Every time I make this dish, Mr. Bee says that he can’t believe it’s made with cauliflower and not rice! He said the same thing when I made cauliflower “mashed potatoes” — it really is a wondrous vegetable! This dish is Whole 30/paleo/gluten-free, but it’s absolutely delicious! The best part is that you can mix up the ingredients depending on what you like in your “fried rice!”

I adapted this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo, and I’ve made this a couple different ways depending on what’s in the fridge. The original recipe has two extra steps of cooking the eggs separately and slicing them like it’s shown in the picture above. I actually prefer the taste of the egg mixed well into the rice like traditional Asian fried rice rather than having slices of egg, plus it’s a time saver.

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Ingredients:

  • 1/2 head large cauliflower
  • 4 slices bacon (or substitute with sausage)
  • 2 eggs
  • grated ginger
  • 1 small minced onion
  • handful of mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • optional: 2 tb of cilantro, 2tb basil, and 1tb mint
  • 2 tb coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • splash of red boat fish sauce

 
 

If you have a food processor, pulse cauliflower until it is the size of rice grains. I only have a hand chopping gadget so I used that, and it is a bit of a pain I must admit. Fry the bacon slices (I cut them with a pair of scissors) in a pan and set aside. Add the diced onion to the same pan and sauté for a minute or two before adding the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are browned, add some grated ginger. A great tip I learned from Nom Nom Paleo is to freeze ginger knobs so you always have fresh ginger on hand — genius!

Next add your cauliflower, salt, pepper, and scallions to the pan. Put a lid on it and turn the heat to low. After you cook it for 5 minutes or so, depending on how soft you want your cauliflower to be, beat an egg in a bowl, pour it over the cauliflower and sauté for a minute. Then add the coconut aminos, fish boat sauce, and herbs. I’ve made this with herbs and without, and it really depends on your taste preference. I’m a huge basil and cilantro fan so I add it if I have it, but I also like it without it as well. The herbs might also have too strong of a taste for little ones. When you’re ready to serve top with the bacon bits.

It is as close to fried rice you’re gonna get without actually eating rice. And it’s so yummy that I always make a big batch and we never have any left!