Let's be honest, there's really no great substitute for rice on the AIP elimination diet. Yet, this riced broccoli stands on its own merits for being:
- highly nutritious
- anti-inflammatory
- pretty tasty with a little fat, salt, and acid
Best of all though, it only takes a few minutes to make it!
🔪 Instructions
This recipe starts with a whole head of broccoli or cauliflower. You will need a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
To prep the broccoli, simply cut the head in half and trim away the bottom of the stem if it seems tough. Place one half head broccoli in the food processor at a time and pulse it until you achieve a rice-like texture (see below picture).
While rice can take 30 minutes to an hour to cook, broccoli "rice" only gets cooked for about 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough to tenderize it and infuse it with flavor.
This is what it looks like after it's been cooked:
Notice how the color remains vibrant if you cook it quickly. I point that out because color is a key indicator of nutrition, and I always think food tastes better when savoring how good it is for you.
📋 Recipe
Broccoli "Rice" {AIP, Dairy Free, Gluten-Free}
Ingredients
- 1 large head broccoli or 2 small heads
- 3 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon lard unsalted butter, ghee, olive oil, or bacon fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper if tolerated
- lemon optional
Instructions
Rice the Broccoli
- Rinse and trim the stem of the broccoli so that 2-inches remain. Break down the broccoli into large sections. Place half of the broccoli at a time into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse just until no large pieces remain - for a texture roughly resembling rice.
Sauté Broccoli Rice
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until aromatic. Do not let the garlic develop any color.
- Stir in the broccoli rice along with your preferred fat, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper (if tolerated). Cook until the fat is melted and the broccoli is tender - taste and remove quickly because the broccoli will continue to steam cook. Enjoy hot and fresh with lemon juice or as a side to chicken or fish.
Notes
📖 Variations
- You can use this same recipe with cauliflower.
- Cooking with Bacon vs. Bacon Fat: If you would like to incorporate bacon fat, you can use 1 strip of bacon, diced at the very beginning. Proceed with the garlic, broccoli rice, and reduce the salt to ½ tsp (bacon can be salty).
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