Sunday 16 March 2014

Paleo - Thai Chicken Mango Fried Rice (Cauliflower)

When we lived in Victoria, BC, one of my favorite treats was going to Noodle Box for Cambodian Jungle Curry.  I absolutely loved it.  When we moved to St Albert we tested out Wok Box and we were bitterly disappointed.  Then I made the move to Paleo and never really thought much about Noodle Box, until I came accross this recipe.  It must have been the curry, mango and chicken combination that made me think of my old Noodle Box favorite.  I absolutely had to give it a try.  Having some mangoes that needed eating really pushed the cooking buttons.

It was a recipe that I had to shop for.  I needed bell peppers, I needed mushrooms, I needed jalepenos, I needed garlic, I needed coconut aminos, I needed sesame oil, I needed a lot of stuff.  Good thing we needed a few other groceries too.  Its also an added bonus that Avery will tolerate grocery shopping too now.



Of course I did not follow the recipe.  Lol.  What fun would that be?!?!  I am lazy, and I find when I cook chicken it never turns out perfectly, so I bought 2 rotisserie chickens.  (It works out perfectly in our house because my husband likes the wings/thighs).  I also added a few extra things, like, shrimp, kale, spinach and a yellow pepper.  So here is my make-over of the PaleOMG recipe :-)


Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons duck fat (or other kind of fat) - I used coconut oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 3 tablespoons coconut aminos (or gluten free soy sauce) - I used naked coconuts soy substitute - which you can find at the Enjoy Centre
  • 3 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha  - This is the spice, so I used more than 1 teaspoon
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed - i used the breasts from 2 rotissserie chickens
  • 4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced - of course I didn't measure and I used my chopped mushrooms from costco
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced - I also added a yellow bell pepper 
  • 1 tablespoon minced jalapeƱo - i used 1 jalepeno (I didnt measure)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger - I guessed here too
  • 1-2 cups mango, cubed - I used 2 mangoes chopped as nicely as I could
  • 3-4 tablespoons green onions, diced - I bought green onions, but forgot to use them
  • Raw Shrimp 
  • chopped kale & spinach
  • cilantro, to garnish
  • salt and pepper, to taste - i skipped this too
  • lime juice, to garnish
Instructions
  1. Add the florets of cauliflower to a food processor with the shredding attachment to rice the cauliflower.
  2. Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat and add duck fat and riced cauliflower to the pan
  3. Then add 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon sriracha, along with a bit of salt. Mix to coat and let sit to let the cauliflower begin to brown. I mixed all the liquids together (with extra sriracha) in a bowl before adding it to the cauliflower
  4. While the “rice” browns, place another skillet over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil along with minced garlic and the cubed chicken. Pour 1 tablespoon coconut aminos and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce over the chicken. - my chicken was cooked, so I just skipped this step 
  5. Once chicken has browned and almost cooked through, add mushrooms, bell pepper, jalapeno, ginger, mango, green onions and a bit of salt and pepper to the chicken and cover to let steam. Mushrooms take longer to cook for my liking - so I cooked them first with the jalepano, garlic and ginger (FYI - I chopped the spiced in my mini food processor)  -- I then added my shrimp, peppers, spinach and kale to the mix and extra liquids
  6. Once mushrooms and peppers are soft, add chicken mixture to the cauliflower rice and mix well. - I cubed my chicken directly into the rice, then added the rest of the mix
  7. Add a bit more salt and a dash of pepper.
  8. Top of roughly chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

I absolutely loved the dish, and I hope you enjoy it too.  

Happy Cooking!
JoJo!!