Paleo Moo Shu Beef with Cauliflower Rice

Look at that, Chinese food that is Paleo?  Yes, that's right!  I've never had Moo Shu beef before but this tasted pretty darn good.  It also looked pretty close to some of the internet pics I've seen, so I'm happy there.  

It's Wednesday, so that means I used my crock pot.  This recipe took a little prep work, but it was fun prep work. This was the first time that I used the shredder blade on my food processor, so that was fun to work with.  For the most part though, this meal was pretty simple.

I chose the 4-quart size on my crock pot and put my beef roast in.  I used a 3ish pound roast and we will have some leftover Moo Shu for lunch tomorrow.  I shredded some cabbage and threw it all on top of the roast.  After that I added some minced fresh ginger and minced garlic.  I mixed up some Hoisin sauce with some apple cider vinegar and poured it all over the Moo Shu.  Cook it on high for a few hours and when there was 1 hour left I had my hubby add some mushrooms and sliced green onions.  I would have done it but I was still at ballet with #3.

When I got home I prepared the cauliflower rice.  I broke out the shredder attachment on my food processor again and went to town.  The shredder cut down the cauliflower into little pieces that look like rice.  It didn't exactly taste like rice, but it looked like rice and gave me the impression that I was eating it.  Just look at that picture up there, it really looks like rice.

Verdict: This was one tasty meal.  For a family that likes our Chinese food, I'm glad we were able to incorporate a meal back in.  Was it authentic?  Well, the Moo Shu certainly had the flavor of a good Chinese dish, the rice, not so much.  But it was a good way to prepare the cauliflower and it alone tasted good.  Hubby, kids and I all loved the meal and it will be a repeat.   

CROCK POT MOO SHU BEEF

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

3ish lb beef chuck roast

Sea salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

½ head cabbage, red or green, cored and sliced thin or shredded

2 TBSP fresh ginger root, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup Paleo Hoisin sauce (or cheat like I did for one night and use regular Hoisin sauce, all the Paleo versions have coconut aminos)

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

8 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced

4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

½ tsp sesame seeds, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Season roast with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of your crock pot.

2. Sprinkle cabbage over the top, then evenly distribute ginger and garlic.

3. Drizzle Hoisin sauce and vinegar over the top.

4. Cook on high for 5-6 hours.

5. One hour before meat is done, add mushrooms and half of the green onions.

6. To serve, transfer roast from the crock pot to a cutting board.  Cut into bite-sized pieces.  Add meat back to crock and stir together crock pot contents.

7. Divide evenly among bowls.  Drizzle with additional green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cauliflower

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Process fresh cauliflower in food processor until it is the size of rice, using the plain steel blade or the shredder blade.  You can shred it with a hand held grater or even a knife if you have the dexterity and patience to chop it very finely.

2. Place it in a microwavable safe dish with a lid.  DO NOT ADD WATER.  Cauliflower absorbs water and will become gummy if you add water.

3. Microwave it for 2-5 minutes or until it’s as hot as you’d like.