Quick gluten-free couscous with cauliflower

This gluten-free couscous with cauliflower is very easy to prepare. Couscous is a cereal made from durum wheat. You’ll find it in many traditional Moroccan recipes as well as in dishes from Turkey, Algeria and other Middle Eastern countries. The cereal has made its way into mainstream food in many countries around the world, especially because it tastes great hot or cold and is a very versatile side dish.

Back in the day, which is about ten years ago, I wasn’t very clear about what had gluten in it, so I tried out couscous and bulgur and suffered from severe digestive problems. This recipe is absolutely safe to consume if you have issues with gluten.

New to gluten-free? Here’s how to start.

I’ve divided the recipe into two parts. The first part tells you how to make gluten-free couscous using steamed cauliflower and the second part is basically just to give you an idea of what you could put in it. Feel free to add or remove any of the ingredients.

Quick gluten-free couscous with cauliflower

Author: Manasi Cuisine:Mediterranean Courses:Recipes

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 30 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 50 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

This delicious, gluten-free couscous is the perfect substitute for the classic wheat-based version. Use your imagination to top up the dish with ingredients of your choice!

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2l boiling water
• 1 tsp. salt

For the topping

• 1 onion, diced into small cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• A teaspoon of cumin
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 2 tbsps. chia seeds
• 2 tbsps. sunflower seeds
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the cauliflower. Blanche for about 5 minutes or until it is cooked but still firm. You need to make sure it doesn’t get mushy. Remove from heat and strain. Rinse with some cold water a couple of times and cool.
2. Once cold, cut or separate the cauliflower into florets and crush it in a blender. Make sure you blend it in small bursts so it doesn’t become a paste but gets a granular, couscous-like texture.
3. That’s it. Your basic couscous is ready. (You could add some turmeric now to give it a yellow colour similar to that of wheat couscous.)
4. Heat the oil in the pan and add the cumin seeds and the onions. Fry until the onion turns transparent. Turn off the heat.
5. Now add the cauliflower couscous, the tomatoes, bell peppers, the seeds, the turmeric, lemon juice, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well.
6. Cool and serve or store for later.

Notes

• You can blanche the cauliflower and keep it overnight in the fridge for a firmer texture. Once prepared, the couscous keeps well for about two days in the refrigerator.

Keywords:Gluten-free, Salad, Vegan

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