I know many of you are not in the position to prepare an elaborate lunch every day, but with some advance planning, you can make your lunch on the weekend or the night before and heat it up in the middle of the day. What you make yourself will be so much tastier than what you can buy at takeout places, and you won’t be tempted to backslide when tons of menus pass your desk at the office featuring triple-decker sandwiches, chicken wings, bacon cheeseburgers, French fries, and chips.
When your family, friends, and colleagues enjoy the aromas and watch you eat, they will want to have what you’re having!
Serves: 4
Serving size: 1¼ cup
Calories per serving: 226
I bet you thought you would never eat fried rice again. Well, I’ve come up with a recipe that fills the bill. My fried “rice” uses cauliflower rice, which is a delicious substitute for white rice, along with mango and chicken. To save time, you can purchase pre-packaged riced cauliflower from your grocery store.
I use my Thai Spice Blend in this recipe. While you’re preparing this dish, you can make a large quantity of the spice blend and store it for future use. Everyone who has tried my fried rice recipe makes it their go-to favorite.
You can make this dish in advance and warm it up when you are ready to enjoy it.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 dried Thai chiles, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1¼ cups riced cauliflower (see here), or 1 (12-ounce) bag cauliflower rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes (2 cups)
½ teaspoon Thai Spice Blend (here)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup diced mango, juice reserved
¾ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup minced scallions
In a large skillet, combine the sesame oil, garlic, chiles, and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower rice and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Season the chicken with the Thai Spice Blend. In the same skillet you used for the rice, cook the chicken over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 7 minutes, or until cooked through.
Return the rice mixture to the skillet with the chicken and stir to combine.
Crack the egg over the contents of the skillet and stir with a fork until the egg is scrambled and fully incorporated.
Add the soy sauce, mango and juice, and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes, or until the bell pepper is soft.
Combine the basil and scallions in a small bowl. Stir all the ingredients to fully incorporate and garnish with the basil-scallion mixture.