Colorful, quick, and festive Mardi Gras Fried Cauliflower "Rice" is a great meal to celebrate the fun holiday
This is a super quick meal to make. I mean 30 minutes from the very beginning to eating, even when I make it, and I am the slowest cook in the world. I like to take my time in the kitchen, and I have no sense of urgency.
The hardest part is prepping the veggies. You'll chop some colorful veggies -- green and yellow bell peppers, celery, and onions.
Then you'll have to "rice" your cauliflower to make it look like actual rice.
I tried this a while back and made the biggest mess ever and never wanted to try again. That was until I saw a video on how to easily and quickly rice cauliflower where you add roughly chopped fresh cauliflower into a large blender and fill with water. Blend for about 10-30 seconds until it is the size of rice; drain and enjoy. P.S. You can also now buy riced cauliflower.
Using cauliflower is great for a few reasons. Cauliflower is a veggie, and since most people don't get enough veggies, cauliflower rice is a great thing to add to your diet to increase your veggie intake.
But the most important reason is that you can use colorful cauliflower and make an incredibly fun and festive dish! I mean, just look at how fabulous this Mardi Gras fried "rice" is!! So. Much. Color.
I used Cajun inspired spices and shrimp to make this more in line with the Mardi Gras theme than the typical Fried Rice I make that is more Asian inspired.
It's a great thing to make to celebrate Mardi Gras Day on Tuesday or just to increase your veggie intake or both.
If you aren't a fan of shrimp, feel free to substitute chicken, cauliflower, steak, or tofu.
If you want more carbohydrates, feel free to add some cooked & cooled rice when you're adding in the cauliflower 🙂
Mardi Gras Fried Cauliflower "Rice"
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil coconut or avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups riced cauliflower about 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb peeled shrimp
Instructions
- Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute diced bell pepper, celery, and onion for 5 minutes. Push to the sides, and add garlic. Stir for 30 seconds. Push to the side.
- Gradually add cauliflower to the skillet and stir-fry for about 7 minutes until lightly browned. Season with paprika and cayenne pepper. Push the sides.
- Add shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides for 3 minutes each. Stir everything together and cook until shrimp is done. Sprinkle with parsley if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
*Add extra cooked rice for a more filling dish or serve with a slice of bread.
Meme
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
I find cutting veggies to be strangely therapeutic! As for this take on fried rice - lady, I am so loving your use of "cauli-rice"! YUM!
Meme says
Totally agree! Cooking is absolutely my therapy, and cauli-rice is my new obsession 😉
Rachael@AvocadoADayNutrition says
I've been really into cauliflower rice lately, basically topping it with everything known to man! I I haven't tried it fried rice style yet though! Hope you're having fun down in NOLA!
Meme says
Oh my gosh me too!! I am borderline out of control with my cauliflower "rice" use. You've got to try it "fried" -- so delish
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
I've been making cauliflower rice for the past couple of weeks as I've been recipe testing it for my blog - post coming soon! My husband actually likes it better than rice! Hope you had a fun Mardi Gras!
Meme says
Oh can't wait for your post! I've become cauliflower "rice" obsessed. I'm literally using it for everything! I love making a big batch and then keeping it in my fridge for the week
Whiting says
This looks amazing!!
Meme says
Thank you!! It's goooooooood 🙂