Paleo/AIP Modified Bibimbap
Bibimbap is one of our favorite foods, Dash requests this on the regular! It’s a delicious way to get a lot of veggies into one meal. I was so sad when I gave up rice for AIP and didn’t make it for the longest time because I figured it being a rice based dish there wasn’t a great way for me to replicate this in a compliant way. Typically bibimbap is made with a base layer of rice and is mixed with lots of meat, veggies and a fried egg with a sweet spicy sauce drizzled (or poured in Aaron’s case) on top. But recently I tried making it with cauliflower rice and was surprised by how delicious it was. For AIP just leave off the egg and sesame oil, and it tastes just as great. I usually use zucchini, carrots, sprouts, green onions and spinach, but feel free to use any veggies you have on hand. I’ve used mushrooms, summer squash, any type of greens, radish and a variety of different meats and fishes and they’ve all turned out great! Some other meats that work great in this are chicken, ground beef, ground pork, tuna and shrimp. Of course, if you aren’t on the AIP or Paleo diet, please feel free to use rice in place of the cauliflower if you prefer that! I hope you like this dish as much as we do :-).
- @thishealingmama
INGREDIENTS :
1/2 lb of sirloin sliced in thin strips (or any type of meat/protein you prefer)
Fresh or frozen cauliflower rice cooked per instructions on label (I usually steam mine)
8 oz bean sprouts
6 oz package of baby spinach (perfectly fine to use frozen also!)
1 large carrot sliced in thin strips
1 small zucchini sliced in thin strips
3-4 green onions
2 teaspoons raw honey
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 teaspoons fish sauce (AIP/Paleo compliant)
sea salt
olive oil (or other preferred oil, although i wouldn’t use coconut that might flavor the dish oddly)
sesame oil (optional, leave out if AIP)
fried eggs (optional, leave out if AIP)
DIRECTIONS :
Cook cauliflower rice as directed (I usually steam mine, until al dente) and prep all the vegetables. Prepping the vegetables before hand makes cooking it a lot easier.
In a bowl mix the thin strips of meat with 2 teaspoons of honey, salt, 1 teaspoon fish sauce and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Make sure all the meat is coated with this marinade and put in the fridge.
In a pot bring water and good pinch of salt to a boil. Once boiling add bean sprouts and cook for 3-5 minutes until bean sprouts are cooked but still have a slight crunch. Drain and rinse well with water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze out/drain any excess water and mix in a bowl the bean sprouts, remaining cloves of minced garlic (or garlic powder if you kids don’t like raw garlic, I usually do this for Dash), 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil (if using). Set aside.
In a good sized pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and cook sliced carrots, season well with salt. Set aside. In same pan add more olive oil and cook zucchini slices, season well with salt. Set aside. Next cook spinach until wilted, season with a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil if using. Last sauté’ the beef mixture being very careful not to overcook. The fish sauce and the honey can burn in the pan leaving the meat tasting bitter. The strips should cook quickly because they are thinly sliced.
Finally fry the eggs (I usually fry one egg per person for each plate) if you are using eggs. Assemble all the ingredients, giving a portion of each item per rice bowl or do it family style (this is typically what I do) and mix everything in one giant bowl. Enjoy!
* Notes : If you are using ground meat or longer cooking meat, cook the meat first and then add the marinade ingredients at the end. If you like and can eat hot sauce, this is typically served with a Korean chili sauce mixture, you can find “bibimbap” sauce at Asian food stores in your area or on Amazon, its delicious!
See below for some of our favorite paleo/aip friendly products that we used to create this dish :