AIP Sticky Orange Beef with Citrus Caulirice

Did you know it’s still possible to have delicious Chinese food while following the AIP diet? Well, it is! After trying so many amazing recipes from other bloggers and cookbooks, I finally decided to be brave and create my own dish.
I was also inspired to make this dish because my girlfriend and I were talking about what foods were in season right now (in the USA) and we discovered oranges were! I’m also orang-inally (originally…orang-inally…get it?? heh.) from Florida, so I’m like the best orange picker-outer ever.

Speaking of that, do you want to know a secret on how to pick the best, most ripe citrus ever? Here it is: Look for the ones that have a smoother rind (instead of a bumpy surface) and pick the ones that are the heaviest, because that means they’re going to be the juiciest. You can do this by being “that” person in the grocery store and picking several of them up and sort of “weighing” them in your hand. Soon, you will be the Citrus Whisperer…

Alright, now back to the recipe. So I think I nailed this recipe on the first try because this was DELICIOUS and tasted very much like the Chinese food I used to eat pre-AIP.

What I like about it is that it’s a bit crispy from “frying” the beef, but it’s also syrupy and sticky from the coconut sugar, which ends up caramelizing in the pan and getting all thick and yummy.

I then managed to make this really cool Asian-inspired citrus “sticky” rice with cauliflower, and that just made me so happy. The recipe for the pictured broccoli isn’t included below, but – here’s a BONUS RECIPE because I like you guys – basically all you have to do is steam some fresh or frozen broccoli in a deep-dish pan, then once the water has evaporated, let it get all crispy and almost burnt before you hit it with 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, ⅛ tsp garlic powder and a few shakes of sea salt and BOOM you’ve got an amazing second side dish.

Now you, too, can have your own Chinese take-out for your next Friday (or any) night. Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

AIP Sticky Orange Beef with Citrus Caulirice

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

Servings: 4

Author: Mitch Hankins

Ingredients

1.5 lbs top sirloin (thinly sliced (you can ask the butcher to do this for you)
⅓ cup coconut sugar
⅓ cup coconut vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp coconut aminos
¼ arrowroot flour
1.5 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp dry ginger
1 cup coconut oil, melted

Caulirice Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, riced
2 tbsp coconut oil
1- inch piece fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp coconut vinegar
1 tsp coconut aminos
⅛ sea salt

Instructions

FOR BEEF

Mix vinegar, orange juice, coconut aminos, orange zest, ginger, garlic and sugar in small bowl; set aside.
Use a paper towel to pat the beef strips dry.
In a mixing bowl, toss beef strips with arrowroot flour until beef is thoroughly coated.
In a wok or deep skillet, heat coconut oil until melted.
While coconut oil is melting, transfer sauce mixture to small saucepan and heat on medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until syrupy and thick.
While sauce is simmering, lay beef strips in oil until both sides are golden brown and "fried"; once fried, set beef aside and drain all oil from pan.
Once sauce is syrupy and thick, add beef strips back to skillet and pour sauce over beef; gently stir beef together with sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Enjoy!

FOR CAULIRICE

Cut cauliflower into florets and pulse in a food processor until "rice" consistency; set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a deep-dish skillet or wok.
Add ginger to pan and cook until browned, about 3 minutes or so; remove ginger from pan and throw away.
Add riced cauliflower to pan and cook for about 8 minutes, or until softened.
Add in remaining ingredients for "rice" and cook together for about another minute.
Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

TIP:
To form rice into a circle "mound", pack FIRMLY (I pack it down with a spoon or similar tool) into a shallow and wide coffee/tea cup or bowl.
Then, put plate upside-down on top of cup/bowl, and gently flip over.
Tap bottom of cup/bowl gently and lift up, revealing your perfect mound! 🙂