Buffalo chicken cauliflower fried rice

I've been coveting this recipe since my last Whole30, if not the one before that.  There's just something so appealing about buffalo chicken and fried rice and the fact that it's Whole30 compliant.  Honestly, I'm not sure why I never made it before, but I can honestly say that I'll definitely be making it again soon!

My hubby and I both worked a little late tonight and I was able to throw this together in a matter of minutes with the help of a store bought (Whole30 compliant!) rotisserie chicken and frozen cauliflower rice.  Since I used the frozen rice, I had to doctor up the cooking directions a little, but it's totally worth it!  And of course I had to use my signature scallion in the cauliflower rice.  This dinner was so good that after we had finished our dinner, we were both eating directly out of the serving bowl -- until I hijacked the bowl and ran into the kitchen, so that I could save the remaining 1 cup of fried cauliflower rice for lunch tomorrow!

Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice
From Rachl Mansfield

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil (I needed just over 1 T, to coat the bottom of a large frying pan)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 head cauliflower, "riced" (I used 1 bag frozen cauliflower rice)
8-10 oz chicken (I shredded 1/2 a small organic rotisserie chicken - breast and thigh meat)
2 eggs
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Buffalo sauce (I used Tessemae's, but there are others ones, too)
Handful chopped cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
(Doctored a little by me)

Preheat a skillet on medium high and add the oil.
Add onion and cook until fragrant (about 5-7 minutes).

While the onions cook, mix together the buffalo sauce and chicken in a medium bowl.
Let it sit for a bit.

Crack the eggs in a bowl and mix.
Pour the eggs into the skillet and scramble around to cook for a few minutes.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the frozen cauliflower rice to the pan.
Cook cauliflower rice according to package directions.
Add in scallions and let cook for another minute or two.
Season with salt and pepper.

Add the eggs, onions, and buffalo chicken to the pan.
Add more buffalo sauce if needed.
Cook for a few minutes, mixing to incorporate all the flavors.

Remove from heat, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Serve.

This will last 5 days (but honestly, you'll be lucky if you have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow!)

Meatballs

On my previous Whole30s, I did indulge in a few meatballs.  My hubby made his delicious meatball recipe, and then made mine without the breadcrumbs.  Sure, we could've added some almond flour or potato starch, but I figured why mess with something good.  I'd toss them with homemade marinara sauce, and eat them as is, or serve on top of some spaghetti squash.

But when I saw a recipe for BBQ meatball stuffed sweet potatoes, I knew I had to try them!  They've been on my "to make" list since my last Whole30.  And truth be told, I will definitely make them!  But so far, I made the meatball part of the recipe and I cannot.  stop.  eating.  them!

I made my meatballs on the smaller side, since I generally prefer snack-sized foods.  I served them today with some cauliflower rice, and celery sticks (with Whole30-compliant (!!) Tessemae's Buffalo Sauce).  These would be great with sauce over spaghetti squash, on top of a salad, or -- as the recipe intended -- slathered in Whole30-complaint BBQ sauce!  Now I don't have an instant pot (I know, I know, what is wrong with me?!), so I made mine on the stove top and then finished them in the oven.  I've included my cooking directions below.

Meatballs
Recipe from this delicious looking recipe from Healthy Little Peach (And trust me, I'll be making the original recipe soon!), cooking instructions by yours truly

Makes 36 1-1.5 inch meatballs

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (the recipe recommends 90/10 but all I had was 85/15)
1/3 cup chopped sweet onions
2 Tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp garlic powder (I had granules on hand)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 large egg
3 Tbsp tapioca flour (I left this out)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Roll meatballs into 1-1.5 inch balls.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Rub a cast iron skillet with avocado or olive oil.  Just a thin layer is all you need.
Heat the pan over medium-high heat.
Put about 1/3 of the meatballs in the pan.
Turn every 2 minutes, ensuring that the majority of the meatball is seared (I flipped mine twice, 2 minutes on a side for 2 sides).
Remove from the pan and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Repeat with another 1/3 of the meatballs, removing them and placing them on the same baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining 1/3 of the meatballs.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 6 minutes.
Check a meatball to make sure they are cooked through.

Cauliflower Rice

For the longest time, I wanted to get on the cauliflower rice train.  It seemed like such a great alternative to rice or carby sides with dinner (or lunch).  The problem was that I just didn't like it that much.  Fresh cauliflower?  Love it!  Roasted cauliflower?  Sign me up!  But cauliflower rice was always kinda....blah.  Mush.  Just not my thing.

I learned a few things and this Whole30, I mastered it.  First off, I found that I much prefer the frozen riced cauliflower over the fresh one.  Something about the texture is so much better in my opinion.  I've also learned to prep the fresh one so that it's really tasty, too, but if given the choice, I'd go with the frozen one every time.

