Almond milk and vanilla-flavoured Splenda do not mix.

Seriously, it tastes like Play-doh. 


One more recipe, because I just made it last night! This is my signature dish (apparently). I memorized it from watching the chefs cook at the table in Japanese Hibachi restaurants. 


You will need:


VEGGIES!!

I used broccoli, onion, orange peppers (usually I use red, but they had none), shitake mushrooms (just a little), and courgette/zucchini. I like to use seasonal veggies, but you can really use whatever the heck you want. I would recommend always starting with the onion, for flavor.


You don't have to use meat, but I like it. Sometimes I will use steak or chicken, but last night the sea scallops in the supermarket looked good, so I got a few of those (~40 cals per scallop). 


Rice is also optional, but when I first created this recipe the rice was the main attraction, because this is essentially a lesson on How To Make Asian-Style Fried Rice Without Clogging Your Arteries. (I made the rice last night for Little Sis, but did it in a separate pan because I am trying not to eat carbs.)


You will need Goya Medium Grain Rice.

If you are using rice, this is not optional. To get it to taste like Chinese fried rice or Japanese hibachi-style fried rice, you MUST use medium grain. 


This recipe is tricky as far as getting everything ready at the same time, but don't get frustrated - if you're okay combining the rice and veggies (and meat, if you're not a herbivore), then everything goes into the same pan at the end anyway, so you don't have to worry about anything getting cold.


You will also need at least one egg, and some version of soy and/or teriyaki sauce. Kikkoman seems to have the best selection of good stuff. I usually use just straight up teriyaki, but last night I opted for something new and it turned out pretty excellent. 


HOW TO MAKE IT:
Start with the rice. You will need double the amount of water for however much rice you use (i.e., I cooked 1/2 cup of rice in 1 cup of water). Don't listen to anyone who tells you to put margarine or oil in it. It's a lie. To cook the rice, put the water and rice in a pot and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it boils, cover the top of the pot, reduce it to a simmer, and DO NOT TOUCH THE RICE FOR 20 MINUTES. I have watched many people ruin a perfectly good pot of rice because they just can't help themselves - they feel the need to stir it. Just leave it alone. It knows what it's doing. 
After 20 minutes, check and see if it's done, and take it off the stove. Set it aside until you need it.


For the meat--I always sauté it in whatever I'm using for the rice, just in a separate pan. Last night I cooked the scallops in a frying pan with 1/2 tbsp of Oyster sauce (10 cals) and 1 1/2 tbsp of Kikkoman's Signature Teriyaki sauce (45 cals). As with the rice, you can just set it aside when it's done.  

For the veggies, I used 1 tbsp of whipped butter (70 cals) just to coat a large frying pan, and fried the onions until they were transparent. Then added the other veggies. I used a total of 4 tbsp of the teriyaki sauce (120 cals - you'll need less for less veggies), and sprinkled a bit of salt, pepper, and ginger on the veggies while I cooked them. 

When the veggies are cooked to your liking, use your spatula to clear a space in the middle of the frying pan, and then break your egg into it. Scramble it up a bit, and then mix it with the veggies. If you're combining everything, now is when you add the rice and meat to the big frying pan, and mix everything up. 


And voila - fried rice. This dish seems to be a surprisingly huge hit with children, considering how many veggies are in it. 


Mine, with scallops and without rice:

 That whole plate was about 450 cals.