Cauliflower Rice Cups with Coconut Tahini Sauce

Whether it’s a holiday celebration or a physically distant get together in the park — who doesn’t love an excuse to celebrate? But sometimes celebrations can derail our good intentions. 

A cheese puff here. A slice of flatbread there. And suddenly, all those little bites add up. Does that mean you should avoid every get-together? Absolutely not! 

Everyone deserves to celebrate and enjoy themselves. The key to weight loss success is planning!! Know you’re going to have a celebratory libation? Up your water intake the days leading up to the party. Planning to indulge in a few cookies? Load up on veggies at lunch.

Want to partake in the cheese fondue your girlfriend is bringing over? Have a healthy, delicious option too — like these Cauliflower Rice Cups with Coconut Tahini Sauce.

A riot of flavor and texture, these handheld babies can be a healthy app or a show-stopping family-style main. Packed with nutrients, the Coconut Tahini Sauce offers a luscious, protein-loaded element sure to please the entire crowd.  

Cauliflower Rice Cups

Hearty portobello mushrooms give this paleo-vegan appetizer depth, while the touch of minced jalapeño livens them up. Topped with a creamy coconut-loaded sauce, this is a finger-food party-pleaser. 

• 1 TBS coconut oil
• 1-pound baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups minced cauliflower
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 heads bib lettuce, separated, washed and dried
• 1 bunch Cilantro, chopped roughly
• 1 cup cashews, chopped roughly
• Coconut Tahini Sauce

Melt coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until runny. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Start with a ¼ tsp of each. You can taste and add more as you go.) Sauté mushrooms until reduced to half the size, stirring frequently (roughly 5 minutes).

Add green onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Sauté until beginning to soften (5 – 7 minutes). Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (1 – 2 minutes).

Add cauliflower and sauté for 1 – 2 minutes, just until warmed through. Add lime juice and continue cooking for 3 – 4 minutes until cauliflower is just beginning to soften. Serve family warm, family-style with lettuce leaves as wrappers and cilantro, cashers, and coconut tahini sauce as toppings.

Coconut Tahini Sauce

• 1 cup tahini paste
• 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
• 3 TBS agave nectar (or honey)
• 3 TBS rice vinegar
• 2 TBS chili pepper flakes
• ½ cup water (plus more as needed)

In a blender, at tahini paste, coconut milk, agave, vinegar, chili pepper flakes, and water. Blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, blend in additional water, ½ TBS at a time. (Remember, you can always add more water, but you can’t take it away.)

Incorporating cauliflower into your daily diet is a great way to lose weight and create a healthier lifestyle.

Health Benefits of Cauliflower

In recent years, cauliflower has become a ‘food fad’ with chefs and bloggers turning it into practically anything, including:

• Cauliflower rice
• Cauliflower pizza crust
• Cauliflower gnocchi
• Cauliflower waffles
• Cauliflower mashed potatoes
• Cauliflower tater tots
• Cauliflower buffalo ‘wings’

According to the 2018 study from the University of Western Australia, jumping on the cauliflower bandwagon could be an incredibly good one for your health. The study showed that cruciferous vegetables (including cauliflower, cabbage broccoli, and Brussels sprouts) are the vegetables most closely associated with keeping artery walls thin. This means, they can help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Furthermore, a 2015 study found that cauliflower helped to reduce weight gain. The study, “Changes in Intake of Fruits and Vegetables and Weight Change in United States Men and Women Followed for Up to 24 Years: Analysis from Three Prospective Cohort Studies,” was published September 22, 2015, in PLOS Medicine.

It showed that fruits and vegetables which are higher in fiber and lower in carbohydrates — like cauliflower — produced fewer blood sugar spikes and reduced hunger.

While cauliflower may be white, your dish doesn't have to be pale and lifeless. Roasting your cauliflower and pairing it with bright ingredients like pomegranate seeds and arugula is a great way to add additional nutrients and color.

Why a Paleo Vegan Diet Promotes Weight Loss

The detrimental effects of factory farming and processed foods have resulted in both vegan diets and paleo diets becoming extremely popular. However, these two diet plans often butt heads as Paleo followers typically consume a large amount of meat and vegans often consume a large number of paleo-restricted foods, such as beans and grains.

Is it possible to be both paleo and vegan? It sure is. And, the paleo vegan diet can offer substantial health benefits including:

• Fast, healthy weight loss
• Healthy Omega 3s
• Tons of nutrients
• Reduced inflammation
• Reduced cravings
• Improved digestion

The paleo vegan diet eliminates processed foods, chemical-loaded meats, and processed sugars. This helps cleanse the body of harmful toxins and reduced exposure to them moving forward.

Medically Supervised Weight Loss Improves Results

No matter what lifestyle changes you make and diets you try, losing weight is no cakewalk. It’s tough work — especially if you are trying to do it on your own. With Premier Integrative’s medically supervised weight loss program, you get the support and guidance you need to lose weight fast and keep it off.