Nowadays, it seems like cauliflower is taking over the world. We have cauliflower pizza crusts, cauliflower mashed potatoes, buffalo cauliflower (instead of chicken), and cauliflower Alfredo sauce, just to name a few things. I’m definitely not saying you need to replace all of your favorite foods with a cauliflower version and never eat the original version again, however every once and a while, it’s fun to mix things up and make a version with cauliflower!
Growing up, every so often my family would order Chinese take-out and enjoy it from the comfort of our own home. While I was always a big fan of the egg rolls, sesame chicken, almond chicken, or wonton soup, I was never really a big fan of the fried rice – I always saved that for someone else to eat. To me, it tasted too dry and bland, and I preferred eating the regular white rice that came with our meals.
Since I’ve never really been a big fan of fried rice to begin with, I really didn’t have anything to lose by making my own version of it. However, instead of using rice, I decided to use cauliflower rice instead and then add a few more veggies to the mix. If anything, I gained something by doing this – I gained a love for cauliflower “fried rice!”
As the dish was cooking, my parents kept walking into the kitchen saying, “whatever you’re making smells really good!”. When it came time to eat, their eyes lit up and they couldn’t wait to dig in.
I didn’t mention that this was made with cauliflower rice because I wanted to see if they could figure it out on their own. My dad had no clue, and my mom just thought she was eating lots of veggies (like a veggie stir-fry). All-in-all, they didn’t even miss the rice, and neither did I!
This dish was such an easy way to pack in the veggies and protein all in one meal, and it was surprisingly very filling. Although I ate this as a side dish with some fish, it could easily be served as the main dish. Or, it could also be served with some “buffalo cauliflower” as a replacement for chicken. Ha… just kidding 🙂
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 TBSP fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or 1 tsp. ground)
- ½ of a bell pepper, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded (1 heaping cup)
- 4 cups riced cauliflower
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 – ½ cups frozen broccoli
- 3 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- 2 tsp. honey
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 3 eggs, whisked
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 TBSP sesame oil (or olive oil). Add the grated ginger and minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the carrots and bell pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften. Then, add the riced cauliflower and an additional 1 TBSP oil.
- Add the frozen veggies, honey, and soy sauce. Let the mixture cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil (or spray with non-stick cooking spray), and add the eggs. Cook, stirring frequently to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, remove the pan from the heat.
- When veggie mixture is done (once the veggies are completely tender), add the egg mixture, cook for an additional minute or two, and then remove from the heat.
