One of my favorite pre-low-carb meals was Hamburger Rice Pie. I tried making it without the rice, but it just wasn't the same. So tonight I made it using shredded cauliflower for the rice and happy days are here again ... and I don't even like cauliflower very much!!! Best of all, the whole pie only has 16g carbs with 4 of those being fiber (net carbs = 12g).

The original recipe (with rice) came from a book called "The New 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meat" by Doyne and Dorothy Nickerson. The recipe below is my version. The rice (cauliflower) is used to make a "pie crust", and the rest of the pie is kind of like a savory hamburger quiche. A note on the shredded cauliflower: try to avoid pulverizing the cauliflower. The crust is better with a little texture, so don't use a small holed grater if possible; also be sure to grate the core and stems because these give better "texture" than the flowerettes do.

Hamburger "Rice" Pie:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; Serves 4

Crust:
2 cups shredded cauliflower (approx 3/4 to 1 pound)
1 Egg
2 Tbs Oil (I think I'll use melted butter next time)
1 Tbs minced Onion

Pie:
1 lb Hamburger, browned w/fat drained off
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbs minced Onion
1/4 C Cream
1/4 C Water
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Marjoram

To make the Crust:
Oil a 9" Pie Pan. Loosly spread the shredded cauliflower in it, place into Microwave, and zap for 1 - 2 minutes to cook it. (Note: I use a glass pie pan. If yours is metal, then use some other container for this part!). In a small bowl, combine the egg, oil, and onion, and mix well. Combine the egg mixture with the cauliflower and mix well. Press the cauliflower mixture into the pie plate along the bottom and the sides creating a "shell".

To make the Pie:
Spread the browned hamburger on top of the crust. In a medium bowl, combine the other ingredients and mix well. Pour over the hamburger. Place pie into the oven and bake at 350 for about 30 - 40 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Serves 4 (or 6 as a side dish). Freezes well.

Note: The original recipe also included mushrooms sauteed in butter, spread on top of the hamburger before adding the egg mixture. I'm not a mushroom fan, so I eliminate it, but if you like em, it would probably be yummy.

Nutrition info:
Whole Pie:
Calories -- 1813
Fat -- 144g
Carb -- 16g
Fiber -- 4g
Protein -- 110g

1/4 pie (one serving)
Calories -- 453
Fat -- 36g
Carb -- 4g
Fiber -- 1g
Protein -- 27g