Hello and welcome to Flawed yet Functional! I revealed last week that I’m giving the Keto diet a try on top of my Autoimmune Protocol diet (with reintroductions: seeds, nuts, wine, chocolate, nightshades). As a result, my cooking has shifted to a low-carb focus. Today I want to share the best easy taco bowls for Keto and Paleo diets. A tasty recipe that I whipped up this week. Do you want to trim a few carbs out of your diet? Try this delicious taco bowl with cilantro lime cauliflower rice!
Inside: Not only a delicious free recipe but a Paleo pantry substitution checklist!
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Keto Trial
As I mentioned above, I’m giving the Keto diet a try, so each of my meals clock in at 15 carbs or less. The Beef & Chorizo Paleo Taco Bowl I shared a while back has 27 net carbs per serving. 27! That’s TWO meals worth of carbs! Now this taco bowl designed for both the Paleo and Keto diets has only 8 net carbs per serving. Whew, much better!
The biggest change in the two recipes is meat and the base for the taco toppings. There’s no chorizo in this recipe so it’s far less spicy, and the sweet potatoes are swapped out for cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
The Perfect Low-Carb Taco Base
A great alternative to potatoes or grain tortilla shells is cauliflower rice. Not that it is starchy and hearty the way a potato or tortilla is, but the texture can be altered to represent rice and is mild enough to take on any seasoning.
Cilantro lime cauliflower rice is a tasty base for this easy meal. I love that is tastes like the cilantro lime rice you’d find at any Mexican fast food restaurant. It’s also healthy, low carb and won’t leave you with a gut-ache after the meal. Woot!
Kid-Friendly
We all have or know of little ones that don’t like too much spice, right? So while the Beef & Chorizo Taco Bowl was bursting with spice and flavor, I took it easy on the seasoning this time so that it would appeal to all ages.
Only beef is used in this recipe making it more “traditional” if taco meat over cauliflower could ever be considered traditional. Ha!
Another thing kids love (at least mine do!) is that the whole thing is made up of small, easy to eat pieces. There’s no tortilla shell to try to hold together. No chips that will break and cause all the tears. Just a spoon and a bowl which is easy to eat and results in far less mess!
Options
What good is a recipe without a few options? My first tip is for leftovers. Often, I have lots of meat leftover and not much cauliflower rice. No problem. Saute some sliced onions and bell peppers seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt/pepper. Once those are soft, stir in the leftover cilantro lime cauliflower rice. Top with meat and guacamole as usual. Delicious!
If you’re really hankering for a shell to put your meat and toppings in, then try out a homemade grain-free tortilla shell.
Another favorite option is to make keto “nachos!” pile the meat and toppings in a bowl then use pork rinds
With just a little thinking and experimentation, you can enjoy your favorite dishes on the Paleo or Keto diets. Try The Best Easy Taco Bowls for Keto and Paleo Diets to bring the comfort of tacos back to your dinner table!
The Best Easy Taco Bowls for Keto and Paleo Diets
Savory beef taco meat over a bed of cilantro lime cauliflower rice topped with easy guacamole and green onions is sure to be a go-to meal for your low-carb Paleo diet! It's easy and kid-friendly!
Ingredients
Beef Taco Meat
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1.5 medium onions chopped
- 3 lbs. ground beef
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 Tbsp. Mexican chipotle chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 13.75 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- 2 lb. package of frozen cauliflower rice or two medium heads of cauliflower riced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice
Easy Guacamole
- 4 avocados
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 4 tsp. lime juice
Instructions
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Begin by prepping all the onions and put in 3 separate bowls for each section of the recipe. Then place all spices for the meat into a small bowl to save time while cooking.
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Next begin the meat. Using a 6 quart cast iron dutch oven, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat until beginning to brown. Add the beef and cooking, stirring and chopping continuously, until cooked through.
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When meat is completely cooked, stir in spices. Allow to cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant. Then stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer on low while making the cauliflower rice and guacamole.
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Second, make the cauliflower rice. In a large cast iron skillet, warm the pan over medium heat then add the olive oil and onion. Saute until onion is beginning to soften and release liquid. Then stir in cauliflower rice and water. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until cauliflower is soft, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper, cilantro, and lime juice.
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While the cauliflower rice is cooking and meat is simmering, make the guacamole. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit (follow these directions). Scoop out flesh with a spoon into a bowl and smash with a fork. Stir in onion, garlic, salt, and lime. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
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Serve in a bowl with cilantro lime cauliflower rice on the bottom topped with beef taco meat and guacamole. Toss on any other toppings you like (dairy-free plain yogurt, jalapenos, green onions, cilantro, etc.) and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This recipe has 15 grams total carbs per serving with 7 grams of fiber which is 8g of net carbs.
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