Cauliflower Fried Rice

I love fried rice...who doesn't, right? But... regular fried rice is full of grease and calories and when I work out so hard during the week...I don't want to eat all those extra calories when I can make this amazing cauliflower fried rice recipe and it tastes just as good! One change I made to the recipe below is that I used the stir-fry veggies from Trader Joes instead of the onion and frozen peas and carrots. I wanted more of a variety of veggies and the Trader Joe's stir-fry mix worked perfectly! 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 large egg
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray
• 1/2 small onion, diced fine
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 scallions, diced, whites and greens separated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, or more to taste

Directions:

Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely. Coarsely chop into florets, then place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don't over process or it will get mushy. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.

Combine egg and egg whites in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Season with salt.

Heat a large saute pan or wok over medium heat and spray with oil. Add the eggs and cook, turning a few times until set; set aside.

Add the sesame oil and saute onions, scallion whites, peas and carrots (or stir-fry veggies) and garlic about 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft.

Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the cauliflower "rice" to the saute pan along with soy sauce. Mix, cover and cook approximately 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. Add the egg then remove from heat and mix in scallion greens.

Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

My husband and I had an amazing Valentine's weekend in Napa... But we definitely over indulged on drinks and food. It was well worth it but we needed to get back on track today and didn't feel like eating anything heavy. I'm not the best at making soup but when I came across this recipe .. I knew I had to try it and it actually came out really good. We both loved it and it totally hit the spot. It's low calorie, low fat and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese or regular cheddar cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and garlic cloves in the olive oil until well coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place on a large baking sheet, in a single layer. Roast the cauliflower until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and celery and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Chop up the roasted garlic. Add the garlic, roasted cauliflower, vegetable broth, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

3. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor), blend the soup until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm. 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

I try and make at least two vegetarian meals a week to lower our meat consumption and this weekend I made these great sweet potato and black bean burritos. They were filling, low calorie, tasty and got the husband approval...which is always a plus! 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato - chopped

1 jalapeño - chopped

1 bell pepper - chopped

1/2 onion - chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 can black beans

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 cilantro - chopped

Splash of lime juice

Reduced fat cheddar cheese

Whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Mix all the raw veggies together with spices and olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Once done roasting - mix veggies with black beans, cilantro and lime juice.

Warm your wheat tortillas or wraps in microwave according to directions on package. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.

Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others. Place into your baking dish, seam side down so that they stay together.

Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Baking this way will make the tortilla wrap crisp. For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I enjoy baking because I have a big sweet tooth and I love how my house smells afterwards. My favorite desserts are cookies but I like to switch it up once in awhile....so when I came across these lemon poppy seed muffins - I had to give it a try! They turned out great and are perfect for a dessert or breakfast! 

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:
2/3 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. To Make the Muffins: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream or Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir to blend. Don't overmix. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.

5. To Make the Icing: Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Drizzle glaze over the muffins. Serve.

"Fried" Chicken and Waffles

I'll never forget the first time my husband took me to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles....it was scrumptious. I had the fried chicken and two waffles and ate every piece...it was amazing. I wanted to recreate my own healthy version at home...so I searched for the perfect recipe. I tried this recipe from one of my favorite blogs and it turned out really great. For the waffles I bought the Trader Joes wheat free toaster waffles with pure maple syrup...delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 1/2 cups bran flakes
• 3 tsp kosher salt, less if you are using regular salt
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil and set a rack above. Spray rack with oil. 

Crush cereal in a food processor or chopper. In a bowl mix crushed cereal with salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. 

Combine mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Using a cooking brush, brush onto chicken then coat chicken with crushed cereal mixture. Place chicken on wire rack and spray with oil. Bake 35-40 minutes.

Easy Spinach Salad

I try to eat as healthy as I can and sometimes it's a little hard to always stay on track...especially on the weekends. So today instead of going out to eat for lunch...I made a salad. I know salads can be boring, which is why I try and load my salads with lots of yummy extras! This salad tastes great, healthy and will keep you full! 

Ingredients:

Half bag of spinach

3 scrambled egg whites

3 slices of turkey

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 Persian cucumber

1 tomato

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

5 grapes

1 pickle

Slice of low fat mozzarella cheese

Orange muscat champagne vinaigrette dressing (trader joes) 

Directions:

 

Take first 6 ingredients and mix them in a big bowl. Mix with salad dressing. Place the last 4 ingredients on top of salad. 

Spaghetti Squash and Cheese Bake

Who doesn't love mac and cheese? I know I do...but I hate all the calories and fat that goes into it. So... I tried this new recipe that substitutes the macaroni for spaghetti squash and uses a reduced fat cheese. It was amazing!!! I will probably never make regular mac and cheese again.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup flour 

2 cups skim milk

1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)

8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar

salt and pepper, to taste

4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach

1/8 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.

Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.