Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

One of my go to use-up-leftovers meals is fried rice, because honestly, there is almost nothing you can't throw in there. This only increased once I discovered the frozen packs of Trader Joes brown rice, because the one leftover I *don't* normally have on hand is rice. This takes that idea, and shakes it up a bit. If you're watching your carbs or looking for a way to get in some extra veggies, this is the recipe for you.

The basic idea behind this recipe is that rather than rice, you use riced cauliflower. I was mildly concerned about my ability to pull this part of the recipe off, but it didn't end up being a problem. BUT, you must must must have a food processor.

Stuff you need:

-veggies (whatever you like- peppers, pea pods, bamboo shoots, carrots, green onions, green beans, broccoli, whatever)

-protein (chicken, tofu, beef, whatever. should be cooked).

-flavoring (ginger, garlic)

-soy sauce (or, Braggs liquid aminos)

-oil (vegetable, or sesame. I do not recommend olive oil here.)

-2 eggs

First, take raw cauliflower (I used a whole head and had lots of leftovers, you could use half). Chop into florets, (and chunks of stem) and throw in batches into the food processor. Chop, and put in bowl. If you overload the food processor container, the big pieces won't get cut up and you'll get annoyed. So, do it in batches. I also had some baby carrots, so I threw those in with the cauliflower for kicks. I could have also julienned them.

Now, chop up your add ins. I had on hand some cooked chicken, onion, pepper, and ginger. This could be anything you have around. The only constraint would be that if your leftover meat (or tofu) is marinated already, of course you should make sure the flavors are compatible.

Now, heat up some oil (I used sesame oil). And, saute the veggies that need it (here, onions, peppers, and ginger). Once they were cooked, but still a bit crunchy, for texture, I threw in the chicken to heat it. Then, I poured in the cauliflower mixture. Now, just lightly beat the eggs in a little bowl, and pour over the cauliflower. This sounds weird, but it really provides an important binding component to the dish. (If you're vegan and know what would accomplish the same binding action without using eggs, I'd be very interested to hear, but personally I don't know because normal egg substitutes like flax seeds don't seem quite right.). Toss everything around in the pan until the egg is cooked, and add the soy sauce while you're doing it. Always remember that you can always add more soy sauce, but if you put in too much you're stuck with it.

Now...serve up!

This was really satisfying but healthy. It also made a TON and froze really well. Give it a shot!