5 years ago, when I first started trying to cook healthy foods, I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen and I knew I needed help. I knew veggies were good for you but I was the only one in my family that liked them. So I knew I would have to get sneaky. I found these amazing books "The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue" and "The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man in the Kitchen" by Missy Chase Lapine. One look inside and I knew I had to have them! Missy teaches you how to hide veggies in your food AND how to make comfort foods healthier. I used these cookbooks almost every day for about a year. Then I started branching out into other recipes trying to figure out what veggies I could hide in what food. Our family has now gotten to the point where we eat veggies regularly (I almost fell over and died the day the hubs at a spinach salad!) and I don't need to hide them as much. There are still some that need to always be hidden... like cauliflower. I think it's just that when you cook it it smells like the most disgusting rotten garbage you've ever smelled. I don't blame them for not wanting to eat it. Thankfully, my beloved cookbooks had a perfect recipe for hiding cauliflower. Fried rice! Now, it's not your normal takeout rice but it's delicious in it's own right. It uses brown rice instead of yellow or white rice but the cooking method is pretty much the same. You can also change the seasonings to fit your taste since it's such a basic recipe. I would have taken a picture of some cooked but it was gone before I had a chance. I guess I'll just have to make it again so I can get a good pic ;)
Sneaky Fried Rice
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil or safflower oil
3 large eggs
1/2 cup pureed cauliflower (cook cauliflower until tender and put it in a food processor until smooth)
1 small onion, minced or pureed (I puree because onions aren't well received in our house either)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh minced ginger OR 1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 cups COOKED brown rice, cold (I made the mistake of making 4 cups uncooked rice.. we were eating fried rice for a week!)
2-4 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos work well here too)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional add-ins: shredded carrots, peas, diced scallions, mushrooms, cooked meat of any kind, etc. I usually do carrots and peas and it's pretty tasty!
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with cauliflower puree. Add egg mixture to skillet and scramble quickly until almost set, then transfer egg to a bowl and cover.
Increase heat to medium high and heat remaining oil. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Spray the skillet with oil if needed, Add the rice and soy sauce and toss until the ingredients are combined well and the rice is heated through. Allow the rice to brown in the skillet before stirring. Add the eggs and any add-in's for the last minute of cooking.
Sneaky Fried Rice
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil or safflower oil
3 large eggs
1/2 cup pureed cauliflower (cook cauliflower until tender and put it in a food processor until smooth)
1 small onion, minced or pureed (I puree because onions aren't well received in our house either)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh minced ginger OR 1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 cups COOKED brown rice, cold (I made the mistake of making 4 cups uncooked rice.. we were eating fried rice for a week!)
2-4 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos work well here too)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional add-ins: shredded carrots, peas, diced scallions, mushrooms, cooked meat of any kind, etc. I usually do carrots and peas and it's pretty tasty!
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with cauliflower puree. Add egg mixture to skillet and scramble quickly until almost set, then transfer egg to a bowl and cover.
Increase heat to medium high and heat remaining oil. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Spray the skillet with oil if needed, Add the rice and soy sauce and toss until the ingredients are combined well and the rice is heated through. Allow the rice to brown in the skillet before stirring. Add the eggs and any add-in's for the last minute of cooking.