Amazing Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

Cauliflower “Fried Rice.” Make this. Trust me.

People ask me all the time if I follow a low carb diet. The answer is absolutely not. I prefer to think of it as a "smart" carb diet. For example: I eat lots of fruit. You know what is in fruit? Yep, carbohydrates. But the they are carbs your body can recognize and use to fuel your day. Do you know what is in that breakfast cereal bar you just ate? Probably not, unless you studied the label, but I can guarantee your there was a plethora of carbohydrates. The problem comes about when those carbs are actually factory created chemicals that smell good and look good, but are completely unrecognizable to the human body.

 So, yes, I choose to be as educated as I can about the food that goes into my body, including the sources of carbohydrates I include into my diet. I'm smart about them, But, no, I don't avoid them. There are definite times and places where grains make the recipe. Throw up your hands and rejoyce! This is not one of them. You'll never miss the rice. We actually told a little fib at dinner and told the kids this was just like the fried rice they love from our neighborhood sushi restaurant. They both ate an entire bowl and never once balked at the taste or texture of the cauliflower. Victory!

Anyway, needless to say I loved the way this turned out. I'm even planning to meal prep it next week for my lunches. 

As a little tip...You’ll want to marinade the pork for several hours or overnight. So make sure you allow yourself time for that. It’s a worthwhile step. Other than that, this recipe couldn't be easier. 

Here you go:

Marinade Recipe: In a zip lock bag combine the following-

3tsp minced garlic

2tbsp Tamari or Low sodium soy sauce

1tbsp dried minced onion flakes

1/4tsp black pepper

1tbsp sesame oil

1tbsp rice wine vinegar

1lb boneless, center cut pork, chops sliced into small thin pieces.

For the stir fry:

1tbsp sesame oil

2-3 tsp minced garlic

1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped

1c green sweet peas, I used frozen

3 scallions, finely chopped including stems

1c of shredded carrot

2 large eggs

For the “Rice”:

2 bags of pre-washed cauliflower florets or a large head of fresh cauliflower. Wash if necessary.

2-3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Begin by ricing your cauliflower. Place the contents of one bag or ½ a head of cauliflower into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until it is the consistency and size of grains of rice. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Repeat with second bag or second ½ of the cauliflower.

In a very large pan, warm 1tbsp sesame oil over medium heat and sauté onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic carrots, peas and scallions and cook until carrots have softened.

Next, push all the vegetables to the perimeter of pan and add the pork and marinade. Cook the pork thoroughly, but do not incorporate the vegetables until the pork is fully cooked, about 4 minutes depending on how large or small you cut the pieces of meat.

After the pork is fully cooked, combine it with the veggies by stirring gently and once again push the meat and vegetables to the outer edge of the pan. Crack one egg at a time into the center of the pan and season with salt and pepper. Scramble the eggs and incorporate them into the mixture.

You are ready for the final step. Retrieve your riced cauliflower and pour the entire bowl into your sauté pan. Before you stir, top the cauliflower with 2-3tbsp low sodium soy sauce and then stir to mix all the ingredients evenly. No need to really “cook” the cauliflower, just warm it through. 

Garnish each serving with 1/4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

*I also added a sprinkle of dried red chili flakes to my rice. I did not include this in the recipe because I prefer to keep my recipes more child-friendly. Personally, I think great either way, but the heat from the chilies is really tasty.

Hope you enjoy it!

Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan

When I think of my favorite comfort foods, there seems to be a few reoccurring themes. Evidently I really like cheese and fried goodness. This recipe for my Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan skips right over the bad fried part and goes straight to the melty, cheesy goodness. I love this meal because I can get it to the dinner table in about a 1/2 hour and I feel like I'm getting a really indulgent meal with out a lot of effort in the kitchen or miles to run afterward.

Here is what you'll need for chicken:
1/2c Plain or whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp dry parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4c Egg substitute or 1 egg, well beaten
1c pasta sauce. I like Wild Oats Organic Sauces
1c Part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1lb Chicken breast strips or thin sliced chicken breasts

For Salad:
6 c Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
1tsp olive oil
1tsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp stone ground mustard
2tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

For zucchini:
3 medium zucchini
1tbsp olive oil
1 tsp finely minced garlic (I like Spice World Minced "squeeze" garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste

Here's how to make the recipe:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Set up your breading station: Line a pan with parchment paper or foil. Next, place the beaten egg or egg substitute in one bowl and the bread crumbs in another. Add garlic, parsley and 1/4tsp salt and 1/4tsp pepper to the bread crumbs and mix.

