When I started delving deeper into the whole food, plant-based world, many of the plant-based doctors including John McDougall, MD, talk about eating non-starchy veggies to fill you up [1]. That's because they have a low calorie density [2], which means you can eat more volume to fill your belly, but without a lot of calories.
Cauliflower is one of my favourite non-starchy veggies because the texture is soft when you cook it, and the taste is so mild, that it takes on the flavour of whatever you cook it with. I started adding frozen rice cauliflower to my meals, and it was one little tip that helped me lose COVID weight gain [3].
What's the Nutritional Information of Frozen Riced Cauliflower?
One cup of riced cauliflower is just 20 calories, but adds two grams each of fibre and protein. While I sometimes use it as a rice substitute, eating this entire bag for just 80 calories, here are some of the ways I love to add it to recipes.
Add Frozen Riced Cauliflower to Oatmeal
Since I started eating veggies for breakfast [5], I love adding cauliflower to my oatmeal. I know it sounds weird, but the cauliflower has a tender texture, and when I add cinnamon and frozen blueberries to the bowl, that's all I taste. I add half a cup of rolled oats and half a cup of frozen riced cauliflower to a small pot with one cup of water or plant-based milk, and cook them together for about five minutes. It's creamy and delicious!
Add Frozen Riced Cauliflower to Smoothies
I like to add half a cup of frozen riced cauliflower to my banana protein smoothie [6] and it gets a smooth, creamy, cold texture that I love.
Add Frozen Riced Cauliflower to Grains
I love eating a huge bowl of rice, quinoa, or other whole grains because the carbs are so satiating. But I do like cooking my whole grains with one cup of frozen riced cauliflower just to lower the calorie density, and help prevent the constipation that can sometimes happen when eating a lot of grains.
Add Frozen Riced Cauliflower to Soups
Adding frozen riced cauliflower to soups adds a pleasant rice-like texture without a ton of calories. But I also like adding it to soups to offer a smooth creamy texture without the cream — I just use my immersion blender for soups like potato leek or butternut squash lentil [7].