Cauliflower Ceviche Tostadas

Cauliflower ceviche tostadas are lghtly-cooked cauliflower tossed with lime, kumquats, and red onion and served on a crispy corn tortilla. Vegan and gluten-free! 

Hi Friends! Happy start to your mid-January week.

Is it over yet?

I feel a little awkward talking about this sort of thing but because I think of us as friends I’m sure you won’t mind; this past year I lost 15 pounds. Which in Biggest Loser-terms may not seem like a lot but in me-terms it means I can fit in my wedding dress again, so it’s kinda huge.

I don’t have any secret to share with you—Lord knows if I did I’d be a bazillionare. I lost the weight because I decided to…..for real. I was feeling depressed, tired, achey, and old and I decided to make a change. I still decide to make that change every. single. day. I’m here to tell you it never gets easier, I’m sorry.

Just five seconds ago I got writer’s block and wanted to eat the 3 leftover cupcakes from Hiro’s birthday because eating’s what I do when I’m feeling any sort of discomfort whatsoever. Unfortunately that urge never goes away but I have learned to recognize it and I also recognize that eating my feelings doesn’t actually make me feel better, it almost always makes me feel pretty terrible. You know what does make me feel better? I can’t believe I’m saying this but….working out, AND fitting into my wedding dress again makes me feel freaking amazing!

It is a very hard, long process but if you are feeling like I was a year ago—basically like shit—things can be different. Are you thinking about it? I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine.

It is a bit easier, however, if you can fill the void of not-so-good-for-you food with really satisfying healthy stuff. Which brings me to this cauliflower ceviche. Cauliflower is pretty much nature’s miracle vegetable. I love everything about it but mainly I love that it can take the form of just about anything and be a pretty convincing substitute. Pizza crust? Yep! Rice? No problem. Even alfredo sauce.

One of my absolute favorites however, is to sub cauliflower for fish or shrimp in ceviche. Not that fish or shrimp are unhealthy but they are a bit difficult to get your hands on when the closest edible fish is 15 feet under ice.

My friend Susana posted a cauliflower ceviche on Instagram a while back and I instantly loved the idea. If lightly cooked, cauliflower has that meatiness you’d expect from ceviche and when eaten with the crunch-crunch of a tostada shell it is an utterly satisfying meal.

How To Make Cauliflower Ceviche

As for the marinade, I’ve kept it pretty simple; lime juice and red onions are a must and surprisingly enough I found some kumquats at the grocery last weekend and added a few of those too (seeded, sliced thinly, then sliced into strips so every bite has a bit of skin and flesh). I’m sure if I can find them, then you can too, but if not, just add a bit more lime juice and clementine juice to taste.

I’ll be making these tostadas plus lots of other healthy Mexican dishes this Thursday on North Dakota Today so if you’re local tune in. If not, I’ll post a link here after the show. Stay tuned and seriously if you are trying to get healthier I’m rooting for you. Tell me your story!

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Cauliflower Ceviche Tostadas Recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Lightly-cooked cauliflower tossed with lime, kumquats, and red onion and served on a crispy corn tortilla. Vegan and gluten-free! Store-bought tostada shells (basically flat, crispy corn tortillas) can be found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores. But if you'd like to bake your own; heat oven to 350°F. Lay corn tortillas on a baking sheet and brush with a little oil on both sides. Sprinkle one side with salt and bake 10-15 minutes or until crispy, flipping tortillas halfway through.

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Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 kumquats, seeds removed and minced, plus a few extra sliced for garnish
• 1 large jalapeño, sliced
• 1 large lime, zested and juiced
• 1 clementine, zested and juiced
• 1/2 large red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-6 tostadas (store bought, or see note above on how to bake your own)

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Drain and submerge in ice water to stop cooking. Drain again.
2. Add cauliflower to a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients, except tostadas. Toss everything together and season with salt and pepper.
3. Pile onto tostadas and garnish with a few thinly sliced kumquats if desired.

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