2. Dip each piece of chicken or breast strip in to the egg and let excess drip off. Next dip into bread crumbs, lightly pressing to help crumbs stick. Place on baking sheet.

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven. For these strips, the cooking time is approximately 20 minutes. For a larger breast, allow upwards of 30 minutes.

4. While the chicken cooks you'll want to prep your side dishes. For the zucchini:
Rough chop the zucchini while you heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add zucchini, garlic and salt and pepper to the pan and toss to coat with the olive oil. Cook until tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. For the salad: Add lettuce to a large bowl with a tight lid. In a small bowl, mix oil, vinegar, lemon juice and seasonings and mix well. Add salad dressing to the bowl and place lid on the container. Shake to distribute the dressing. Immediately divide into serving bowls and top with black pepper.

6. After your chicken is fully cooked, remove from oven and set oven to broil. For these strips I grouped 3 strips together and topped each serving with about 1/4c of mozzarella.

7. Return the chicken to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

8. Heat sauce in a small sauce pan or microwave. Move each portion to a plate and top with 1/4 of the warmed sauce.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions!

Quick Roasted Potatoes

Even with the very best meal plan in place, real life often intervenes and and that gorgeous but time-consuming meal you had planned gets replaced by a conference call or trip to the pediatrician. That is why it pays to have a few tricks up your sleeve and a few bags of frozen steam-able veggies in your freezer.

My family loves roasted potatoes, but the traditional method takes 45 minutes to an hour. On school nights I need dinner on the table in the shortest amount of time possible and on our busiest nights 45 minutes for a side dish is out of the question. That's where this recipe comes in to play. You can still have the crispy, oven-roasted potatoes you love...in about 20 minutes.

Here is what you'll need:
Fingerling potatoes or new potatoes, about 4oz per person. 4 servings = 1lb of potatoes.
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp dry parsley
1/4tsp garlic powder, or more to taste
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp black pepper
non-stick spray
Press and Seal plastic wrap

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Clean and rough chop the potatoes into small pieces and place in a large microwave safe bowl. 

2. Toss with olive oil, then add seasonings and mix well until evenly coated with seasonings and oil. I find it easiest to do this with my hands instead of a spoon.

3. Cover bowl with Press and Seal wrap or cling wrap and microwave on high for 7 minutes for 1lb of potatoes. Reduce microwave time for smaller portions.

4. Carefully pour microwaved potatoes into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Arrange potatoes in one layer and bake for 15 minutes, stirring once half way through cooking to brown potatoes on all sides and prevent them from sticking.

5. After 15 minutes, stir once more, and set oven to broil. Continue cooking on broil for 4-5 minutes, keeping a close eye on your potatoes. You want them browned, not burned.

6. Remove from the oven and taste for "doneness" and season if needed. We had these delicious potatoes with steamed green beans and (bunless) Morning Star Farms Chipotle Black Bean Burgers topped with cheddar cheese.

There you have it. Quick roasted potatoes with slow roasted taste. Enjoy! Feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Guilt-free Shrimp and Grits

I was raised in the South, but somehow I can't remember a single time that shrimp and grits ever made it onto our dinner table. I can't even remember grits being on the menu at all for that matter. Cream of Wheat, yes. Grits, no. I blame that one on having parents raised far closer to Canada than Mexico. And yes, I said blame because its a shame we weren't eating this more often. Its so good!

This recipe requires you to pay a little more attention than most of my recipes, mostly because of the shrimp. They overcook quickly if you aren't watching what's happening in the pan. However, the extra effort is so worth it. The creamy, cheesy cheddar grits are perfect with the heat of the shrimp and the crispy, salty bacon adds...who am I kidding...its bacon. It makes everything awesome.

Here is what your'll need:
1lb Large or Jumbo shrimp, raw, shelled, de-veined
3/4c quick grits (not instant)
1 14oz can chicken broth
1c water
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2c sharp cheddar cheese
2 strips of bacon
1/2 a large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1/4c fat free half and half
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional, omit for non-spicy shrimp and grits)


Here's how to make the recipe:

1. In a sauce pan bring 1c chicken broth and 1c water to boil and whisk in grits and black pepper. Cook according to the package directions.

