taste

1/3 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
1/3 cup pistachios
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

Serves 4
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Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place cauliflower florets in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, turmeric and salt. Drizzle over the cauliflower and blend to coat the cauliflower.
Spread cauliflower on prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and slightly browned.

In the meantime, dry-roast the pistachios in a pan over medium-low heat, shaking the pan often to avoid burning. Let cool, chop roughly and set aside.

Let the roasted cauliflower cool for a few minutes before pulsing it in a food processor to rice size pieces.

In a serving bowl, combine cauliflower rice with apricots, cranberries, chopped pistachios and parsley. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Serve cold or at room temperature.