Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice

This Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice recipe features grated (riced) winter cauliflower paired with savory veggies and Asian spices to create a sweet and spicy take on the Thai favorite. If I didn't tell it was grain-free, you might never have known, with texture and taste so similar to the original rendition. Except maybe by how light and nourished your body feels after.

If you've ever had food sensitivities like I have, this feeling good after eating is a BIG deal.

When I first started following a grain-free diet a number of years ago, the hardest things to give up at first were bread and rice. More specifically, a crusty baguette toasted with olive oil and sushi. Yum.

In the time since I cut refined sugars and simple starches from my diet, I have eaten gluten free pizza and sushi a few dozen times. I do enjoy the nuance of the experience now and again. But then I used to also feel guilty about it afterwards, like I was cheating on myself. More recently, however, I decided to let that negativity go in exchange for joy and appreciation for how far my body has come on its healing journey. I can eat foods now without any negative effects that used to wreak havoc on my digestive and endocrine systems. And that feels good.

I believe that healthy eating is not about deprivation – that awful feeling of lack. No, healthy eating (call it dieting if you like) is quite the opposite. It’s about an abundance of new ingredients to explore preparing in creative ways that elevate your health.

Now that’s something I can get excited about.

Empowered eating means choosing foods, every day, that align with your body’s desires for nourishment and wellbeing. The more you can tune in and listen to your body, the more it will communicate with you about what it wants to eat, right now, in support of whole health. And the more you follow its lead, the more vibrant you will feel. Delicious!

I credit many of my favorite recipes to conversations with my body at the grocery store. Walking down the produce aisle with no ingredient list, simply picking up an onion here and a pepper there that stand out as especially tasty at that moment in time. With a basket full of limitless possibilities for taste sensations, my body and I head home to get creative in the kitchen.

It was in one of these inspired moments that this Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice recipe was born. Some might also call inspiration here a craving for Thai food from one of my favorite neighborhood joints in LA. Same thing, right?

For a more local preparation, omit the pineapple. It tastes great either way. This cauliflower rice pairs deliciously with a fresh catch, like the Box Crab legs pictured here.

Watch the Cooking Demo Video to learn more!

Photos & Video by Colin Leibold | Box Crab from Tuna Harbor Dockside Market

paleo pineapple fried cauliflower rice

• YIELD: 6 Servings
• PREP: 30 mins
• COOK: 25 mins
• READY IN: 55 mins

This sweet and slightly spicy take on the traditional Thai favorite pairs perfectly with a fresh catch.

ingredients

• 1 medium organic cauliflower
• 1/2 organic yellow onion
• 1 organic bell pepper
• 8 ounces shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 fresh pineapple
• 1 knob organic fresh ginger
• 2 pastured eggs
• 3 stalks organic green onions
• 1/2 bunch organic fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

instructions

1. Wash the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves. If you are ricing (grating) by hand, cut head in half and grate on the largest setting. If you are grating (ricing) using a food processor grater attachment, then cut the head into 3 inch chunks and press through your machine. You should end up with about 3 cups riced cauliflower.
2. Finely grate the ginger bulb and add to the cauliflower, then set aside.
3. Mince the onion and bell pepper. Heat a large, deep cast iron pan over medium-low heat with the coconut oil. Once hot, add the onions, peppers, salt, pepper and spices. Stir to coat the vegetables and sauté until they start to get soft.
4. Chop the mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the pan. Cook at few minutes more until the mushrooms being to soften.
5. Add the riced cauliflower and stir to coat. Cover the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft, stirring every couple of minutes. 
6. While the cauliflower cooks, peel, core and dice the 1/4 pineapple into 1/4 inch cubes. Mince the green onion and cilantro and set aside. 
7. Add the pineapple and coconut amino to the cauliflower, stir to combine, and cover to cook another 5 minutes.
8. Scramble the pastured eggs.
9. Uncover the cauliflower rice and gently fold in the scrambled eggs, green onions and cilantro. Serve.