Cauliflower recipes: There are many reasons to keep your vegetable basket stocked with cauliflower. Believe it or not, it is quite a sensational vegetable that is also very versatile. The nutritious florets of cauliflower can be turned into a number of low-carb and low-cal dishes. Cauliflower is available in India all year round and is usually consumed in curries and dry sabzis and sometimes, may be added to rice and pasta dishes as well. Vegetable pulao recipes may feature cauliflower florets, adding the much-needed crunch to the dish. Same goes with your favourite pasta, where the cruciferous vegetable can add a boost of fibre. However, cauliflower is now being used to replace a number of high-carb foods. It won't be an overstatement to say that cauliflower is having its moment in the sun right now.
Cauliflower Nutrition: Facts And Value
People are using cauliflower in everything, from pizza bases to salads. Perhaps, one of the best uses of cauliflower is as a low-carb substitute for white rice. Another way to consume cauliflower is by roasting the whole flower or grilling marinated florets. Before we tell you how to cook cauliflower in unique and superbly delicious ways, let's talk about its nutrition. A 100 gram portion of cauliflower contains just 25 calories as per the data by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Additionally, the veggie is extremely rich in Vitamin C, which is important for keeping the immune system healthy.
Also Read: 11 Best Cauliflower Recipes | Easy Gobi Recipes
Healthy Diet: Here are five low-calorie cauliflower recipes to try-
1. Spinach & Cauliflower Soup Recipe
This soothing, simple spinach & cauliflower soup is made by cooking the veggies together in vegetable stock and then grinding the cooked vegetables to make a thick soup. The recipe contains skimmed milk to give the soup a creamy flavour, and salt and pepper are added for enhanced taste.
2. Cauliflower and Chicken Biryani Recipe
As mentioned earlier, cauliflower makes for an excellent substitute for white rice. You can make this low-cal and protein-rich cauliflower biryani, which is delicious and filling, and won't make you feel guilty for indulging. Unlike regular biryani, this recipe uses no heavy or rich ingredients and is entirely cooked in coconut oil. The cauliflower 'rice' is flavoured with diced coconut for some extra fibre and healthy fats. Try this superb recipe to treat your taste buds without overshooting your calorie budget.
3. Tandoori Gobhi Recipe
This is a quick and easy low-calorie starter recipe that you will be going back to, again and again. Gobhi is marinated in a flavourful marinade of ginger garlic paste, some curd, besan or chickpea flour, red chilli powder, salt and a little bit of oil. Then the cauliflower florets are allowed to sit in the marinade for just 15 minutes before grilling for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Also Read: Healthy Diet Tips: How To Pickle The Nutritious Cauliflower (Recipe Video Inside)
4. Corn and Cauliflower Soup Recipe
Another delicious and soothing soup for the winters is this corn and cauliflower soup that is made by cooking cauliflower florets with corns in water. A spoon of cashew paste is also added for a bit of richness and then the ingredients are turned into a thick soup using a blender. The recipe adds cream and milk to the soup, but these are optional ingredients and can be omitted for a low-calorie recipe.
5. Ghutti Hui Gobhi (Cauliflower And Yogurt Sabji) Recipe
This unique recipe includes cooking finely chopped cauliflower florets and stalk in spices until soft and then adding yogurt to the mix. Cauliflower stalks also contain a ton of nutrients and may be undoubtedly used for cooking. They are tougher to chop but once you add them to the dish, they can make it much more satiating, tasty and healthy.
So, we saw that cauliflower can be cooked in numerous different ways, each different from the other and each as delicious as the previous one. Which of these are you planning to try first? Let us know in the comments section below!
(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)