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Cauli-faux-er Fried Rice

I see cauliflower. Everywhere. It was a vegetable I used to ignore and now I have fallen in love.

Cauliflower plays nicely with other ingredients. It’s happy to hang out for a good amount of time in the vegetable drawer of your fridge. Feel like potatoes or rice, but don’t feel like consuming the empty calories of a starch today? Cauliflower says, “Try me!” Have some GoodHeart chicken and want to make a quick dinner? Cauliflower says, “Rice me baby!” Cauliflower says, “Not to brag, but I am a nutrient-rich food.” You can see the allure.

These days I see bags of fresh cauliflower that have already been riced. But because I often buy a head of cauliflower without knowing what I’m going to do with it, at the end of the week, if it’s still in my fridge, I run it through my food processor (see below for more instructions). I grab the GoodHeart ready to use chicken and whatever lonely bits and pieces of vegetables need to be used RIGHT NOW and dinner is ready in well under 20 minutes.

Of course, this recipe can be made with regular rice from a rice plant. Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover cooked rice, but… live a little, bump up your veg intake and get to know my good friend cauliflower.

Cauli-faux-er Fried Rice

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head large cauliflower, riced (4 C or 450g)
  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar (light-colored like rice or white balsamic)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (olive, avocado or vegetable oil)
  • 1/2 bell pepper, diced
  • 3 mushrooms, diced
  • 1 zucchini, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced or shredded
  • 1 package GoodHeart ready to use chicken
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 t powdered garlic
  • 2 inch knob of ginger, minced or 1/2 t powdered ginger
  • Pinch of dried red chili flakes (optional)
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

  1. Place riced cauliflower in casserole dish, sprinkle with 2T vinegar and stir. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes.
  2. While microwaving the cauliflower, chop the vegetables.
  3. Add 1T oil to hot pan or wok. Stir fry bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini and carrots at medium high for 2 minutes.
  4. Add GoodHeart chicken, microwaved cauliflower, garlic, ginger and chili flakes (optional). Stir fry 1 minute.
  5. Add onions, cilantro or parsley, sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir fry 2 minutes or until it tastes done.
  6. Serve in bowls. Garnish with more green onion and parsley/cilantro if you want to be fancy and all that.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

This is where I share some common cooking predicaments, emergency substitutions and general observations for each recipe. I may not be proud to own up to some of these, but thank goodness the internet is a safe place where no one judges anyone else!

CAULI-FAUX-ER?: [Say collie-FOE-er.] A pet name for a veg who has a chameleon-like demeanor in the kitchen. In addition to rice, anything you can think to do to a potato (roast, mash, bake) I’ve done to a cauliflower with delicious success.

HOW TO RICE: Wash the head of cauliflower, trimming off the green leaves and cut it in half. Then cut each half into two inch chunks. Place in food processor, 1/2 of the cauliflower at a time (listen to me: don’t try processing the whole shebang, you will regret it my friend) and pulse until the size of white rice. Don’t freak out about the size of the “rice” and don’t crowd the food processor. I was afraid I would over-process, but that hasn’t happened yet. Under-processing leaves larger bits, but that’s not the end of the world either. (Put whatever uncooked riced cauliflower you don’t use for this recipe in a covered container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Use it in salads, sauces…)

NO IRON PANS: I love my cast iron skillet, but it will react with the cauliflower, making it golden brown. Not a bad thing, but cauliflower as a rice is prettier when it stays its original color. I use my wok, which is not stainless steel, yet it must not have enough iron in it to cause this reaction.

NOT A SINGLE VEGETABLE LEFT IN THE FRIDGE?: Get that bag of frozen carrots and peas out of the freezer. I know it’s there. Use about two cups or more in the recipe where fresh vegetables are called for. Might need to stir fry them a minute more, no big.