Quick, easy, and protein packed Pineapple Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice ! A sweet and mildly spicy paleo cauliflower fried rice dish made in under 15 minutes! It’s healthy, lower in carbs than regular fried rice, and SUPER EASY! You’ll want to make this dish over and over again. Simple and delicious.
Oh hey! It’s Friday and I really can’t believe we’re in June! Did I mention that already? Well, you know that’s a ritual when you become an adult. You talk about how fast time goes by and then oooooooh and ahhhhhh that there’s a new month. Speaking of time. I have a quick (like UBER quick) paleo fried cauliflower rice recipe that’s just as fast to make as the months that fly by when you are an adult. Haha. Is that even a realistic comparison? Oh yes, let’s go with it. mmmm?
No really. This quick paleo cauliflower fried rice recipe is my JAM!! It’s my go to for a busy week. I mean, let’s face it, man cannot live on coffee and breakfast cookies alone. Women, on the other hand, can. But men (aka meat loving husbands), will last one day and then the carnivore cravings set in. Am I right or am I right?
So here’s the deal. Cauliflower fried rice, in itself, is great because it’s full of fiber and protein. But I will admit, I feel like it needs more flavor, nutrients, and and extra protein “pump” if you want to make it a main meal.
The extra flavor being the sliced pineapple. Yep, tangy, sweet, and full of Vitamin C!
And the extra protein pump being the bison jerky (or any smokey or spicy paleo jerky).
Did you see what I just did there?I bypassed any EXTRA cooking but still added extra ingredient.
Two words —-> LIFE CHANGER!
Eggs, cauliflower rice, frozen veggies, fresh pineapple, and a handful of chopped chili spiced jerky all “fried” up in less than 15 minutes. Hallelujah! That’s how you end the week. WINNING in the kitchen without even sweating. Okay I might have sweated a tad. I mean, it is Texas …. Hot is an understatement.
But I digress. Okay, where was I?
Oh but the jerky. Yes, I used paleo green chili Bison jerky. You see, not all jerky is created equal. And in fact, you can find wheat or gluten ingredients (i.e soy sauce) in a few brands if you’re not careful.
The brand I used (and adore) in this recipe is Kiva Sun. They actually make other Bison products like ground bison, burgers, etc., but I love their quick and all natural green chili bison jerky. It’s nitrate free, gluten free, low in fat, high in protein, hormone free, MSG free, and SUPER delicious! And no they did not pay me to say that. Haha. If anyone knows me, they know I love jerky! If you follow me on snapchat, you know that’s my snack of choice. So logically, why not throw it into a meal, finely chopped, like minced or shredded beef.
And Guess what?
It TOTALLY WORKS! Which is why I called this Quick Pineapple Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chili rubbed Jerky a LIFE changer. That being said, you can totally opt out of the jerky version and make it all vegetarian. The pineapple with the spices and gluten free Tamari really make this dish. I could eat buckets of it.
And when I say quick I MEAN QUICKY QUICK. Wink Wink.
Quick Pineapple Paleo Fried Cauliflower Rice {with extra Protein}
Ingredients
- 3 cup cauliflower rice (about a small head of cauliflower). See notes for how to make this.
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots mix
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 3 tbsp tamari sauce (gluten free)
- 1/2 cup pineapple (diced). Keep a tbsp or two of juice for later.
- 2/3 cup chopped green onion
- red pepper flakes
- Optional 3 oz gluten free spicy or sweet jerky (beef, turkey, or bison). This is optional but a great PROTEIN booster!
- Black pepper/sea salt to taste
Instructions
- First make sure your veggies and pineapple are all chopped. If you are using frozen carrots and peas then no need to chop those. For the cauliflower rice, just chop into sections with knife first then pulse in food processor or blender a few times until "riced" texture forms. pulse for 1 or 2 seconds each time.
- If you are using jerky, go ahead and cut that into smaller pieces.
- In a small bowl, beat your eggs and set aside.
- Next Heat a medium skillet or wok on medium high heat.
- Add in your cauliflower rice, peas/carrots, sesame oil, eggs, and garlic.
- Stir around for a 2-3 minutes until coated.
- Next add in your tamari sauce, pineapple, and jerky (if using).
- stir fry for another 2 minutes then add your onion last.
- Place on medium to medium high heat until everything is coated and hot.
- Add in a few tbsp of pineapple juice if you want it more sweet.
- Mix again then plate or place in serving bowl.
- if there is any sesame/tamari/pineapple juice left in the skillet or wok, then pour that on top of your bowl before serving.
- Top with crushed red pepper.
- Black pepper/sea salt to taste if desired.
Recipe Notes
You can easily make this vegetarian without the jerky, but it does give it a nice taste and texture. Not to mention extra protein!
