One of the worst things about dieting is fighting cravings. I know that just like my kids are with candy, the second you deny me of something I want it more. In fact, I'd argue that random cravings are probably the cause of many diet failures. So how do I handle that? Well, I try my hardest never to deprive myself of something if I can avoid it. Instead, I just try and find simple substitutions that "feed the beast" without padding the pooch.
Until last year my best friend and I would partake in what we called Foo Yung Fridays. It was our attempt to eat every bit of delicious Chinese buffet food we could possibly cram into those little to-go plates. We actually went so far as to find the one restaurant that charged by the box instead of the pound, and repeatedly got in trouble for our double-stuffed containers. When we both decided to live healthier lives for ourselves, and our little munchkins, we started with our biggest vice - Chinese food!
Authentic Asian food is really very healthy - lots of vegetables, soy products, fresh seafood and meats - but, it's the American interpretation of those dishes that really get us in trouble. I'm going to venture to guess there are no fried donuts in restaurants across the Pacific...So, the key was really getting back to the core of our favorite Chinese dishes. Armed with my favorite sous chef and an adventurous spirit I tried to reinterpret a buffet classic, fried rice. Now, everything about this says "NO ANNE, DON'T EAT THIS." If the "rice" part didn't trigger me, surely the "fried" would. But no, I knew I could do it. Friends invested in the Paleo craze have been posting pictures of their cauliflower rice for months, so I figured I'd give it a try. With that as the base, it was just a matter of adding a few simple ingredients (all that I had on hand), to create this subtlety-spiced and absolutely delicious substitute.
Fried cauliflower "rice" with green onion & zucchini
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped then pureed in food processor (yields about 2 c)
1 tsp olive oil
4 green onions, chopped, green & white
1 c finely diced zucchini (add in peas, chopped carrots, & other of your fave veggies)
2 whole eggs, 1 white, beaten
soy sauce to taste
Directions
- Preheat olive oil in skillet on medium heat
- Wilt onions, stirring occasionally
- Add zucchini (and other veggies) and cook for a minute or so to soften
- Add 2 c of cauliflower “rice”, toss to coat
- Cook for 4-5 minutes or until cauliflower reaches the texture of rice
- Create a well in the rice by pushing it against the sides of the pan
- Spray pan with olive oil in the center and add beaten eggs
- Slowly move the eggs back and forth slowly (like scrambled eggs) until cooked through (1-2 minutes)
- Remove from heat and add soy sauce to the rice mixture (taste for flavor)
- Gently fold the eggs into the rice
Try this topped with a veggie stir-fry, or ginger-marinated shrimp like I did. Substitution doesn't have to equal sacrifice!