My "trick" is adding more than just salt and pepper to it while cooking.  My secret ingredient?  Scallions.  Not a ton, just 2 per bag of (fresh or frozen) cauliflower rice.  If I'm making a Mexican-themed meal, I'll add in some chopped fresh cilantro at the end.

Because it's sometimes hard to find the frozen cauliflower rice (I buy mine at Trader Joe's and they're more often sold out than not) or if you prefer the fresh over the frozen variety, I've included cooking directions for both below.

My Favorite Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

1 bag fresh or frozen riced cauliflower
2 scallions, thinly sliced, both white and green parts
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil (if making with fresh riced cauliflower)
1/4 cup water (if making with fresh riced cauliflower)
Optional: chopped cilanto

Directions:

If making with fresh riced cauliflower:

Heat 1T olive oil in a pan.  
Briefly sautee the scallions.
Add riced cauliflower rice for about 2 minutes.  
Add 1/4 cup of water and cover, allowing to steam for 3-5 minutes.  
If using cilantro, add in and mix.
Remove from pan and place into bowls.

If making with frozen riced cauliflower:

Make cauliflower rice as per directions on bag, adding scallions in the first step when adding the "rice" to the pan.

Spicy Green Chili Pulled Chicken

I made this pulled chicken last Whole30 and was a huge fan.  It was simple, and tasty, and was a super filling meal with tons of leftovers (read: lunch the next day was taken care of).  My hubby loved it, too, but felt that it wasn't spicy enough.  So when making it this time, I went with a spicier green chili salsa.  Honestly, it was a bit too spicy for me, but I served it with some avocado, and the creaminess of the avocado cut the spice nicely.

The original recipe was for a slow cooker, but seeing as we don't have one, I actually made mine in a Dutch oven in the oven.  I cooked it for 1.5 hours, flipping the chicken halfway through.  And then just let it cool a little so you can shred it with your hands (or you could use a fork, but where's the fun in that?)!  It's that easy.  Seriously, super easy.

I serve mine as the original recipe does, over cauliflower rice with some cilantro, avocado, lime, and radishes.  But I think they'd make amazing Whole30 pulled chicken "tacos" -- either wrapped with lettuce leaves or thinly sliced jicama -- or stuffed inside a baked sweet potato!

Pulled Green Chili Chicken
Modified, ever so slightly, from The Real Food Dieticians

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 12 oz jar Salsa Verde (such as Trader Joe's) -- or for a spicier kick, Trader Joe's Hatch Valley Salsa
1 4 ounce can fire roasted green chiles
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I leave this out)
1/2 tsp ground oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cauliflower rice (see my favorite prep here) or lettuce leaves for serving
Fresh cilantro, avocado, lime wedges, salsa radish slices for garnish

Directions:

Place chicken in slow cooker, or if you don't have, into a Dutch Oven.
In a small bowl, combine the salsa, green chiles, cumin, and oregano.
Pour the mixture over the chicken.

If using a slow cooker, place lid on slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
Remove lid and allow chicken to cool slightly before shredding it with 2 forks directly in the slow cooker.
Transfer to serving dish.

If cooking in the oven, cover the Dutch Oven with foil.
Place in an oven that has been preheated to 300F.
Cook for 60-70 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.  Make sure you check to make sure the chicken is cooked through before removing from the oven.  Larger/thicker pieces will have to cook longer, and I've had to cook mine for as long as 85 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before shredding it.
Transfer to serving dish.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Top with fresh cilantro, avocado cubes, and serve with lime wedges.

Serve with cauliflower rice or in lettuce taco "shells."

Simplify

Whole30 isn't easy.  Even I'll admit that.  There is just SO. MUCH.  PREP!!!  So much!

Here are some suggestions for simplifying your Whole30 that I've come up with over the past 2+ Whole30s I've done.

Meal plan.  It goes without saying.  I tried so hard at the beginning of this Whole30 to map out dinners for the week.  Sadly, it's fallen a little by the wayside (Sunday night's planned dinner of chicken, sweet potato, and sauteed spinach became halibut with spinach/tomato/olive sauce and half of a sweet potato instead), but it's still good to have a plan, even if life throws you a curve ball and you can't stick to it 100%.

The oven is on.  So when you're baking a sweet potato or potato for dinner, throw in a few extra.  They're a cinch to rewarm and it takes a fraction of the time.  Sweet potato hash for breakfast tomorrow?  No prob!  Same thing goes for bacon or crispy prosciutto.  The recipe calls for 3 slices?  Make a whole bunch.  They'll go great with your eggs and sweet potato hash tomorrow morning!

Hard boiled eggs are super easy to make in bulk, too.  The waters boiling, so why not add a few extra eggs to the pot?  It doesn't even increase the cooking time to add more.  I tend to boil eggs for 3 days at a time.  While they're perfectly fine for a few more days, I prefer mine semi-fresh.