2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and transfer it to a paper towel, leaving he residual bacon fat in the pan. 

3. Add finely chopped onion to sauté pan and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add finely chopped bell pepper and garlic and continue to cook until peppers are soft, 2-3 more minutes.

4. Push onions, peppers and garlic to the outer edge of the pan and add shrimp in a single layer in the center of the pan and lightly season with salt and pepper. The shrimp cooks quickly. It only needs about 2 minutes (or less) on each side. You want to cook it until it is no longer pink and translucent, but is still tender.

5. As soon as shrimp is cooked through, lower the heat to simmer and stir in half and half, being sure to scrape up all the tasty bits of bacon and veggies off the bottom of the pan. Add Tabasco sauce, if desired. I loved the spicy kick, but I removed the kid's shrimp from the pan before I added the Tabasco sauce.

6. Turn your attention back to your grits. Give them a good stir. I like my grits to be a little looser, so I ended up stirring in the remaining chicken broth, about 1c of additional broth. Add cheddar cheese and mix well.Continue to stir until cheddar is melted. Season as needed with salt and pepper.

7. Divide grits into serving bowls and top with shrimp and sauce. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

I served ours with a side of zucchini. It is just two rough chopped zucchini sauteed with 1/2tbsp olive oil and 1tsp minced garlic with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 min.

I’d love to hear what you thought of the recipe. Please feel free to leave comments!

Easy Personal Pita Pizzas

"Any pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself"
- Bill Murray, via Twitter

That quote has always cracked me up, but seriously who doesn't love a pizza catered to what you love? I was always the whiny kid picking the mushrooms and olives off of the supreme pizza while complaining that the residual olive flavor had ruined any hope of a good-tasting piece of pizza. Don't even get me started on picking those things out of spaghetti sauce. I could make a meal last hours if there was an errant vegetable in my sauce. Thankfully I've embraced vegetables as an adult and gotten creative about sneaking them into my kids meals. Its true...learn from the past or be doomed to suffer through the behaviors your children surly inherited from your own olive-hating DNA.

Tonight we went vegetarian with our pizzas, but you could easily add any protein you like: chicken, turkey pepperoni, thinly sliced steak, ground turkey sausage, ham/ bacon or even shrimp. Basically any fully-cooked protein will work. We are a pretty basic bunch so (not so) plain cheese works great for us.

Here's what you'll need per pizza:
1 Joseph's Pita
1/2 tsp olive oil
2-3 shakes of dry garlic powder
2 tbsp marinara or pizza sauce of your choice
2 tsp basil paste or fresh herbs
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese or part-skim mozzarella
1/2 tsp dry parsley
drizzle balsamic glaze

Protein of choice (optional)

Veggies of choice (optional)

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil and lay pitas on the sheet without overlapping the edges.
3. Spread olive oil over the pita concentrating on the "crust" edge, then sprinkle crust with garlic powder.
4. Spread marinara sauce and herb paste over the oiled crust.
5. Top with any meats you might be adding and sprinkle cheese evenly over the crust.
6. Sprinkle top of pizza with dry parsley.
7. Slide your cookie sheet in to the oven and lower temperature to 425 degrees.
8. Cook 8-10 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and bubble.
9. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and enjoy.

*Note that if you add vegetables with a higher natural water content, like zucchini and tomatoes, they will affect the crispiness of your crust. I prefer to de-seed fresh tomatoes to cut the moisture content or better yet try sun dried tomatoes.

**If you want to take these to the next level, try thinly slicing fresh mozzarella in place of the shredded cheese and broil on low for the last minute or two of the cooking time. So good!

If you are unfamiliar with any of the ingredients this recipe calls for, here is a little help:

Perfect Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

I'm a big fan of any weekly menu plan that uses the same protein for more than night of dinners to feed our family. This recipe fits the bill perfectly. It tastes great as is as the main protein on your plate or with a few simple additions, its the perfect filling for pork enchiladas, tacos, soups, BBQ sandwiches, Hawaiian pineapple pork, Italian pork sandwiches and whatever else you can dream up. Dang, now I'm thinking how great this would be on a salad with pear, pecans and Gorgonzola cheese. We need more meals in a day...am I wrong?

