If you like Chinese takeout, but hate the fact that there may be some unknown ingredients in it, this Pineapple Chicken Stirfry recipe is for you. I was never really a Chinese takeout type of person but my husband really loves it. When we really started thinking about what we were putting into our bodies and why, we began realizing Chinese takeout food really doesn’t fit the bill so to speak. There are a few reasons I’m going to discuss but let’s get to the deliciousness that is cauliflower rice!
My real goal isn’t to cut calories, and try to make a bunch of “low fat” or “low carb” substitutions to make my meals healthier. Instead I prefer to use 100% real ingredients as much as I can (which is pretty much 99% of the time). I don’t really have any issues with rice but I’ve been finding cauliflower so diverse and delicious lately that I just HAD to try cauliflower rice. Let me tell you, I saw so pleasantly surprised at just how good it actually is! Not only does it taste great it is super easy to make and has a really nice texture. I followed this Simpler Version of Cauliflower Rice from Nom Nom Paleo, however I used different seasonings in sticking with my takeout theme. If you are on the fence about cauliflower rice just take the plunge and try it because you will never look back! I promise you will be making it to go with everything and loving every bite. I love the feeling of eating a ton of veggies and this “rice” helps me do that without feeling like I’m missing something. I seasoned the rice with Tamari (Japanese soy sauce, GMO-Free, no additives or unnecessary ingredients), garlic, and white pepper and it was perfect for this stir-fry!
I mentioned the Tamari, and this has been one of my best finds at the grocery store to date! It is basically soy sauce without any sodium benzonate or caramel color. I also opted for a Non-GMO and Organic brand because we do stay away from GMO products, and when in doubt I will always purchased a verified brand over a brand that is not verified. I also opted for a reduced sodium Tamari because I’m a little bit salt sensitive and soy sauces are loaded with sodium. The brand I used and highly recommend is San-J, which is also gluten free. I found this brand in the organic section of my local grocery store. Here is a link if your interested in San-J Tamari sauce.
Nope, not missing any rice OR flavor here! Even my 2 year old gobbled this up like there was no tomorrow! One last thing I will mention about this recipe is that I used a homemade and unsalted beef bone broth. If you have homemade broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable), that would be ideal for this recipe because of the sodium content of boxed broths along with the sodium content of the Tamari (can someone say salt bomb)! Anyways, if you don’t have homemade broth on hand I would suggest a low sodium vegetable broth in place of the beef broth. You may need to adjust the amount of Tamari you put in, so start with less and add additional Tamari based upon how salty you like things.
Takeout Inspired Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp tamari sauce
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
Directions: Roughly chop cauliflower head and put in food processor or ninja. Pulse a few times to obtain a rice-like texture. Put olive oil in small sauté pan and allow to heat up over medium heat. Dice onion and garlic, add to pan, and sauté until translucent and tender. Add cauliflower, tamari sauce, and spices. Stir cauliflower together with onion and garlic, then place lid on pan and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes or until soft.