Cauliflower "Rice" and Korean Style "Rice" Bowl - 80/20 Paleo Friendly

Hello all, another day, another recipe. I pulled this rice bowl recipe from Rachael Ray's mag. But rice is a no-no on the Paleo plate. It's a grain.

Anyone wondering why grains get the nix on the Paleo diet? I sure was. For one, grains contain gluten, which is a sticky protein composite believed to cause gastro-intestinal issues. I won't go into details of the symptoms since I am sharing a recipe here, after all. =D But if you're interested in reading more you can order a copy of Paleo for Beginners: The Guide to Getting Started I've been interested in the paleo diet for a few years now, and picked up bits of pieces of information here and there over the internet. This book was great for me, because it put all the info in one place, answered many questions, and gave great explanations. Also, there is not much nutritional value in plain white rice. It's just a filler food. It makes you feel full, sure. But it's not providing your body with what it needs to function at it's best.

So back to the rice. Or lack thereof. Since this recipe is for a rice bowl, I had to figure a way around that. At first, I thought of just leaving it out all together. I thought, I'll just eat the vegetables and meat. No prob. But then I thought. Why? With all the immensely creative people online, someone has had to have thought of a substitute. And boy, did they. I dare say, I like this better than rice itself! Blasphemy? Maybe. You will have to taste it to believe it.

 Look at that. Just look at it. It looks like rice under there. Am I right?

Cauliflower Rice

serves 4

- 1 tbsp coconut oil

- 1 large head of cauliflower, grated

- half a yellow onion, grated or finely diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 1/4 tsp black pepper

you can adjust s&p at the end if you need more

1) Before you grate your cauliflower, Cut your cauliflower vertically into four sections. Make an angular cut to remove the stem. 

2) Heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Add cauliflower, onion, and garlic, turning to coat.

3) Add salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until crisp-tender , about 10 minutes.

4) give it a little taste, (and be amazed), and adjust salt and pepper to your taste, if needed.

This is what your cauliflower will look like after it's been through the bigger grating side on your food processor.

I received my KitchenAid 9-Cup Food Processoras a Christmas gift from my man. This is only the third time I've used it. It is such a time saver! I have always used a box grater and found it very annoying. And hey, after only a couple of years of mentioning I needed one, I got it! It's red, it's beautiful, I love it. 

Korean Style "Rice" Bowl

serves 4

- 2 cups cauliflower rice

- 2 cups snow peas sliced diagonally into about 1/2 inch pieces.

-3 medium carrots, shredded

- 1/4 head of green cabbage, shredded

-1 tbsp  plus 2 tsp coconut oil

- 4 eggs

- 1/2 lb precooked salad shrimp

- 4 green onions, thinly sliced

- garnish; soy sauce and sriracha

1) Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add peas, carrots, and cabbage. Boil for 1 minute. Drain. Set aside.

2) In a large skillet, add 2 tsp coconut oil, add shrimp, cook until heated through. Add to vegetable mixture.

3)Heat remaining 1 tbsp coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add eggs. Cook until edges are set. About 2 minutes.Yolk should look orange and shiny. 

4) To build your bowl, place some cauliflower rice on the bottom, add veg/rice mixture. Top with one fried egg, top with some green onion. Add soy sauce and sriracha to taste.

If you want to keep this 100% Paleo, leave off the sauces. With the sauce garnishes this falls in the 80/20 Paleo plan, which I'm okay with.

perfectly shredded carrots

Side note, I ate the leftovers for lunch the following day, (today), and actually preferred the cold rice and veggies.