Many people see desserts as a guilty pleasure, something only enjoyed occasionally. There's good reason to keep traditionally prepared desserts to a minimum. Most desserts will send your blood sugar through the roof and past the sun. This recipe not only changes the way we look at cauliflower, but also how we view desserts!
While cauliflower is high in carbohydrates it's a complex carb meaning it will digest more slowly, along with the other ingredients this dish will give your body sustained energy and vitamins. Unlike the carbohydrates in rice that generally spike blood sugars for an hour or two then send your body spiraling to a crash landing; carbs in veggies and fats stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time with a much more even tapering off. In his wellness website, Dr. Mercola discusses this very topic. "While both grains and vegetables are carbohydrates, most grains should be avoided and most vegetables are acceptable. Your body prefers the carbohydrates in vegetables rather than grains because it slows the conversion to simple sugars like glucose, and decreases your insulin level. Grain carbohydrates, on the other hand, will increase your insulin levels and interfere with your ability to burn fat." I'll also soon be sharing about the fats myth and why you shouldn't be afraid to eats fats on a regular basis.
Today's dish could be fabulous as a breakfast, snack or dessert. My family enjoyed it following dinner, cooled to room temperature. My version is made using a sauce pan but you could also try using a crock pot or the oven method; I'd love to hear how it works out for you. Either way I hope you decide to give this recipe a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and your blood sugars and waiste line will thank you too.
Cauli Rice Pudding
1/2 batch cauliflower rice
1 T. Butter/ghee or coconut oil
Pinch of Sea salt (if using coconut oil or unsalted butter)
Heat the oil/butter in a sauce pan and cook cauli rice about 5mins. The idea is to make it sweeter and cook off the cauliflower taste, make sure you stir it often. You don't want it to brown or burn!
Remove the cauli rice from the pan.
Sauce
2 cups milk (your choice) or combination of milk and cream
4 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1-1/2 T pumpkin pie spice
2 whole eggs, whisked lightly [preferably free range due to nutritional superiority.]
1T * Arrowroot powder (optional for thickening)
1/4 C raw honey or maple syrup
Zest of 1 small orange (optional)
1 t Cardamom (optional)
1/2cup raisins, or any dried fruit (optional)
1. In the same pan used to cook the cauli rice combine all the sauce ingredients.
Whisk well while bringing to a slow boil over medium heat.
-the only reason I add the cauli rice after this is because it will take longer to boil, if your limited on prep time go ahead and toss it in before.
2. Once boiling add the cauli rice (and dried fruit if using) and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30mins stirring every 2mins or so. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom at least every other stir. Trust me on this one! I tried just whisking and too much was sticking to the pan.
* if using Arrowroot powder - add it to cold milk first and whisk well then add additional ingredients.
I did not use arrowroot for this test, because I didn't have any available that day; my pudding came out a little liquidy.
Thoughts
I made 5 batches of pudding for this experiment. All batches contained orange zest. All my kids loved the orange, I actually prefer it without.
All of the batches behaved similarly in regards to thickening. Around the 15 minute mark they were gaining significant thickness.
Batch 1 was made using the sweetened vanilla coconut milk you buy in the refrigerator section. Because the milk already contained sweetener I eliminated the additional sweetener. However, this batch was the most bland. It also took the longest to thicken, although it did not exceed the 30 minutes. I don't normally buy this type of coconut milk becuase of the carrageenan, but I figured it was the easiest to obtain so I would give it a shot.
Batch 2 and 3 were made with canned coconut milk. Batch #2 was made with maple syrup while #3 was made with raw honey. They taste very similar but 2 of my kids preferred the maple syrup batch while the other 2 preferred the honey version. My mom liked the coconut milk with honey and the dairy version with maple syrup.
Batch 4&5 were made using 1/2 milk and 1/2 heavy whipping cream. Batch #4 was made with maple syrup and #5 had honey. I think these tasted the same. That said, I kept going back for the honey version.
Overall I think all the batches turned out well. I would gladly make any of these versions again.
As always if you enjoyed this post, tried the recipe, have questions or comments
please post them below.
Thanks for reading!
Mercola, J. "Beginner Plan: Carbohydrates." Mercola.com. Retrieved 18.Aug .2014
Carbohydrates
http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/beginner_carbs.htm
Mercola,J. "List Of Best and Worst Vegitables to Eat." Mercola.com 29.Nov. 2010. Retrieved 18. Aug.2014
Vegetables
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/29/recommended-vegetable-list.aspx
