Taiwanese Pork and Rice

I am a big fan of cabbage rolls, but wanted to try something a little different with ground pork. The Chinese five-spice adds a great flavor and aroma to this dish. Coconut aminoes is a paleo substitute for soy sauce. You can find it at many health food stores or online. Rice wine vinegar is technically a paleo cheat, so you can substitute apple cider vinegar, if you'd like. There isn't a lot of work involved in this meal, but start early to allow time to simmer. Watch your cauliflower. If left unattended, it's easy to overcook.

Adapted from megaheart.com.


Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup shallots, minced
2 cups water
1/3 cup coconut aminoes
1 Tbsp raw organic honey (optional)
1 Tbsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

Preparation

Mash cauliflower rice with a fork
or pulse in a food processor.

1. Brown the ground pork in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat; drain oil from pork and set pork aside. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.
2. Add oil to pan over medium-high heat; saute the garlic 1 minute. Add pork and shallots and saute for about 2 minutes or until shallots begin to soften.
3. Add the water and remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring every 10 - 15 minutes.
5. Uncover and continue to simmer 15 minutes.
6. While pork mixture is simmering, cut head of cauliflower into medium-sized pieces. Put cauliflower in medium saucepan with about 1 - 2 inches of water. Bring water to a slow boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until just soft (don't overcook). Drain cauliflower and pulse in food processor or mash with a fork until it is a rice-like consistency.
7. Serve Taiwanese pork over cauliflower rice in a shallow bowl.