Low-Carb Fajita-Style Shrimp & Cauliflower Rice!

I have been moving non-stop today, and I finally took a moment to sit down and blog about the dinner I just made. The weather in Chicago was absolutely beautiful today. I got out of work at 5 and put my roller blades on and skated for 4 miles. Then, I walked Oliver for 1 mile. Finally, I did a 20-minute full body yoga flow. I’ve mentioned it before, but I love Sanela! She is super positive and inspiring, and she’s a calm yet energetic teacher. I always feel good after her flows.

After all of that fresh air, I wanted a quick but nutritious meal, so I decided to make some shrimp fajita lettuce wraps with cauliflower rice. This meal is very easy to make and not too time-consuming, and the peppers pack tons of nutrients and antioxidants while the cauliflower delivers tons of vitamins and immune boosters.

For this recipe, you need:

• Package of cauliflower rice (you can certainly make your own by grating or pulsing a head of cauliflower, but this is what I had on hand – the Green Giant brand has many varieties)
• Sazon seasoning packet
• Onions
• Garlic
• Red, yellow, orange, and jalapeno peppers
• Limes
• Large lemon
• Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Hot sauce
• Butter
• Salt, pepper, onion flakes, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, and cumin
• Optional: Romaine lettuce, avocado, and queso fresco

I got all of these ingredients at Aldi except for the cauliflower rice, which you can get at Target, Walmart, or most other grocery stores.

To start, I made a small marinade for the shrimp. I melted two tablespoons of butter and mixed in about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon each of hot sauce, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion flakes, and paprika. I squeezed two limes and one large lemon in the mixture, whisked it up, and covered the shrimp with it. I generally marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

While the shrimp was marinating, I seeded and sliced the peppers.

Next, I diced up onion and garlic and sauteed them in a pan with a little olive oil. When I am going to use frozen cauliflower rice, I will either defrost it in the morning or I will microwave it for about two minutes before adding it to the pan. After the onions and garlic were tender, I added the cauliflower rice, Sazon seasoning packet, and let it simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft and fluffy.

While the rice was cooking, I sauteed the peppers with more onion and garlic until they were soft. I added the shrimp and raised the heat to medium. I think these would be much better on a grill, but I am a budding cook and do not yet own a grill or a grill pan, so I have to work with what I have! Shrimp cooks very quickly and generally will only take about 3-5 minutes on each side. Once they are pink in color and no longer grey, they are done.

Once the shrimp are fully cooked, I like to fry up a little queso fresco to go with. I find this cheese to be one of the best for frying, and it adds a good depth of flavor as an accompaniment. It’s also a pretty inexpensive cheese. I usually slice it into even blocks and lightly fry it in a pan with a little bit of garlic salt and butter.

You can assemble the shrimp into lettuce wraps or low-carb tortillas, or you can just eat as is! I served these in lettuce wraps with some sliced avocado on the side. This dinner is simple and fast to make, packed with nutrients, low-carb, and delicious. If you make it, I hope you enjoy!