Cut veggies galore.  I should actually do this more often than I do.  I tend to have a nightly ritual of washing and cutting veggies for the next day (except last night.  I passed out after work.  Luckily I got to work today and there were baby carrots and pre-washed celery stalks in the fridge?!).  It's really a smart way to go if you prep your veggies for the week (or half the week) at a time.  It definitely cuts down on nightly prep.

Lastly, if you're a fan of cauliflower rice, buy it premade.  I love my food processor but I am not taking that bad boy out of the bottom cabinet just to turn a head of cauliflower into "rice."  I buy the bagged fresh stuff, but I know Trader Joe's also caries a frozen variety (my friend told me she's found it in the regular grocery store freezer aisle, but I'm not sure if it's Whole30 approved or not).

There you have it.  Some Whole30 hacks I've come up with to simplify my Whole30 life!

Chipotle Shrimp Taco Bowls

Today was a hot and humid day in NYC and my husband and I decided to get a nice long walk in this morning.  We set out for coffee (I'm a nut and brought pre-measured cashew milk with me), and then we walked and walked and walked.  We stopped somewhere near the middle for a quick bite and to pick up shrimp for dinner, and ended at Whole Foods to get the remainder of what we needed for tonight's dinner (I got the majority of the stuff on yesterday's major Trader Joe's haul).  

I'm so excited about tonight's dinner and have been talking about it all day -- like nearly-all-8-miles-of-our-walk all day.  Honestly, I'm sure my hubby is sick and tired of it already, but secretly I think he's pretty excited, too.  We're going to adapt a Whole30 fish taco bowl recipe I saw online.  I have a few ideas for modifying it: swapping shrimp for the fish, making a little chipotle slaw (a recipe I've been eyeing since Whole30 #2) instead of sliced cabbage, adding some homemade pico de gallo, and subbing in my hubby's award winning guac for the avocado cilantro sauce.  

Honestly, I'm thinking this is going to be a recipe we're going to use on repeat all summer long, even after my Whole30 is over!  I'm sure it would also be so good with pulled salsa verde chicken (the one Whole30 recipe I made during Whole30 #1, which I'm sure I'll be making in the next week or two and will share), with the original fish the recipe called for, or even with grilled steak. 

Update: This dinner was insane!  Both my non-Whole30-ing husband and I loved it!  We each did some prep, and served dinner make-your-own-taco-bowl style.  I even served some watermelon cubes with it to cut the spice from the chipotle in the slaw and the chili powder in the shrimp marinade.

Chipotle Shrimp Taco Bowls

Serves 2 hungry people (we had a few shrimp left over), or 3 people

Modified from The Defined Dish

Slaw adapted from Healthy Little Peach

Ingredients:

For the shrimp

3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 tsp chili powder (chipotle chili powder would've been ideal, but we were out of it)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 - 1 T olive oil, for cooking

For the Pico de Gallo

2 Roma tomatoes

1 slice white onion, 1/4 inch thick

1/2 jalapeno pepper

Salt

Juice of 1/2 lime

For the chipotle lime slaw

2 cups shredded cabbage (I used Trader Joe's bagged organic shredded cabbage with carrots)

3-4 T Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo

1-2 squeezes fresh lime juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

For the bowls

2 cups riced cauliflower

1 T olive oil

1/4 cup water

1/2 jalapeno, sliced thin

3-4 radishes, sliced thin

Guacamole or sliced avocado

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

Chopped cilantro, for topping

Directions:

Make the slaw.  Mix the cabbage with the mayonnaise.  Add salt, pepper, and 1-2 squeezes of lime juice.  Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.  Cover and put in the fridge.

Make the Pico de Gallo.  Dice the tomato and onion.  Place in a bowl.  Remove the membranes and seeds from half a jalapeno pepper.  Cut into small pieces.  Add to tomato and onion.  Sprinkle with some salt, and juice of 1/2 lime.  Mix together.  Cover and place in the fridge.  

* This makes more Pico then you'll actually need for the taco bowls, but it's so delicious, I don't think you'll complain.

Make the marinade for the shrimp.  Mix together the oil, salt, pepper, juice of 1 lime, oregano, and chili powder.  Mix well.  Place shrimp in bowl and toss to coat.  Marinate for 5-10 minutes, watching closely so that the shrimp don't get "cooked" in the lime juice.  Remove from the marinade and pat dry.

Make the cauliflower rice.  Heat 1T olive oil in a pan.  Sautee cauliflower rice for about 2 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup of water and cover, allowing to steam for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from pan and place into bowls.

In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, place about 1/2 - 1T olive oil and heat until smoking.  Place the shrimp in the pan, being sure not to crowd them.  Cook for 1 and a half minutes, and then flip.  Cook for an additional 1 and a half minutes.  Place over cauliflower rice.

Prepare bowls by adding the toppings of your choice, but I recommend a little of each.  I skipped the jalapeno slices and some cilantro.