Are you a cauliflower rice virgin?

Or maybe you've been cooking it all wrong

Sorry for the shameless clickbait headline. This week’s newsletter was supposed to be my go-to-guide to making a smoothie, but it’s turning out to be a long one that will come out next Friday. I hope you’ll find that it’s worth the wait.

Meanwhile, I wanted to share this zesty springtime recipe I created for MindBodyGreen, and 3 pro-tips for cooking with cauliflower rice.

Cilantro-Coconut-Lime ‘Rice’ with Edamame (get the recipe)

I know many that have experimented with riced cauliflower and been turned off. It’s often because they pull out a packet of fresh ‘rice’ that’s a few days old and stinks. Or they dutifully follow package instructions and microwave it, resulting in boiled cauliflower that is even more intensely, well, cauliflower. Or perhaps, they find it bland.

Now, haters are probably always gonna hate, but I think I might be able to convert some of you if you follow my 3 tips:

• Buy frozen - yeah, are you on board with doing less work? I am!

• Sauté on the stovetop with olive oil until dry - never, never, microwave.

• Add flavor - riced cauliflower is the perfect vehicle for a flavorful Indian dal or curry, Thai curry. Or you can make a meal of it by adding protein, flavor and fat - like the recipe featured above.

Get the full scoop and the recipe at MindBodyGreen.

If you need more ideas or persuasion of the endless possibilities that lie before you, look at all the recipes from around the world that I recreated using cauliflower rice in my cookbook!

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In other news, I just published a note on Substack Notes, and would love for you to join me there!

Notes is a new space on Substack for us to share links, short posts, quotes, photos, and more. I plan to use it for things that don’t fit in the newsletter, like work-in-progress or quick questions.

Now, are you on Substack because you prefer emails? (me too, actually) If so, please feel free to ignore this and skip ahead.

I was notoriously private during the heydays of social media (2012-2020, IMO) and somehow never got the feeling of community on Instagram or Twitter when I started. I’ve been hearing that Notes is like Twitter was in the beginning: somewhat intimate because you know almost everyone, and no trolls. So I’m willing to give it a go.

Head to substack.com/notes or find the “Notes” tab in the Substack app. As a subscriber to We Ate Well, you’ll automatically see my notes. Feel free to like, reply, or share them around!

You can also share notes of your own. I hope this becomes a space where every reader of We Ate Well can share thoughts, ideas, and interesting quotes from the things we're reading on Substack and beyond.

If you encounter any issues, you can always refer to the Notes FAQ for assistance. Looking forward to seeing you there!

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v8well Good Things

To read

• The History of the Ketogenic Diet - This article was reading material in a Stanford nutrition course I recently completed and I thought some of you might be interested. I think keto is harder for vegetarians to do sustainably forever, but when used therapeutically for short periods, it can have tremendous benefits for type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

To listen

• An interview with Alison Roman on the Armchair Expert podcast - Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I didn’t know very much about Alison Roman until recently (she also writes a hugely successful newsletter on Substack). I chanced upon this podcast and found it hugely relaxing. I then went to her YouTube channel and really got sucked in with her feel-good home movies and recipes.

To eat

• I made

  Nik Sharma
  ’s Braised Cabbage Bucatini and loved the complex yet approachable flavors

• Will I be making cottage cheese ice cream all summer long? You betcha.

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My next Cooking Club is on May 1st at 12pm ET! We will be making the Falafel Salad (my testers have claimed this is the best falafel they ever had). Feel free to join if you don’t have my cookbook since I published the recipe here. Also, no need to cook or turn on your camera, you can just watch. We had a huge turnout last time and it was really fun!

If you have my cookbook

• Join my cookbook group here on Facebook and share your pictures as you cook along from the book! You can also ask questions about recipes and I will help in any way I can.

• Write an honest review for The Vegetarian Reset on Amazon or Goodreads and pick an Ottolenghi cookbook to be sent to you! (US/UK/AUS/CAN only - subject to availability) . Reviews can be short and sweet, I don’t intend for this to cause brain damage. Reply to this email to send a screenshot of your submission.

See you next week! xoxo