CAULIFLOWER Fried Rice
When I found out Paul and I were going to Bora Bora before summer (aka before my summer body was “ready”) I panicked. I hired a trainer and got to work. Like anything I do, I enjoy learning the ins & outs–figuring out life hacks, maximizing my experience, and being efficient. Not only did I not have much time, the goal was to maximize my workouts by changing the way I ate.
I would consider my diet pretty healthy overall. With the exception of the occasional donut and wine consumption, I eat a well-balanced diet. Plus, I workout hard so I believe in rewarding yourself, not depriving yourself. However, my trainer advised me to cut carbs in order to quickly see results for my trip. I don’t typically eat a ton of bread anyway. I mean, I love my avo toast but that’s not a daily breakfast, and I definitely eat pasta but not too often. I thought it would be easy to “cut carbs” until I realized almost everything is a damn carb!
Well, guess what? Fuck the carbs. I’m eating them. I’m just not going to eat the big obvious ones–no sandwiches, no spaghetti, no cheetos. Just kidding, I hate cheetos. But anyway, back to the reason we’re all here today, I decided to swap rice for riced cauliflower and was blown away by how delicious it was! Not only did it not taste much different than rice, I actually found it to be yummier. Win-win!
I modeled this recipe after a family tradition / favorite, Benihana. Their fried rice is basically the only thing I like so I was very happy to find a healthier alternative.
Cauliflower Fried Rice
- + Riced cauliflower (Trader Joe’s sells it by the bag or Whole Foods has it, too)
- + 3 eggs
- + 4-5 garlic gloves, minced
- + 2 tblspns fresh ginger, chopped
- + 1 cup scallions, chopped (separated by light and dark green)
- + 4-5 tblspns soy sauce
- + 1/4 tspn red pepper flakes
- + 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots
- + 2 tspns rice wine vinegar
- + 2 tspns seasame oil
- + 3 tblspns olive oil
- + Salt
- + 1/4 cup cashews or peanuts (optional)
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic, light scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring often, for 3 – 4 minutes. Use medium – high heat.
- Add the riced cauliflower, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt to the skillet. Stir often for 3 minutes.
- Add the peas & carrots to the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Stir often.
- While that cooks, scramble 3 eggs in a separate pan and add a pinch of salt. Once they are fully cooked, turn off the heat and set aside.
- Stir in the vinegar, sesame oil, dark green scallion, eggs, and nuts (if using) to the skillet.
- Taste & adjust as needed. I usually add a bit more sesame oil or vinegar depending on what is missing.
*You can also add chicken to the mixture. Just cook it with some salt & pepper, cut it up and add to the “rice” at the end.*