Sweet Potato Rice

I love rice, it’s literally my favorite food. Which I know is weird…but it’s just so good and nothing says comfort to me like a big bowl of white rice, salt and butter.  But after a few Whole30’s and continuously evaluating what serves my body best, I’ve learned that rice is not my best friend.  It’ll take a day or two for me to feel my best so I certainly can’t eat it every day.  So on to the quest for substitutions because what’s better than a rice bowl?

Besides my body not being a fan of rice, with Whole30 rice is out for those 30 days. Lots of people will turn to cauliflower as a substitution. Which is fine, and I love using it as well, but it definitely gets tiresome. I’ve also used celery root which is great and holds its texture better than cauliflower.  But I’d have to say I think the sweet potato rice may be my favorite substitution yet.

This kind of happened by accident, but in the end a happy accident.  You could make it a couple different ways. One way is to shred the potato using a food processor and stirring constantly as it cooks in a pan to break apart the shreds. It works, but definitely not as well as this second option.  The second option is my preferred method now and I think creates a better “rice like” consistency.  Still using the food processor, but instead cubing the sweet potato and pulsing until it’s broken into that rice-like size.  Just like making cauliflower rice.  It’s a bit quicker, then the first and you’re not overcooking the sweet potato to break it down smaller.

You can use this little side dish in so many ways.  It’s become one of our favorites for taco bowls, or as the base in my crispy pork teriyaki, or the star in my chicken jambalaya.

Try it out and leave me a comment, let me know what your favorite rice substitution is!