Whole30 Day 9 Dinner: Cauliflower “rice” still hasn’t got my 100% support yet, although this spectacular purple cauliflower definitely helped win me over a little more. It’s just so damn pretty! I picked this beauty up at a local farm stand market down the road from me a bit and decided it would pair nicely with the Thai style Coconut Curry I had in mind for dinner.

During a bit of my recipe research, I stumbled across a method for roasting the cauliflower rice in the oven so I decided to try it out. The cauliflower was absolutely delicious but the texture was far from “rice” like. It complimented the curry nonetheless and ultimately that’s really all that matter to me. The jury’s still out if I prefer the sauted cauliflower rice over the toasted version.

Eggplant Coconut Curry 

Ingredients:

1/2 Japanese Eggplant, sliced into half moons

1/2 a med sized Zucchini, sliced into half moons

1/2 a Sweet Onion, chopped

1 can Coconut Milk

1 stalk fresh Lemongrass, outer leaves removed and trimmed

1″ piece Fresh Ginger, skin removed and rough chopped

1 clove Garlic, skins removed

1 tsp Thai Red Curry paste, or to taste

1/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes

1/2 tsp Coconut Oil

Method: 

With an Immersion Blender or Food Processor, puree until smooth the Coconut milk, ginger, Thai Red Curry paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In a small Dutch oven, heat the Coconut oil until shimmering over med flame. Add in the onion and saute until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the eggplant and saute until slightly browned, about 5 minutes more.

Add in the Coconut milk mixture and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until the eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes. Add in the Zucchini and simmer about 5 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Turn off heat and serve immediately.

Purple Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

1 head Purple Cauliflower, core removed and florets trimmed and chopped

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower florets until very small. Toss the florets in the Coconut oil, salt, and pepper then evenly layer it on the sheet pan. Bake in the oven 20 to 30 minutes until lightly toasted and tender. Serve immediately.