Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

People on diets often use cauliflower as a substitute for some carbs - mashed "potatoes" and "breadsticks" are the ones that I've tried. They are usually pretty good but never the same. I found this recipe as part of the Paleo-friendly blog I found on Pinterest. I tried the original recipe (without the paleo substitutes) and liked it but it needed a few changes. I didn't really care for the basil, cilantro, and mint. Otherwise the recipe is pretty much the same as how I usually make fried rice. 

As a main dish it probably would be enough to replace a craving for some good fried rice. However, as a side dish it was a perfect substitute to get rid of all those points from the carbs. You pulse the cauliflower until it's the size of rice and then cook it just like fried rice - so it really does taste close to the same. I'm definitely keeping this in my book to use as a fried "rice" for asian side dishes. I recommend it with the Mongolian Beef in my blog. It was quite a tasty pair. :)

Cauliflower Fried “Rice”

Serves 4

1 small head cauliflower, separated

2 eggs

½” knob of ginger, minced

1 garlic cloved, minced

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

4 oz sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Put cauliflower segments into a food processor and pulse until the size of rice.

2. Whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Spray a skillet heated over medium heat. Pour eggs into skillet and cook into a thin omelet. Remove and thinly slice.

3. Increase heat to medium high. Add chopped onions and sliced mushrooms. Cook until light browned and softened, about 5-6 minutes.

4. Add ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add cauliflower pieces. Lower heat to medium, cover, and cook for 4 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be tender but not mushy.

5. Add soy sauce and sliced omelet. Serve hot.

Nutrition (1/4 recipe):

2 Weight Watchers Points+

Original Recipe inspiration - http://paleoparents.com/2013/paleo-p-f-changs-recipe-recreation-round-up/

Mongolian Beef

You probably know by now that I've been trying out a lot of Weight Watchers recipes and that I love Chinese food. So when I found a paleo website on Pinterest that had adapted P.F. Chang's recipes into Paleo-friendly recipes, I pinned almost all of them. If you want the actual paleo recipe, you can find it here - http://paleoparents.com/2013/paleo-p-f-changs-recipe-recreation-round-up/. My version, below, uses the regular ingredients rather than the paleo substitutes. I did however adjust it a little bit to make it more WW friendly.

I recommend serving it with Cauliflower Fried "Rice".

Note: This recipe could be for either 4 or 6 people, depending on how much you want to serve each person. I've included the points for both serving sizes at the bottom.

Mongolian Beef

Serves 4 - 6

1½ pound stir-fry beef (1” x 1.5” pieces)

3 tablespoons flour

1½ teaspoons garlic, minced

¾ teaspoon ginger, minced

⅓ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons molasses

3 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup green onions, cut into 1” pieces

1. Lightly dredge the beef in flour, shaking off any excess. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Coat with cooking spray and add beef. Cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Coat the skillet again with cooking spray. Saute garlic and ginger for 90 seconds.

3. Pour in soy sauce and water. Simmer 3 minutes.

4. Stir in molasses and brown sugar until dissolved. Simmer 5 minutes until thickened. Be careful not to let it burn.

5. Add the beef and green onions to the pan and toss to coat. Cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve immediately while still hot.

Nutrition (1/6 recipe):

5 Weight Watchers Points+

Nutrition (1/4):

8 Weight Watchers Points+

Eggs Benedictwich

OK, let's be honest. This sandwich has no right to be claimed as "healthy" so I'll just admit that I cheated big time by eating this sandwich. It was SOOO worth it though. The sauce really makes the sandwich so don't skip it. You'll just need about a tablespoon of sauce per sandwich though so you'll probably have extra. If you want to refrigerate it, you can reheat it, add a little more lemon juice or water, and blend it again to reuse it the next day. Trust me, you'll want a repeat the next morning!