To make Cauliflower Rice chop your cauliflower head in half and cut off stems. Place half in a food processor or blender and pulse until it's "riced." Then do the other half. Then you have raw cauliflower rice to use for the fried rice.
If you want a softer rice, simply place your raw cauliflower rice in a microwave safe bowl with 1 tbsp water and steam it slightly for about 45 second to 1 minute. Then use in recipe. Both ways works, it's just preference for how "al dente" you like your rice.
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Nutrition with the EXTRA PROTEIN.
*Healthy Notes: to reduce sodium, use lower sodium tamari or GF soy sauce and Jerky with natural sea salt.
Some of our favorite Gluten Free Asian Food Staples
This dish has definitely become our go-to meal for busy week night, a movie night, or even a healthy post workout recovery meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). All balanced in carbs, healthy fats, and protein. The Pineapple has Bromelain, which is a proteolytic enzyme (an enzyme that digests proteins). It is often used as a digestive aid and is used for preventing muscle soreness after intense exercise.
Perfect for this protein packed dish, yes? That way you can really absorb all those veggies and nutrients and recover 100%!
I’m getting quite good at those One pot recovery meals, aren’t I? It’s the sherpa wife skills kickin in!
Okay ya’ll. Let’s dig in already, mmm k? I think Friday movie night in with homemade Chinese takeout is gonna happen.
Have you made cauliflower fried rice yet? Would you add in jerky here? Be honest! Haha.
p.s
If you are wondering if cooked peas are paleo, that’s still a debate. I say yes. Hint —> Lower phytate content and easier on digestion = WINNING!
Cheers!
Thanks fore reading! Be sure to stay up to date by signing up for the email newsletter. It's full of gluten free recipes, sports nutrition topics, gut health tips, and more! As a thank you - you also get a FREE copy of my Volume II Healthy Bites ebook. ENJOY and EAT up!
Then the carnivore sets in! I love it! Love the pineapple addition too.
right? tangy and delish! <3 you
And another add to the recipe list! ANd now that I am actually cooking, it might ACTUALLY happen!
yay! are you all settled in the new place? feeling good?
Ok so I love cauliflower and fried rice and pineapple (obviously) sooo I’m pretty sure I’d love this. Also, LOL all we do is talk about how fast time goes by… so true! A blog post begins that way every 30 days.
ain’t that the truth. You’d think I’d learn already to stop talking about time! haha
Oh my gosh…this is making me want to run into the kitchen right now and make cauliflower fried rice for breakfast! Seriously gorgeous, Lindsay!
run to my kitchen and i’ll dish it up!
This is like a dream! And of course now I’m craving bison jerky!
isn’t it the best?! OMG yes! jerky obsession. and venison jerky!
How did I not know you were on Snapchat. I need to find you stat.
I think adding the pineapple here is pretty amazing. I bet it does great things to the flavor. You could almost go with a Caribbean theme here. Then we can add fruity cocktails., They’ll help cut the Texas heat. 🙂
how did i not know you were on there too? We must snippety snap!
I still need to try cauliflower fried rice one of these nights we make Chinese. It sounds like it would be so good.
You haven’t yet? I thought you had! ohhh let me know whatcha think!
So true — I live with 4 men, and while I would be happy eating breakfast cookies every day…they would NOT. Total carnivores! A 15-minute meal is about all that I have time for these days, too. WIN!
haha yes, i grew up with 3 brothers and a dad… you know i relate!
What a perfect paring of ingredients. Great recipe. Thanks so much. Have a wonderful weekend.
I’m still to try cauliflower rice & have been meaning to make it for ages! Thanks for the inspiration!
yes go for it! keep me posted too
Jerky fried rice?! How exactly did you get so brilliant?! This would be the easiest travel meal lever. Can you tell I’m hangry on a plane? 😉
we can put it in a jar and all it travel jerk jar! 😉
This looks SO good! What an awesome idea to add in jerky! Jesse would LOVE that!
haha i know, right? just a manly touch!
ALWAYS looking for new ways to eat cauliflower rice! YUM. Never would have thought to add the jerky!
yes, it’s like the easiest ingredient ever to make so tasty! let me know if you try it katherine!
Yes, I CANNOT believe it’s already June. It’s cray-cray, am I right? But I’m excited! It’s already getting so much warmer!
This cauliflower fried rice looks amazing! The pineapples are such an amazing addition to the whole pan!
i agree! I love me some pineapple… ALWAYS! haha right Cassie?
You know I have not made it 🙂 Looks & sounds amazing!! I would put my extra lean ground turkey or some chicken in there!
ground chicken would be fab!
it wasn’t my favorite, but I will keep trying your recipes. It’s hard to please every palate. Keep cooking!
Oh no. I’m sorry! What was wrong with it? Thanks for feed back