Cauliflower, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways!

Cauliflower is having her shining moment.

In the past, she was always the best friend, not the leading lady. You know, the steady influence providing care and support and treating everyone well, but she was behind the scenes. She was seen as a little boring, not much pizzazz and maybe you forgot she was there.  Well, she’s been working hard to up her game, and today she is the leading lady if not a full-fledged superstar!

Cauliflower: the hardest working vegetable in show business.

With current food trends, an all-around commitment to healthier lifestyles, and an uptick in vegan, vegetarian, grain-free, gluten-free and paleo diets (to name a few), superstar cauliflower has been able to step in to replace grains in many recipes as well become the centerpiece on dining tables across the country.

Chefs, bloggers and home cooks have created so many unique dishes around this versatile vegetable. She might be a superstar, but she’s easy to work with, picks up a lot of flavors, blends well with most anything and generally plays nice with others. She’s a gracious star as she lets the other ingredients really shine.

Let’s quickly recap her superstar qualities. Cauliflower is:

• Low calorie and low carb
• Packed with vitamins and nutrients including C, K, B6, folate, and potassium
• 1/8th the calories of rice and 1/9th the carbs
• Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich

There are so many creative and delicious ways to use this superstar – you can make pizza crust, “Rice” Pilaf, hummus (substitute cauliflower for chickpeas), Mash, as a Risotto or just roast with olive oil and your favorite spices. The opportunities are endless!

Don’t tell the kids, but cauliflower is a simple veggie to sneak into their foods. You can add into macaroni and cheese or add to baked goods like these yummy chocolate muffins.

But, wait. She’s not alone on stage – she has a slightly more sophisticated sibling who has all the same excellent, healthy qualities but is a bit more colorful, delicate and flowery.

Who is it? Meet , the newest member of the brassica family. This new-to-the-world veggie is long and lean with open florets, sweetly delicious flavor, and is entirely edible from flower to stem. If Cauliflower is already a superstar, Caulilini® baby cauliflower might be the rising star to watch to in 2019.

Visually arresting on a plate, there are plenty of ways to prepare Caulilini® baby cauliflower. Just like Cauliflower, Caulilini® baby cauliflower shines on center stage. Caulilini® baby cauliflower is great with Sake, Sesame and Cabbage, in Street Tacos, or Grilled with Pine Nuts. As we’ve mentioned before, you can only find Caulilini® baby cauliflower in restaurants right now, but don’t you worry, it will soon be starring in a grocery store near you.

How are you using cauliflower? Please share in the comments below – we’d love to hear from you!