Cauliflower Fried Rice

Let’s take it downtown to Chinatown shall we?!

I love me some (vegan) Chinese food, especially the fried rice that’s packed in those little white boxes.

The texture, the flavor, the carb-i-ness of it all… it’s just so good, UNTIL the next day. The bloat is so real, it takes at least a day or two to reset and deflate!

While rice is nice, it’s certainly not worth all of that.

Say hello to cauliflower rice!

It’s a wonderful alternative that you won’t believe is cauliflower, (especially if you’re not a fan of this veggie).

You can season it so many different ways, from a lemon-parsley flavor, to a garlicky-herb flavor, to something like I did here with an Asian flair; soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil.

This could not be easier to make either. You simply blend cauliflower in a food processor until it’s in little pieces like rice.

Take the “rice” and cook it in a pan on the stove until soft and then serve.

You can add in a variety of veggies as well.

I kept this simple because my kids were eating it, so cauliflower and cut up carrots were my only veggies.

I seasoned it right on the stove.

I drizzled olive oil over the top, then some tamari (gluten free soy sauce) and then the juice of one lemon. I tasted everything and then seasoned it a little more with all three ingredients.

For a final touch (and this is optional), I cooked two eggs in another pan on the stove, and let the eggs cook sunny side up (like they do at a hibachi grill).

Once the yolks were firm and the edges turned slightly brown, I chopped them up with a spoon and then added it to the cauliflower rice pan.

This dish tasted so much like fried rice, but even better!

The texture is soft, but not mushy. The soy sauce is subtle and then you get a little zest of lemon mixed in, with hints of nutty olive oil.

It’s not overly greasy either like traditional fried rice often tastes. My husband, who will not eat cauliflower, ate every last bite and so did my kids! Who knew bland cauliflower could transform into a fabulous dinner side dish?!

So… the next time you get a hankering for Chinese, skip the take out and make your own meal complete with cauliflower rice.

Here’s what you’ll need for this basic fried rice dish!

Cauliflower Fried Rice Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
3 small carrots (peeled & thinly sliced)
4 Tbsp olive oil (for the pan & seasoning)
3-5 Tbsp tamari (or other soy sauce)
the juice of one lemon (optional)
2 eggs (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the stem off the cauliflower head and break up florets by hand, cutting away as much of the floret stem as possible.
2. Place florets in food processor, pulse until cauliflower is broken up into pieces resembling rice.
3. Peel and chop 3 carrots. (I cut each carrot down the center vertically, then chopped up horizontally in thin slices.)
4. In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add carrots, cook 2-minutes then add cauliflower and cook 8 to 10 minutes until tender.
5. While cauliflower is cooking, in a medium pan cook eggs by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil, break two eggs inside pan and let cook until yolks are firm and white edges turn slightly brown, chop eggs up with a spoon then add to cauliflower.
6. Remove cauliflower from stove season with 1 to 2 tablespoons of: tamari (gluten free soy sauce or other), olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste!
7. Serve.

~Yields 4-6 servings

NOTES:

*Cauliflower rice will last a few days in the fridge in a sealed container.