Meatless Monday
Cauliflower Fried “Rice” with Tofu is a delicious meatless meal ready in 30 minutes. It’s ingredients are flexible. And with a few cheats anyone can make this in under 30 minutes. If you are looking for a meatless Monday meal or just something fresh and healthy, look no further.
The One Joy of Getting Older
My husband and I just returned from two glorious weeks with our first grandchild. I know that everyone says this, but our granddaughter REALLY is the most beautiful, wonderful baby ever – until the next one! While it was great visiting our kids and spending so much time together, I returned home tired and with a bad throat. After one expensive and awful order-in meal, I decided that I simply needed to cook something healthy for us that wouldn’t take a lot of time or energy. The Cauliflower Fried “Rice” with Tofu was the perfect solution.
Making Use of Cooking Cheats
I placed an online delivery order and had everything I needed for a week of food within a couple of hours. I normally really enjoy grocery shopping and am VERY picky about my produce, so I was a bit anxious how the order would turn out. In general, it was pretty good and a nice option when you are under-the-weather or the weather is awful.
The prep for this meal took no time which left plenty of time for watching videos of our granddaughter. While I enjoy doing things myself in the kitchen and understand that it can be more cost-effective, sometimes using some cheats is worth it. Time is an all-too-precious commodity that most of us don’t have. So if you want to make your own cauliflower “rice” and grate your own ginger, please do. But many of us are lucky enough to live within easy access to quality prepared ingredients. And, I for one, am not ashamed to admit using them from time to time.
Don’t get too bogged down in actual quantities. You can be flexible. If you want more carrot, go for it. If you don’t like or can’t get sugar snap peas, use frozen English peas etc.
Recipe
Yield: 2 to 4 servings, depending on appetite (My husband and I ate the whole thing)
Ingredients
16 oz. cauliflower “rice”
7 oz. baked tofu (Like Wildwood brand Teriyaki Baked Tofu) cut into 1-inch dice
3 Large or Xtra Large eggs, lightly beaten wit the Mirin, if using
About 2 teaspoons of Mirin or dry sherry (optional)
3 to 4 scallions, white and light green part only – thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into smallish dice
About 1 cup of sugar snap or snow peas, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal OR 1 cup of frozen peas
About one cup of fresh mung bean sprouts, rinsed in cold water
1 Tablespoon grated fresh peeled ginger (I used prepared fresh ginger from a jar)
1 rounded teaspoon crushed or finely minced fresh garlic
About 3 Tablespoons neutral oil like Canola
About 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy or tamari sauce or to taste
Generous pinch of kosher salt
Toasted Sesame oil for drizzling
Directions
Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the scallions and toss for about 1 minute. Then add the beaten eggs and cook as you would an omelette. When the omelette is cooked through, remove it from the pan and slice it into strips.
In the same wok or pan, add the last tablespoon of oil. Add the grated ginger and garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the cauliflower “rice” and carrot and toss well to coat with the oil, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes or just until the cauliflower begins to soften. Now add soy sauce and toss through.
Add the tofu, peas and egg/scallion strips and toss through. Add the bean sprouts and quickly toss. Taste and adjust salt/ soy sauce. Serve drizzled with sesame oil. If you want to get fancier you can top with a little extra sliced scallion.
