Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

It's week #18 of my 2018 challenge to try one new whole-food plant-based (WFPB) recipe each week. My mom introduced me to this recipe. She found it at skinnytaste.com. I tasted hers, loved it, and knew I needed to post it on the blog! 

The original recipe calls for eggs. I left out the eggs to keep it plant-based. I also changed some of the ingredients, based on what I had on hand. You can get creative with this. The options for veggies and seasonings are endless. 

What I like about this recipe (besides the fact that it's healthy):

• It's a unique and delicious way to serve up lots of veggies.
• Using cauliflower instead of rice keeps the calories lower and the fiber higher. 
• It's surprisingly easy. 
• It reheats well. 

What I ended up using/doing:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 6 green onions (1 bunch), sliced thin, with green and white parts separated
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bag (12 oz.) of frozen peas and carrots  
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or water (Light-tasting, not extra-virgin. If you want it oil-free, you can substitute water.)
• Soy sauce or tamari to taste (I used 1 Tbsp.)

1. Clean the cauliflower and cut into florets.
2. "Rice" the cauliflower. You can do this manually with a cheese grater, or you can use a food processor. Both work well, but the food processor is much easier. Put half of the cauliflower florets in the food processor at a time and pulse until it reaches rice consistency. (Avoid over-processing, as this will cause it to be mushy.)
3. Transfer the riced cauliflower onto paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
4. In a large saute pan or wok, heat the olive oil (or water, if you prefer), garlic, and white parts of the green onion over medium heat until aromatic. 
5. Add the frozen peas and carrots. Saute until tender and bright in color.
6. Add the cauliflower, green parts of the onion, and soy sauce or tamari. Saute until tender. (Avoid over-cooking, which will make it mushy.)
7. Enjoy!

Note: If your pan isn't very big, consider cooking half of the ingredients at a time to avoid excess moisture pooling in the pan. 

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This post was originally published on May 9, 2018.