It's been awhile. Sorry. I'm hoping and planning to change that, getting back to at least one post a week. There's been a lot going on at home with little Miss and, honestly, I just haven't been feeling as inspired or able to find the energy to do much other than the day to day things of motherhood.
I've really started getting back into cooking, not that I'd ever really stopped, but I'd definitely been relying on more "quick", not so innovative, nothing new, dishes for months. Now, my meal planning each week focuses on at least one brand new recipe to try. This past week, that included a pineapple/chorizo rice bowl with an avocado cream. The original recipe called for actual rice. Not wanting to have to add anything additional to make this feel like a complete meal, I opted to make cauliflower rice so that there was a huge dose of veggies instead of grains. Additionally, two different "creams" were recommended, one avocado and one chipotle, both of which would be added on top before serving. While I love flavorful dishes and don't fear complexity, I also value simplicity when the end result is the same. So...I combined the two sauces, reducing prep time, and got a delicious avocado chipotle cream.
If you've never tried out the cauliflower rice thing, I highly recommend it here. The bold flavors of the pineapple, chorizo, and avocado cream make the cauliflower base literally undetectable. The texture works great, and the leftovers store and re-heat wonderfully. I saved the stems and scraps of cauliflower I wasn't able to grate to the rice-size and froze them, adding them to a smoothie this morning! (I was super skeptical, but I totally couldn't taste it AT ALL!)
Caramelized Pineapple Chorizo "Rice" Bowls
Serves 3-4
1 head cauliflower
drizzle of olive oil
½ sweet onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
½+ lbs chorizo
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup pineapple, chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
paprika
Avocado Chipotle Cream
1 avocado
½ cup plain yogurt
1 chipotle from chipotle canned with adobo
juice from 1 lime
“Rice” your cauliflower. Quarter the cauliflower head; remove the stem, and process in a food processor or grate on a large hole cheese grater. Press gently with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and set aside.
Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo. Cook until browned. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Add butter to pan (no need to clean it!) and then add the pineapple. Cook from about five minutes, until browned and caramelized. Add peppers and cook a couple more minutes. Pour chorizo mx back into the skillet with the pineapple and peppers and add the cauliflower rice. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir to blend ingredients, adding green onions, and cooking until cauliflower rice is just beginning to soften.
Add avocado, yogurt, chipotle, and lime juice to your blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding a bit of water if desired to thin.
Portion rice mixture into serving bowls and drizzle with chipotle avocado cream. Devour.
I've really started getting back into cooking, not that I'd ever really stopped, but I'd definitely been relying on more "quick", not so innovative, nothing new, dishes for months. Now, my meal planning each week focuses on at least one brand new recipe to try. This past week, that included a pineapple/chorizo rice bowl with an avocado cream. The original recipe called for actual rice. Not wanting to have to add anything additional to make this feel like a complete meal, I opted to make cauliflower rice so that there was a huge dose of veggies instead of grains. Additionally, two different "creams" were recommended, one avocado and one chipotle, both of which would be added on top before serving. While I love flavorful dishes and don't fear complexity, I also value simplicity when the end result is the same. So...I combined the two sauces, reducing prep time, and got a delicious avocado chipotle cream.
If you've never tried out the cauliflower rice thing, I highly recommend it here. The bold flavors of the pineapple, chorizo, and avocado cream make the cauliflower base literally undetectable. The texture works great, and the leftovers store and re-heat wonderfully. I saved the stems and scraps of cauliflower I wasn't able to grate to the rice-size and froze them, adding them to a smoothie this morning! (I was super skeptical, but I totally couldn't taste it AT ALL!)
Caramelized Pineapple Chorizo "Rice" Bowls
Serves 3-4
1 head cauliflower
drizzle of olive oil
½ sweet onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
½+ lbs chorizo
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup pineapple, chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
paprika
Avocado Chipotle Cream
1 avocado
½ cup plain yogurt
1 chipotle from chipotle canned with adobo
juice from 1 lime
“Rice” your cauliflower. Quarter the cauliflower head; remove the stem, and process in a food processor or grate on a large hole cheese grater. Press gently with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and set aside.
Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo. Cook until browned. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Add butter to pan (no need to clean it!) and then add the pineapple. Cook from about five minutes, until browned and caramelized. Add peppers and cook a couple more minutes. Pour chorizo mx back into the skillet with the pineapple and peppers and add the cauliflower rice. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir to blend ingredients, adding green onions, and cooking until cauliflower rice is just beginning to soften.
Add avocado, yogurt, chipotle, and lime juice to your blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding a bit of water if desired to thin.
Portion rice mixture into serving bowls and drizzle with chipotle avocado cream. Devour.