Healthy Dinner: Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Shrimp

Image Via: RachelShultz.com

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb. peeled and deveined frozen shrimp, thawed

1 large head of cauliflower

1 medium onion

2 cups frozen peas, corn, and carrots, thawed

3 eggs

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 dashes hot sauce (optional)

Freeze-dried chives, for garnish

Image Via: ZipList.com

Procedure:

1. Chop the head of cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Place the florets in a large bowl with a few tablespoons of water. Microwave, covered, for 5-7 minutes or until the florets are fork tender.
2. While that cooks, trim any excess fat from the chicken and cut it into small pieces. Take the tails off the shrimp, if necessary, and dice the onion.
3. When the cauliflower is cool enough to handle, transfer the florets into a food processor. Pulse until the pieces are roughly the size of grains of rice.
4. In a wok or large skillet, heat the sesame oil to medium high.
5. Add in the chicken and cook until it is browned on both sides and still somewhat pink in the middle. Then, allow it to drain on a paper towel. (Note: Don’t worry, you’ll add it back in at the end to finish cooking.)
6. Turn the heat to medium and combine the onion, garlic, peas, carrots, and corn in the skillet. Cook them until they are tender.
7. Crack the eggs over the skillet and scramble them into the vegetables.
8. Add in the cauliflower and chicken. Season everything with the soy sauce and hot sauce.
9. Finally, add in the shrimp. Toss everything to combine and then cook just until the shrimp have lost their translucence and turned pink.
10. Serve warm, garnished with chives.

Making takeout at home ensures that the dish is completely customizable to your family’s tastes. If you’re not feeling the low-carb, absolutely go ahead and make this dish with leftover rice. Our, if you only eat veggie, swap out the protein for mushrooms, baby corn, and bok choy. Regardless of what ingredients you use, take comfort in knowing that you have the ability to cook a healthy recipe for your family while still embracing everyone’s favorite takeout flavors.

For more healthy recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

Sticking to a healthy diet can be especially hard when winter weather has you craving comfort food. One of the easiest ways to avoid temptation is to make sure that you arm yourself with an arsenal of quick and tasty recipes at your disposal. This roasted eggplant lasagna recipe is sure to become a family favorite. It’s so deliciously cheesy that you won’t even miss the noodles.

Healthier You: Roasted Eggplant Lasagna

Image Via: Dinner in Venice

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Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 small onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

64 ounces of crushed tomatoes 

6 ounces tomato paste

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Image Via:Salu Salo Recipes

Preparation:

1. Mince the onion and garlic.
2. In a large sauce pot, gently sweat the onions and garlic with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cook them for about two minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and dried oregano to the pot. Season it with salt and pepper and turn the heat to low.
4. Allow the sauce to simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring and adjusting the seasonings for later.
5. When ready to make the lasagna, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Peel the eggplant and slice it into thin rounds. (Note: You don’t want the slices to be transparent, but beyond that you’ll want them to be as thin as possible in order to ensure that they fully cook through.)
7. Grease a bake proof casserole dish with cooking spray.
8. Spoon enough tomato sauce into the dish to coat the bottom.
9. Arrange the pieces of eggplant in a single layer, so that their edges touch, but they are not tightly packed.
10. Lightly spread tomato sauce over the rounds and sprinkle with cheese.
11. Repeat the layers, topping the casserole with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
12.  Cover the dish with tented tinfoil and transfer it into the oven.
13. Bake it for an hour, removing the tinfoil for the last fifteen minutes to give the cheese a chance to brown.
14. Allow the lasagna to cool for at least ten minutes before serving.

This recipe is especially freezer friendly. You will have a large quantity of extra sauce leftover, so could easily double the other ingredients and make an additional casserole for a particularly hectic weeknight. It also reheats well, so feel free to earmark leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.

For more easy meals on Stagetecture, click here.