I am writing this post on a plane on my way to San Francisco for a quick work trip, and now I have myself craving cauliflower rice….which is an incredibly odd statement in itself.
Cauliflower was one of the staples for me during my Whole 30 adventure that I didn’t mention in my original post. I will be completely honest, Whole 30 was the very first time I have eaten cauliflower, let alone cauliflower rice. It is just one of the few vegetables that never appealed to me. I know I am not alone here, right? So, what exactly is cauliflower rice? It is simply cauliflower that has been cut, processed, shredded…whatever the method…to the shape of rice! That’s it. The beauty is that when you cook it up, it is a perfectly delicious substitute for rice in terms of flavor and texture.
To ease myself into cauliflower rice, I began by buying it, already prepped, from the freezer section on my local Trader Joe’s. Be forewarned, this stuff is a hot commodity! You may want to even call your Trader Joe’s before you head over to make sure they have it, and put some aside for you. The TJ’s version costs just under $2 per bag, and a bag was about 2 servings for me. 
When the price of cauliflower came down a bit, I felt confident enough to process the cauliflower myself. It couldn’t have been easier…but what a mess!!! There were tiny pieces of cauliflower everywhere, and weeks later I am still finding them! One head of cauliflower made about 3.5 servings, and cost $2.50. For the amount of mess it made, TJ’s is my avenue from here on out.
If you are interested in making it yourself, all you need to do is chop your cauliflower and place it in your blender of food processor. Pulse it 5 or 6 times until it is the size of rice. That’s it! Just make sure not to over process it or you will have cauliflower flour instead!
I probably ate cauliflower rice 3 nights per week during my Whole 30. Not only in various fried rice methods, but also topped with meat sauce, chili, taco meat, and pretty much anything else. You can customize any cauliflower rice recipe with any vegetables, seasonings and sauces that you want, and I haven’t had a bad combination yet!
I don’t cook a lot of seafood at home since I am the only one who eats it. However, I had a very distinct craving for shrimp. And because I craved cauliflower rice every day, the two naturally lent themselves to this recipe! I went with a scampi style seasoning as well.
Have you cooked cauliflower rice before? What’s your favorite way to eat it?
- ½ lb fresh, raw shrimp (peeled & cleaned)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 garlic clove (crushed)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- ½ red bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
- 1 cup chopped kale
- Salt & pepper
- Additional lemon to squeeze over the top
- Place shrimp in a bowl and mix with olive oil, lemon and salt & pepper
- Let marinate in the fridge for 30 min to 2 hours
- Heat a pan to medium-high
- Dump shrimp and marinade into the pan
- Pay attention while cooking until shrimp turn pink (about 3 min)
- Remove shrimp using a slotted spoon, and leaving the liquids in the pan
- Place shrimp on cutting board
- Add peppers and onions to the juices and cook until they begin to brown (about 5 min)
- Add cauliflower to the pan and cook until heated through and begins to brown (about 5 min)
- While that is cooking, chop the shrimp to bite size
- Add shrimp and kale to the pan and stir continuously until the kale has wilted down
- Season with salt & pepper, and additional lemon if desired
- Enjoy...this is great reheated for lunch on day 2!