This recipe is one I often recommend to folks new to food prepping. Mainly because it couldn't be any easier. When I started meal prepping I would often feel overwhelmed by the process because it seemed like too many elements to juggle and keep strait. Was that chicken for lunch or dinner? Did I put the garlic in the right dish? That's the beauty of this recipe. You put the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker, top with the seasonings, add the vegetable broth and forget about it. In fact, leave the lid alone. It is cooking, I promise.

Here is how to make the recipe:

First of all, I highly recommend using a slow cooker liner when you make anything in your slow cooker. It makes clean up a breeze and saves you a lot of soaking and scrubbing especially when you're making chili or dips. Back to the recipe-- Place your pork tenderloin in the slow cooker and liberally salt and pepper the meat then sprinkle evenly with the remaining seasonings.

Add vegetable broth and cover. Cook on low setting for 5-6 hours. Prepare for your house to smell amazing.

Regardless of the size of your tenderloin, you really need a relatively small amount of liquid to cook the meat. As you can see, even fully cooked, there is still plenty of liquid and I feel that cooking the meat in too much liquid changes the texture of the tenderloin in a not-so-great kind of way.

After the tenderloin is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker, reserving the cooking liquid. Shred the meat with forks while it is still hot. It should fall apart easily. 

After you've shredded the meat pour 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid over the shredded pork and give it a little stir. You are ready to eat! Serve it up or portion it out for lunches for the week.

And here is the best part. When you are done, just lift out the slow cooker liner and throw it in the trash. Occasionally there is some minimal clean up needed even with the liner, but usually I can just do a quick rinse and its done.

Here's the Recipe: Perfect Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
1-2lb pork tenderloin
salt- season liberally
black pepper- season liberally
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp cumin
1/2tsp dry mustard
1/2tbsp dry parsley
1c vegetable broth

Cook on low 5-6 hours

Creamy Lentil and Potato Stew

For the longest time my idea of protein meant one thing... meat. I definitely grew up in a meat and potatoes household. Chicken, ground turkey, ground beef or the occasional steak: one of these was almost always the shining star on our dinner plates. Letting go of that traditional notion of what makes a "meal" is pretty liberating. I rarely set out to plan meatless meals, but they have slowly crept into our dinner rotation and have become some of my very favorites.

This creamy lentil stew has become one of my go-to recipes during this exceptionally snowy winter. It's filled with veggies and packs a protein punch with green lentils and great northern white beans. It is thick, creamy, warm-your-bones comfort food. This stew also works perfectly for meal prep. I like to make this and serve it to my family for dinner, then use the leftovers for lunches or busy weeknights. I hope you love it!

Creamy Lentil Stew:
Begin by warming 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large stock pot. Add your finely chopped yellow onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute for 6-7 minutes until onions are translucent and carrots and celery begin to soften. Season well with salt and pepper.

Next add your chopped potatoes and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.

Next add chicken broth, herbs, beans, lentils and water to your soup pot and bring to a rolling boil. Continue cooking at a low rolling boil for 10-15 minutes to soften potatoes and lentils.

I like to let the stew simmer for as long as possible --an hour or two-- to let the flavors develop, but if you are short on time, it really only needs to boil/simmer until the veggies and lentils are soft. After potatoes and lentils have softened, remove 2 cups of the soup and transfer it to a blender. **Let the soup cool for several minutes before blending- boiling hot soup will cause excessive steam and could cause your blender lid to fly off your blender and cause a huge mess** Blend the soup until smooth.

Return the blended stew to the pot and stir to combine. This is when your stew will really thicken and become creamy---transforming it from a soup to a stew. I like to continue to simmer the soup for a little while after this point, but you are ready to eat at this point. 

This stew reheats really well and like most stews and soup, I think it tastes even better the second day. I usually garnish mine with dry chili flakes for a little heat. It would also be great garnished with fresh avocado or some crispy crackers. Enjoy and stay warm!

