Cauliflower rice is a pretty big staple in my house. First, I’m not a huge fan of rice. I grew up eating it almost every day and I just don’t care for it. When I discovered quinoa, I was overjoyed to find a rice alternative. When cauliflower rice came around, that was even better.

The good thing about cauliflower rice is that it’s versatile but also the most similar to normal rice. You can make it sweet or salty, and cook it till it’s really soft or like a rice consistency. Not to mention it’s far more nutritious than rice, with nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, B6, K, and potassium. It’s always WAY lower in calories than rice, about 25 per cup vs. 220 ish for a cup of regular rice.

This recipe is made to be an Asian dish, but you can easily swap out the tamari sauce and pickled ginger for some coconut oil and nutritional yeast, or whatever you prefer. However, I would recommend this Asian version, especially if you are cooking the mushrooms with tamari sauce and sesame oil, which comes out DELICIOUS!

So without further ado…let us begin!

Makes 2 servings

You will need:

• 5 oz sliced shitake mushrooms (about 1.5 cups)
• 2 cups thinly sliced collard greens
• 2 cups cooked cauliflower rice
• 1/2 cup onion
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp tamari sauce
• 3 tbsp water
• extra tamari sauce for seasoning
• 1/4 cup pickled ginger

Step 1:

Slice the shitake mushrooms and add to a large pan along with the 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and the 3 tablespoons of tamari sauce. Cook on medium-high heat until browned.

Remove from the pan and add to a medium-large mixing bowl

Step 2:

Add two tablespoons of water to the pan and scrape up the bits leftover from the mushrooms to make a nice brown broth, then add the cauliflower rice. Cook to desired consistency (about 2-3 minutes), then remove from heat. Make sure not to cook too much or the rice will get mushy.

Remove from the pan and add to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Step 3:

Add another tablespoon of water with the last tablespoon of tamari and sesame oil. Stir fry the onions first for a bit, then add the collard greens and cook till wilted but still green and slightly crunchy.

Remove from heat and add to the larger bowl.

Step 4:

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly, and serve with some pickled ginger! This gives a great acidic flavor and breaks up the saltiness.

You can also substitute kale for this recipe, as it is a similar green to collard greens.

This dish will keep great in the fridge if you want to make it in larger batches for a meal for the week. You can also try other mushroom variations, though shitake works the best.

Enjoy!