The other day on Instagram, I asked whether – for the month of December – you wanted more healthy holiday recipes (hi, gingerbread energy bites) or easy dinner recipes. And the result was overwhelmingly in favor of”easy dinner recipes.” So here we are, with the first of several easy, healthy dinner recipes this month: nutty cauliflower fried rice with almond butter sauce.
This recipe is super satisfying while still very easy to make. The most “difficult” part is making the almond butter sauce, but, if you’ve been following Loveleaf Co. for a while, you know that one of my favorite meal prep hacks is to make a sauce early in the week… and use it in several different meals. If you make extra almond butter sauce, you can use it on a Thai-ish socca pizza, as a salad dressing, on a noodle stir-fry or salad, or even as a veggie dip.
To up the vegetable content of this healthy fried rice, I used cauliflower rice (this coconut cauliflower rice would be great) but you can totally use regular rice too (short grain brown rice is my all-time favorite).
As with most of my recipes, the protein and vegetables are definitely open to interpretation as well. Don’t like mushrooms? Sub in eggplant or zucchini. Or keep it super simple and use only broccoli. While I love adding eggs to this dish to make it an egg fried rice situation, cooked tofu, cooked chicken, or cooked shrimp would be great too.
And don’t skip the roasted cashews! The crunchy nut topping really makes the dish. You could use roasted almonds or peanuts instead if you like.
Nutty Cauliflower Fried Rice with Broccoli and Almond Butter Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-Fry
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A simple cauliflower fried rice recipe with broccoli, mushrooms, and a creamy coconut almond butter sauce. Topped with crunchy roasted cashews.
Ingredients
Cauliflower Fried Rice
- 3 cups cooked cauliflower rice (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
- 16 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 4 eggs (see notes)
- 1/4 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
Almond Butter Sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (shake the can before opening)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, like Sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger root
- 1 small minced garlic clove
Instructions
- Make the rice. Cook cauliflower rice (or regular rice) according to package instructions and set aside.
- Make the almond butter sauce. Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Make the remainder of the dish. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the coconut oil and swirl to coat the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the broccoli florets. Cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to steam the broccoli, and cook, still stirring constantly, until tender, a few minutes more. Add the sliced mushrooms and a few more tablespoons of water if the vegetables are sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Continue stirring until the mushrooms are softened.
- Add the cooked cauliflower rice (or regular rice) and the sesame oil to the skillet and stir so that everything is coated in the sesame oil.
- If using eggs, add them now, quickly stirring into the vegetable mixture until they become cooked and evenly scrambled throughout the dish. If using another protein, make sure it’s cooked and add it now.
- Stir in the almond butter sauce and cook the mixture until warmed through. Season with salt, to taste.
- Serve. Divide the fried rice mixture between four bowls and top each with a few tablespoons of chopped cashews.
Notes
Cauliflower rice alternative. If you prefer, you can use regular rice – short grain brown rice is my favorite! You’ll need 3 cups of cooked rice.
Eggs. Feel free to omit the eggs and use another protein of choice. If not using eggs, make sure your protein is fully cooked before adding to the stir-fry. Since eggs cook quickly, they are not cooked ahead of time but any other protein used should be added cooked.
Keywords: cauliflower fried rice, broccoli fried rice, healthy fried rice, almond butter sauce
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