Takeout Swap: Chicken Fried Rice

This was a particularly rough Monday since I hadn't been to work in a week because of all the snow and ice. I didn't get to eat breakfast today, I had a pretty light lunch, I had to go grocery shopping on the way home, and by the time I got back I was starving. I really just wanted to stop and get takeout, but I made this instead and saved myself a LOT of fat and calories (an order of takeout fried rice can add up to 1500 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat, and 2,700mg of sodium)!

This recipe makes enough for leftovers the next day, and it's really a HUGE portion. You could probably get away with dividing this into 3 servings if you added a little more chicken.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
1 c uncooked jasmati rice
2 tbsp canola oil
6 oz cooked chicken breast, diced
1/2 c egg substitute (Egg Beaters)
2 scallions, sliced
1 small can of peas and carrots
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce






Preparation:
1. Cook rice according to directions on the package. I love my rice cooker since, for some reason, I can never cook rice over the stove.

2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and pour in egg substitute. Leave on medium until completely cooked through and you have a sort of egg pancake. Remove from the skillet and cut into strips. Set aside.

3. Heat the chicken, peas and carrots, scallions, and oyster sauce in the skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

4. Heat the canola oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and empty rice into the hot oil. Stir to coat rice and let the rice crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken mixture to the rice and pour in soy sauce. Stir and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add egg strips and cook until egg is reheated.

Just as good as takeout but it saves almost 1/3 of the calories!

Thai Tonight! Pineapple Chicken Curry

I made it three days on the diet before I started craving the delicious takeout from River Spice that is one exit up the tollway from my apartment. I love their curry and drunken noodles so much I saved them as a contact on my cell phone last month. Sad. Unfortunately, based on a very reliable source (Google), I estimated that 1 cup of the curry is 465 calories with 25 grams of fat...22 grams of saturated. Yikes...that's not even including the rice! And let's be honest, I'm not just eating 1 cup of the stuff. 

Luckily I anticipated the craving and last time I was at the store I bought a jar of Thai Kitchen Panang Curry simmer sauce. It's seriously my new best friend. It was a little pricey at around $5 for the jar that has 3 servings, but considering the fact that the curry from River Spice costs $11.73, I let myself splurge. So glad I did. With my final total for dinner tonight, I was at 517 calories and only 7.5 grams of fat -- including 3/4 cup of rice!! And it only took 30 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings (the whole jar will make 3 servings, and you can easily make this just for one...but it's so good you'll definitely want the leftovers!)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2/3 jar) Thai Kitchen Panang Curry Simmer Sauce

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices

3 canned pineapple rings, cut into bite-size pieces (in retrospect, pineapple chunks would be better)

1.5 cups sliced bell peppers (I used frozen Safeway Pepper Strips)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

3/4 cup (dry) Jasmati rice, cooked

Preparation: 

1. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
2. Put chicken slices in the heated sauce and simmer until half cooked. 
3. Add pineapple, peppers, onions, and red pepper flakes (optional), and continue to simmer until chicken is fully cooked. 
4. Serve over cooked Jasmati rice (if you put the rice in after you add the chicken, the rice will be ready just in time to serve).

This recipe is definitely going into my regular cooking rotation. And River Spice's phone number is definitely coming out of my speed dial.