Creamy Lentil Stew

Ingredient List:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 med onion, chopped

4 ribs of celery, chopped

1.5 cups carrots, chopped

3 large or 4 medium red new potatoes, cubbed

2 tbsp or 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 cups or 32oz of Organic vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 15oz can of Great Northern Beans

1 cup lentils

1.5 tbsp dry parstly

1 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 - 1 tsp Salt, or more to taste

1/2 tsp ground black pepper, or more to taste

Zucchini "Noodle" Spaghetti

I love pasta. I mean, really love it. Unfortunately your run-of-the-mill white pasta is about as nutritionally void as food comes. It falls right in there with other things I love, but do my best to avoid like white potatoes and Texas toast. The next best substitution would be whole wheat pasta, but you can do better than that. Enter...The Zucchini "Noodle."

You will need a mandolin with a julienne attachment to make your noodles. Well, a mandolin or incredible knife skills and hours of spare time, both of which I don't have and I'm willing to bet you don't either.

Start by adding your oil to a large pan and add onions. Everything for this recipe goes in this pan, so start with a big one. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes and add garlic. Cook the two together for a minute or two more, until onions are soft and translucent and then add your meat. This can either be extra lean ground beef or ground turkey. Tonight Matt wanted beef, so that's what he got. When the meat is thoroughly browned add your basil, oregano, and parsley.

I would love to make marinara from fresh farmer's market tomatoes, but that time just isn't quite here yet...come on summer! So tonight I'm taking a little marinara shortcut with a can of 100% Natural Hunts crushed tomatoes. I just like that brand the best because it has the right consistency to make a sauce and hardly ever has weird pieces of tomato skin like some brands, but hey--- feel free to use what you like.  I will post a great marinara recipe when tomato season rolls around but for now, pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well. Now, put a lid on the sauce and turn your heat down to let the sauce simmer while you prep your veggies.

For this recipe I add lots of extra veggies. All that extra veg makes you feel like you are getting to eat a great big plate of food...which you are and it's all good you! And bonus...those veggies are full of fiber which keeps you feeling full. When I'm using a lot of different veggies in one meal I often opt for a frozen vegetable mix. My favorite brand is pictured below. It is the most generic looking packaging ever, but it is a great blend and it is already cut into bite size pieces. Most importantly, there is nothing in this blend except vegetables- zucchini, squash, onions, broccoli, red bell pepper, and carrots with no added salt, flavors or sauces.

Put your veggies in a microwave safe bowl and cover with press n' seal or cling wrap.and microwave for 4 minutes. Ordinarily there is not a lot of water released from the vegetables, but if you see water in the bottom of your bowl after microwaving, pour it out before you add it to your pan. Stir in your vegetables and continue to simmer your sauce, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes. You want those flavors to all cook together.

 Ok, you are in the home stretch. Get out your mandolin and add the smallest julianne attachment. Wash your zucchini and get to work. Watch your fingers! I would rather waste a little zucchini by not julianning the entire vegetable than risk raking your fingers over a very sharp blade. In this picture I've cut about three small zucchini. Those big pieces laying under the mandolin are what was left of each zucchini after I felt like my fingers were getting too close to the blade.

After you've simmered your sauce for a good 20 or 30 minutes, it should be nice and thick and rich. Add your zucchini "noodles" and stir them in. I hope you started with a big pan...can't say I didn't warn you! Now, put the lid back on your pan and let it hang out there over medium-low'ish heat for another 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Hurray! You are done! Serve it up topped with a few shavings of a good Parmesan cheese.

For those of you counting calories, I calculated this recipe based on four servings. It came out to 358 calories per serving. That number may vary depending on the brands you choose, but it should be very close. This is roughly in the same calorie range as your typical frozen meal "diet" meal, but let me tell you, this is so much better for you. The sodium level alone in those things should be enough to make you stuff it back in the freezer. Not to mention this one tastes a whole lot better.

This recipe is easily adaptable...not loving meat? Leave it out. Like your marinara spicy? Add a teaspoon or so of red chili flake. Need a quick meal? Double your recipe and freeze half for later or freeze in single servings to take to work. Yum!

Hope you guys love it. Feel free to leave me comments. Think you can improve this recipe? Let me know how you did it. I'm always open to new ideas. 

Recipe Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey (omit for a vegetarian meal)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 28oz can of 100% natural Hunt's crushed tomatoes or organic crushed tomatoes of your choice
3 cups of frozen vegetable blend or three cups of mixed fresh vegetables like squash, broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, etc.
3 small ripe zucchini
Parmesan cheese (optional)