I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately and in an airport while walking from gate to gate, I got a whiff of Chinese food. Ever since, I couldn’t get the craving out of my head for some sweet orange chicken and fried rice. The day after arriving back home, this recipe was born.
Baked Cauliflower "Fried" Rice
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Alicia Shaw
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup green beans, sliced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 egg
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Chop the cauliflower into smaller enough pieces so that it will fit into the feeding tube of a food processor. Feed pieces through food processor using a large grating attachment (like for grating cheese). Place grated cauliflower onto a baking sheet. Pour 2 T melted coconut oil over cauliflower and toss to coat. Bake for 40 minutes (or until cauliflower begins to brown), stirring once after 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a small pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add carrots and green beens; cook for 2 minutes. Strain water and run cold water over (or place in an ice bath) to stop the cooking and maintain some crunch to the veggies. Set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 T coconut oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Crack an egg into the pan and break the yolk. Let the egg fry up and get crispy, breaking it up with a spatula.
- Combine baked cauliflower, carrots, green beans, salt, and egg. Toss to combine. Top with green onion. (If you plan to have leftovers, reserve the green onions and sprinkle them on portions just before serving.)
- Excellent served with Succulent Orange Glazed Chicken.
I made this tonight with walnut oil since I don’t have coconut oil… It was delicious! I also used 2 eggs. Delicious!!
Is there a way to make this work without using egg?
Sure! You could just follow the recipe and omit the egg. The egg mostly adds that flavor you’re used to from fried rice. To keep it flavorful, follow the recipe as is. Instead of heating oil, cooking the egg and then combining everything, just skip the egg step, then toss everything with 1/2 t sesame oil for more flavor before serving. Sesame oil is potent so start with the 1/2 t and add more later if desired.
This was amazing! Added chicken to the recipe and used it as a main course! It was so great!