One Pot “Chorizo” Cauliflower Skillet

Let’s talk imitation meat.

Before I became a vegetarian, I didn’t really understand meat imitation products. To me, they didn’t taste the same, and if I was going to give up meat, I didn’t want to replace it with a meat-like substance like Watermelon Jerky.

But.

I have kids. Kids who are only on this journey with me because I am the one who puts the food under their faces. They want kid-friendly familiar things.

I also have a husband. A husband who isn’t fighting me on this switch, but also isn’t fully committed either … yet. He also sometimes wants kid-friendly familiar things.

Let’s keep it real. Kid-friendly familiar things are great for everyone.

I need something to keep them interested in moving forward. And, once you actually give up meat for a while, some of the imitation stuff does taste similar. It’s been a lot of experimenting around here. Some of it is pretty good, and some definitely is not.

I picked up some Tofurky “Chorizo” grounds on the weekend. Something new for us to try. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. And, then a Southwestern dish came to mind. A one-pot rice skillet is full of veggies, beans, etc. But, I also wanted to give cauliflower rice another go. I’ve tried it a few times, and I actually like it a lot, but the first time I made it, the kids didn’t like it. It was a bad, bad first impression though, so I’ve been waiting to reintroduce it.

This was it.

This was good.

This is a super versatile dish. Use the veggies/beans you’ve got. If you are a vegan, top it with a vegan cheeze of your choice (I make my own cheese sauce that is amazzzzzzing – recipe to come soon), or if you still dabble in the dairy, then grated cheese or sour cream on top would be awesome too. I topped mine with homemade salsa and some spicy guacamole and gave cheese to the kids with some nacho chips on the side.

Don’t like cauliflower rice? Regular rice or Quinoa would be great too. The Chorizo added enough flavor, I just topped it up with some garlic, salt, and pepper.

It also made a good stew or soup too with the addition of tomato sauce and some veggie broth. The possibilities are endless.

I’d love to hear if you make this. If you do, use hashtag, #dashofveganbutter on Twitter or Instagram so I can check it out.