Eggs Benedictwich

serves 4

Sandwich Ingredients: Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients:

4 slices of country ham or 12 slices of bacon 2 egg yolks

2 cups fresh spinach 2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice ⅔  teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper 2 teaspoons hot sauce

4 large eggs ½ stick butter, melted and kept warm

4 english muffins

1. Cook ham or bacon until golden. Set aside.

2. Toss spinach with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Fry the eggs in the skillet until cooked to desired doneness (preferably with the yolk slightly runny).

4. Meanwhile for the sauce: blend together egg yolks, lemon juice, dijon, and hot sauce for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly add  melted butter and mix until well blended and thickened. 

5. Stack the sandwich as follows: english muffin, ham, spinach, egg, sauce, english muffin top.

Chile-Lime Flanksteak

Flanksteak is one of my favorite cuts of meat because it's so tasty with just a little simple seasoning. This chile  and lime combination adds just the right about of flavors while letting the meat shine through - something that can be hard to accomplish sometimes! Plus, it's really easy :)

I served it here with some roasted potatoes and my Corn and Red Bell Pepper Saute. The recipe calls for it to be grilled (which would be the most flavorful) but I cooked it in a skillet this time since it was raining. Either way works great.

Chile-Lime Flanksteak

Serves 2  

10 ounces flanksteak

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon lime zest

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Poke flanksteak with a fork on both sides to create several holes. Drizzle lime juice over steak and let sit.

3. Meanwhile, combine chili powder, lime zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub onto steak and let sit until the grill is ready.

4. Spray grill rack and add steak. Grill 5-7 minutes per side or until cooked. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut across the grain and serve hot.

5 Weight Watchers Points+

Zucchini Couscous

I meant to post this a while ago but I probably just forgot to take a photo so I didn't post it. Either way, here you go!

This dish has become a staple side dish since we tried it about a month and a half ago. It can go with a ton of stuff but we love it with marinated, grilled meats and a simple salad or some green beans.

Tips:

    1) If you are already grilling, you should grill the zucchini. It'll add just a bit of grill flavor and some great grill marks. If you do, just cut the zucchini in half and brush on some olive oil mixed with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Grill until tender and there are grill marks. Then cut into small chunks when cool enough to handle.

    2) Make sure to squeeze a lemon and use fresh lemon juice (rather than bottled). It makes a BIG difference! I did it once with bottled lemon juice because I forgot to buy the lemon and it wasn't nearly as flavorful. 

Zucchini Couscous

serves 2

1/2 cup couscous

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1 medium zucchini

1 small tomato, chopped

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

1. Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add couscous, stir, and take off the heat. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

2. Cut zucchini into quarters. Coat a skillet with cooking spray and add garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook zucchini until tender and lightly browned.

3. Toss the couscous, zucchini, tomato, lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition (1/2 recipe of couscous):

    146 Calories, 3g Fat, 27g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 5g Protein

    4 Weight Watchers Points+

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Here's a refreshing smoothie that gives you two servings of fruit with minimal calories. It's only about 1 point on weight watchers and is great after working out. I usually add a splash of whatever fruit juice I have in the house (usually V8 Light Mango) for a little extra flavor.

Strawberry - Banana Smoothie

5 fresh strawberries, quartered
1 banana, cut into chunks
1/3 cup diet 7-up
1/2 cup crushed ice

Blend together until smoothie and enjoy while cold!

Champagne Vinaigrette

I cannot say enough good things about this salad dressing!! I know that sounds a little overdramatic :)

Fratesi's Italian restaurant in Jackson, MS has the best vinaigrette ever made and of course now that I don't live there, I never have it. This dressing however is going to take it's place in our household. It's so light, flavorful, and versatile that you can really use it a lot. I'm actually making 2 batches at a time and keeping it in a jar in the fridge (I found a cute this jar that I just love).

I served it here with chunks of avocado, crumbled bacon, and avocado. Next time I may add some sunflower seeds too.

I can think of tons of combinations I want to try!

Champagne Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar

Salt and Pepper

½ cup olive oil

1. Stir together mustard, garlic, vinegar, and salt and pepper.

2. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until well emulsified. Toss over salad.