LO CARB OMG!
Low carb diets are not really on my radar, except sometimes they are because Patrick has started eating in a more low-carb conscious manner to help regulate his insulin use, a noble cause. So to be helpful and nice, I figured he'd thoroughly enjoy this tomatoes and okra over riced cauliflower instead of using rice. As I was spooning some into a dish to take these photos, his verdict? "I'mma tear that up later."
And tear it up he did.
To be fair, I also tore up this dish, and another bowl of it afterwards too. It was too easy too — it was delicious and it felt right just scarfing up a bowl of straight up vegetables. And with these vegetables being super fresh from the farmers market, they were truly at their peak of flavor and nutritiousness. We should have gotten gold medals for eating this dish, and you can feel that way too in a few easy steps.
Okra and Tomatoes with Riced Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 5 large tomatoes or one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 3 celery ribs diced
- ½ large onion diced
- 4 slices bacon or 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups okra sliced
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 4-6 dashes Crystal hot sauce
- Tony Chachere's seasoning to taste
- 1 bag Green Giant riced cauliflower
Instructions
- If using fresh tomatoes, not canned: bring a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, fill a large mixing bowl with ice and water. Gently put the tomatoes into the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl of ice water to rest. Go in batches if you need to, but make sure the tomatoes are fully submerged in both the boiling water, then the ice water.
- After the tomatoes have cooled for at least a minute, remove and make an X in the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife. Peel away the skin and discard. Cut up the tomatoes into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside. Remove seeds and discard if you prefer.
- Cook the bacon in a large pan until done. Remove the bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel, and leave the grease in the pan. If not using bacon, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil until shimmering.
- Saute the onion and celery in the fat of your choice over medium heat until just beginning to brown.
- Add the tomatoes, okra, ½ cup of water, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and turn the heat to medium low for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, follow package directions to cook the riced cauliflower (for the frozen Green Giant kind, that's putting it in the microwave for 6 minutes).
- Once done, remove the tomatoes and okra from heat and season to taste with hot sauce, the Tony Chachere's seasoning, plus more salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve hot.
You may be wondering why I didn't make my own riced cauliflower. To that I say, hey, I like convenience too sometimes! At first once I opened the riced cauliflower I was not into the smell. It smells like ... cooked cauliflower. Luckily though, the smell dissipates if you're not sticking your face in a freshly heated bag of hot cruciferous and isn't detectable at all once combined with the tomatoes and okra. So don't blow it off based on the initial scent alone. Thanks for making this, Green Giant!
Like I mentioned, we both tore this up, and you'll be glad to know this reheats fantastically in a microwave for lunch the next day. This is one low carb dish that I'll be happy to come back to again and again. For that matter, I'm even more intrigued now to see what else I can make with riced cauliflower in the place of regular rice, especially with the convenience of the frozen riced cauliflower from Green Giant. That's some ease of use I can get behind.
Looking for more healthier versions of classic Southern dishes? Try vegetable buffet casserole, Instant Pot vegetable rice, and seasoned kale.