Beef Stir Fry & Cauliflower Rice

For our first Paleo dinner, I decided to take a meal that I've made before and adapt it to our new dietary ways.  It actually wasn't very hard, and it was still delicious!  My meal inspiration came from this recipe, from my favorite blogger in the world, Pioneer Woman.  FYI: If you are NOT doing Paleo, you should definitely check out her recipes because they are some of the best ever.  But not exactly on point with this new lifestyle.  For that reason, I made some changes to the recipe.  Nothing major, but here are some things I had to do:  First, I decided to swap out the soy sauce for Tamari sauce- now, Tamari is not strict Paleo, but it is gluten-free which makes it a better option than traditional soy sauce.  Good enough for me.  Next, I used honey instead of brown sugar, since refined sugars are frowned upon.  I used olive oil instead of canola, since olive oil is approved on Paleo.  Generally I don't use olive oil with Asian flavors, but it didn't seem to matter with this recipe.  I added mushrooms mainly because I felt like it, and because it gave the dish more vegetables and made it a bit heavier.  I omitted corn starch, which is used as a sauce thickener, and I found that it really did not make much of a difference anyway.  Finally, the biggest change was using cauliflower instead of rice/noodles.  I was pleasantly surprised and it really did taste a lot like rice.  Can't wait to try that trick again soon!  I would definitely eat this again with these substitutions, and I recommend this meal to everyone, even non-Paleo-ites!

Beef Stir Fry & Cauliflower Rice:
(This served 2 of us with a bit left over for tomorrow!)

• 3/4 pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• 1/2 cup Tamari Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry*
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Fresh Ginger (Keep it in the freezer and it's super easy to grate!)
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• A few shakes of Red Pepper Flakes (More if you like heat)
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, Sliced Thin
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, Cored And Sliced Thin
• Handful of Mushrooms, Sliced (Cremini or White) 
• 1/2 Head of Cauliflower 

*If you are hard-core and/or are going without alcohol, feel free to omit the Sherry.  I decided that since it is a very dry wine, it was legitimate to use as a flavor agent.

Preparation
Beef Stir Fry:
Mix together Tamari sauce, sherry, honey, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat.  Let sit while you prepare the rest.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to heat and add bell peppers.  Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate. Return skillet to heat, add oil if necessary, and add mushrooms.  Cook for 1-2 minutes and remove to a plate. *If you have a giant skillet/wok and want to do this all in one batch, go for it.

Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown.

Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, peppers, and mushrooms to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (meat marinade) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes.

Cauliflower Rice:
Wash and dry the cauliflower head and slice in half (use full head for more servings).  Remove leafy greens.  Grate into tiny bits using either cheese grater or food processor.  *I used a cheese grater because I feared that my processor would pulverize the cauliflower too much.  The grater method was fast and easy and left me with rice-size pieces.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Throw in the cauliflower and stir it around in the pan for a few minutes.  Once it starts to brown a bit and it is heated up, turn off the stove and it is ready to serve!

To serve, scoop some "rice" onto the plate and pile all the yummy beef and veggies on top.  Delish!  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did, and feel free to make your own substitutions/additions as well!

Stay tuned to see what other Paleo meals I have in store for us!