Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Basil Cauliflower Fried Rice

You know what I love? Chinese food! I've honestly been eating it since I was a baby, and it's one of the guilty pleasures I'll never give up. Lo mein, pork fried rice, beef and broccoli. Yum. But I don't love that I have an all day stomach bloat going on afterwards or that my mouth becomes dryer than the world's driest, most parched desert. Ah, the sacrifices I make. But what if I told you there's a way to enjoy fried rice without all those side effects? Sold! And so I give you cauliflower fried rice.

Don't like cauliflower? You will now. I promise you won't even realize it's cauliflower once it's all made up.

 


Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
1 T sesame oil
2 T coconut aminos
1 inch piece of ginger
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups broccoli
1 egg
Handful fresh basil
Salt

In a large pan or wok on medium heat, toss in sesame oil, chopped carrots, broccoli, and finely chopped or grated ginger. While that's cooking and veggies are softening, do a rough chop of your entire cauliflower head, then toss it in a food processor or blender to "rice" it. It should be close to the consistency of rice.

Add cauliflower to the pan, stirring in veggies and oil. Let cook 5 minutes. Now for the egg. You have a couple of options here. You can make a little well in the center of your cauli mix, crack the egg into the hole, then let it cook, or you can scramble it in a separate pan, then add it to the mix, or if you're impatient (like me) you can just crack the egg over the entire mixture and stir. If you choose the last option, the egg will basically coat the cauli and you won't get little pieces of egg in your fried rice. Your choice. It tastes delish regardless.

Pour in your two tablespoons of coconut aminos, your finely chopped basil leaves, and salt to taste. Stir it all up, cook another 5 minutes, and serve. 



*A few tips*
If you want to serve this as your main dish, add cooked chicken, sausage, or beef to the pan.
Don't have carrots or peppers? Use whatever's in the fridge! Mushrooms, peppers, chopped greens. Anything works.
I use coconut aminos as a substitute for soy sauce. It's soy free and clean, and you can't taste the difference. You can find them at Whole Foods or check at your local health food store. Another option would be liquid aminos, which seem to be easier to find in the healthy section of lots of chain grocery stores.

What's your favorite food that there's no way you'll ever give up? Do you have any healthy alternatives for it? Ever tried coconut aminos? Let me know in the comments!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Welcome!

Welcome to Conquer Health & Wellness! My name is Alicia, and I'm pretty much just like you...a 30-something with twin girls about to start kindergarten and another (surprise!) on the way.

love nutrition, especially meal planning and creating healthy versions of traditional recipes, even though I still struggle to make the right choices like so many of you do as well. And I'm kind of in love with lifting weights. Although that (and pretty  much all diet and exercise) immediately flew out the window when I found out I was having another little one. Oh, well. That just means you and I can go through this entire process together!

I graduated college with a degree in Finance, then a Masters in Business with a concentration in Healthcare Management. I worked as a property manager for many years, before staying home with my babies. Somehow I decided I was really meant to be a teacher, so I got a teaching certificate, only to figure out it takes a VERY special person to teach children, and I am by no means one of them. It took me a while to realize that THIS is what I love. This is my passion. So I became a certified personal trainer with a certificate in sports nutrition. And here I am, loving every minute of it!

This is my journey. Food. Fitness. Life. Join me!