Thai Shrimp Stir Fry on Riced Cauliflower {all ingredients from Trader Joes}

Have you ever been in a food rut?  I feel like I eat the same meals each week and while I enjoy them, and they keep me on track, I'm SO sick of chicken, pork, and beef!  Can I get an amen?

I set out to Trader Joe's yesterday to add more variety to my life.  When I lived in Southern California I was SO spoiled.  I had THREE Trader Joe's in my city and TWO Targets.  Now I live in a small, historic town in North Carolina and while we have better options than in previous years, my nearest Trader Joes' is still 45 minutes away (and Target is easily 30 minutes).

I had so much fun shopping at TJs and spent a small fortune but I brought home some ingredients I haven't used in years!  I whipped up a quick, and I mean QUICK dinner tonight and it was so good I licked the bowl clean.... for real!  I thought I'd share with all the busy gals out there.  This took maybe 10 minutes tops and tasted like Thai take-out.

Here are the main ingredients, there's only four, well five if you count cooking oil... OK, six if you count the sliced avocado I added last minute to my dish.

Wild Caught Argentinian Red Shrimp $9.99 for 20-25 large shrimp

Stir Fry Vegetables sold in the frozen section and Riced Cauliflower sold in produce.

Thai Green Curry Sauce (by the way, NOT Paleo but I didn't have time to create a Paleo version from scratch so I decided to use this and then recreate down the line, when I do, I'll post a Paleo version here.)

Step 1: thaw frozen shrimp.  I placed my shrimp in my refrigerator in the morning and by 5 pm they were still frozen.  Aim for the night before.  If they are still frozen, place in a strainer, place the strainer in a larger bowl, and fill with COLD water and let the faucet dribble cold water over them for about 15 minutes or until thaw.

Step 2: heat up oil of choice in a skillet.  I used sesame oil but avocado oil could work well, or grapeseed oil.  Once the oil is heated, cook shrimp for 2 minutes then flip onto the other side for another 2 minutes over medium heat.  Once cooked I let them sit on a plate until I need them.

Step 3: place Riced Cauliflower  in a bowl and toss with 1-2 TBSP of olive oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes.  There are many different ways to cook Riced Cauliflower but I've researched them all and the consensus is that the microwave version resembles rice the best.  I agree.  I've roasted, I've sautéed, but the microwaved tastes and feels most like real white rice.

Step 4: heat up another TBSP of oil in skillet and add and sauté the frozen stir fry vegetables for 4-6 minutes stirring often.  

Step 5: add the Thai Green Curry sauce to pan of veggies and add back in the shrimp.  Heat the ingredients together and place on a bed of the heated riced cauliflower.  You could add a sprig of fresh cilantro and some diced avocado to finish it off, adding even more YUM!

I realize that this isn't from scratch, though I'd love to make a Paleo version of the sauce, but it tasted like restaurant quality and took only 10 minutes.  Win!  And the entire dish cost maybe $16.  This could easily feed a family of four or double the ingredients for a larger family.  

I hope this helps a busy mom out there.  Thai flavors were a nice detour from all of my usuals.  I will definitely be making this again.  If I can create this green curry sauce from scratch then this entire meal can be Paleo, and I'll have to use different stir fry veggies as these have edamame which is also not Paleo.  

I hope this was A Good Fit for you!  Please share.  And let me know if you try this recipe.