Shrimp Creole with Cauliflower Rice

We are in the midst of one of those trendy 30-day no sugar challenges.   We’re not doing anything fancy, just avoiding foods with added sugars (any refined sugar, as well as honey, maple syrup, agave, etc.).  Don’t feel too bad for me.  I’ve already eaten my body weight in raisins this month, and we still have another few days.

We were relieved to realize that we didn’t have to make too many dramatic changes. Admittedly, we were already trying to be cautious about high sugar foods, but this challenge made us think even harder, and it kept me from rewarding myself every night with a spoonful of ice cream or a piece of chocolate.  Anyways, this post is not about that.  This post is about some delicious food you CAN eat while you’re avoiding sugar – shrimp creole with cauliflower rice! 

I religiously follow my favorite food blog, Joy the Baker, so when I found this recipe pop up in my inbox, I immediately “Pinned” it for later use.  A lot of my pinned recipes get forgotten about (because there are hundreds of them), but this one sucked me back in when I was making my shopping list.  Maybe it was the recent trip to the south and the shrimp and grits we just enjoyed.  Maybe it’s just that I really like shrimp creole.  It’s hard to say.  But the key was that this recipe requires no added sugars, it’s full of lean protein and fiber, and it tastes amazing!  A little bit spicy and very savory, I SCARFED it down.

And yes, I left the tails on, so there was a lot of finger-licking.  It was a full-immersion food experience.

The recipe for Brennan’s New Orleans Shrimp Creole can by found with beautiful step by step instructions on Joy’s blog.  You must go there.  Pin it.  Or make it.  Or both.

The only differences?  You recommends serving this with fluffy white rice which sounds delicious and is a great idea too.  I decided to use cauliflower rice because I like it and because I think it’s a healthy choice.  And it really couldn’t be easier.  You take a head of cauliflower.  Cut it into florets.  Then put them a batch at a time into a food processor or blender until they’re rice-grain-sized.  (The first time I made this, I made the mistake of cutting my cauliflower into pieces that were too large.  If they’re too large, the food processor can’t handle the breakdown, and we start spinning our wheels.  Just give it a head start.)

If you don’t want to eat all of the cauliflower at once, you can store it raw like that in a container in the fridge.  Take the portion you want to serve, heat up some oil in a saute pan, and lightly saute your cauliflower until little pieces start to brown.  Season with salt and pepper.

[lt_recipe name=”Cauliflower Rice” servings=”6″ prep_time=”10M” cook_time=”10M” total_time=”20M” difficulty=”Easy” summary=”An easy and healthy substitute for white or brown rice!” print=”yes” image=”http://www.eighteenalmonds.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_9612-001-150×150.jpg” ingredients=”1 head of cauliflower;Extra virgin olive oil;Salt;Pepper” ]Cut the head of cauliflower into medium sized florets. Place them in a food processor or blender and pulse until they are the size of rice grains. ;Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the portion of cauliflower that you’d like to serve and heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through and pieces are starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper.;Store leftover “rice” in the refrigerator cooked or raw. [/lt_recipe]