superfitbabe

You guys, I am so late with Lemonade. Don’t get me wrong, Beyoncé absolutely rocks, but I didn’t bat an eye the day that album was launched, unlike everyone else around me who basically went haywire because the “queen” was back. The album never crossed my mind until I attended the Style Firm LA workout two weeks ago on June 25th. I swear, the songs were so freaking awesome that I actually thought Nicki Minaj had seriously talented vocals at one point. I don’t know, maybe the endorphins got to my head and altered my auditory perceptions.

But anyways, fried rice has always been a childhood recipe of mine, longer than I can even remember. Growing up, my mother made a huge batch of fried rice with peas, carrots, eggs, soy sauce and a bunch of other ingredients that were so finely chopped that I’d actually be able to swallow down some veggies. However, her recipe contained lots of oils, salts, sugars and refined white rice that’s not nutritious at all. Luckily as of now, she makes her fried rice with brown rice and olive oil, which is such an amazing step forward. But recently we’ve found the bags of riced cauliflower from Trader Joe’s, and lately we’ve been loving them too! The cauliflower is pretty bland by itself and really takes on the spices added to this fried rice.

During my last trip to Sprouts, I also decided to put my Sweet Earth coupon to use and actually got a pack of traditional seitan strips for free! How cool is that?! I’m not the biggest fan of deli meat and I know that it’d probably be smarter to use these seitan slices in a sandwich recipe or something, but I actually loved the taste of these strips and how easily mixable they were in the fried cauli-rice!

You could consider this recipe to be a pegan Chinese-Indian fusion dish because you have the Paleo grain-free cauliflower “rice”, the vegan seitan strips, the Chinese-style fried rice and the Indian spices and flavors! However, feel free to customize the spices, vegetables, proteins and grains in this recipe to make it your own. Fried rice is basically a standard like soup, curry, a stir-fry or a salad where measurements and ingredients aren’t always precise. Hashtag, meal prep shouldn’t be complicated.

Seriously, we should start that hashtag. Actually, we really shouldn’t. #maybeIdontknowyoutellme

RECIPE (serves 2-3)

• 1 packet of Sweet Earth traditional seitan strips (can swap for tofu, tempeh or beans for a gluten free and vegan protein substitute)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 servings of Trader Joe’s riced cauliflower
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1 handful of crimini mushrooms
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 cup spinach
• Water to prevent sticking
• Sesame seeds to garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste (if desired)
• Hot chili sauce to serve with; I use Sriracha
• Opt: broccoli, Brussel sprouts, carrots, green beans, eggplant, pumpkin, pineapple, etc.

PROCEDURE

1. Heat a large wok pan on medium-high heat. Add a splash of water to prevent any sticking and overheating.
2. Chop up your red bell pepper and seitan into even pieces.
3. Stir-fry the riced cauliflower in the wok pan and pour in a little more water to prevent sticking and soften the cauli-rice.
4. Stir in half of your spices and tamari into the cauli-rice thoroughly.
5. Gently fold in the frozen peas, red bell pepper, seitan and mushrooms.
6. Add the rest of the spices and tamari into the pan and continue to mix evenly.
7. Serve over the spinach and with some Sriracha if desired.

What was a childhood meal you grew up with in your family? How serious are you with meal prep?