Spicy Thai Basil Beef with Red Cauliflower Rice

So I learned some things about fresh basil when looking up some recipes for basil stir-fries: The longer basil is cooked, the more flavor it LOSES!  I love the taste of basil (it may be one of my favorite herbs to cook with), but I have noticed that some of the times I have added fresh basil to a recipe it does not turn out as flavorful as I expect.  Lesson of the day: When you use fresh basil, add it RIGHT at the end of cooking and only cook it for about 30 seconds, or until it just begins to wilt.

The recipe I am posting today definitely had a great basil flavor, thanks to my newly learned lesson!  The red cauliflower rice was also a nice change from the regular cauliflower rice I normally cook. 

Spicy Thai Basil Beef

Yield: 4-5 servings

Adapted from Fast Paleo

Ingredients
3-4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1.5 Tablespoons fresh lemongrass (About 3-4 stalks), chopped

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

½ lb green beans

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ onion, thinly sliced

1 lb grassfed ground beef

1.5 T fish sauce (or use my substitution recipe below!)

1 T fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons coconut aminos

½ cup loosely torn fresh basil

Lime wedges, for garnish

*I had never used fresh lemongrass before so here is a simple step-by-step on how to prepare lemongrass for cooking: http://www.cookthink.com/reference/74/How_to_prep_lemongrass

Directions

1) Chop all your ingredients prior to beginning cooking.  It will make things run much more smoothly after you turn that stove on!

2) Add the garlic, lemongrass, and red pepper flakes to your food processor and pulse to make a rough paste.  *My food processor ended up being too large for such a small amounts of ingredients, but I did my best to make it work.  If this doesn’t turn into a true paste don’t panic!  The flavors will all still mix in with the beef.

3) Heat ½ T of coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan.  Add the green beans and fry for about 2 minutes.

4) Add the peppers and onions and fry until just translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

5) Remove the vegetables and set to the side while you cook the beef.

6) Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan.  Add the spice paste and fry for 1 minute.

7) Add the ground beef and fry until cooked through.

8) Return the vegetables to the pan and add the fish sauce, coconut aminos, and lime juice.  Stir until well mixed.

9) Lastly, add the basil leaves and cook until just wilted, about 30 seconds.

10) Remove from heat and serve.  Garnish with additional lime wedges.

*My Fish Sauce Substitute (Makes ~1/4 cup)

Ingredients

3 T apple cider vinegar

2 T coconut aminos

1-2 teaspoons raw honey

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Measure out all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.

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Red Cauliflower Rice

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

3 cups cauliflower, riced in your food processor

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ onion, diced

3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

1 cup tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)

1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1) Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan.

2) Add garlic and onion and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes.

3) Add diced tomatoes and stir.

4) Add the cauliflower rice

5) Pour in the tomato sauce and chili powder and stir.

6) Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until cauliflower becomes soft.