Spicy GLUTEN FREE veggie fried rice, tossed in toasted coconut flakes. Oh my yum.
SOOOO it is Monday, which means time to share another tasty meal with all of you! If the title is throwing you off, and you think coconut fried rice sounds unappetizing, DO NOT be scared away. I was a litttttle bit iffy too when I first found this original recipe on Cookie and Kate, and my goodness- am I SUPER GLAD I tried it for myself! My taste buds actually exploded with the many flavors of semi sweet slash salty slash spicy. It was love at first kale fried rice bite, and we all know I am a huge sucker for Chinese food. (uh who isn't. c'mon)
I need to begin by explaining how I found this dish, and why I tried something so funky [but amazing]. If you know me, then you know my stomach history has always been all over the place. I complain like every other day that my stomach is killing me (I know, so annoying) and the people around me have to hear this whining. I have tried to eliminate and reduce my intake of SO many different things over the last few years, and I've always assumed it was dairy that made me feel a little off. That is why I try to cook with as little dairy (if any) as possible, BUT it wasn't until recently that I thought to eliminate Gluten. I mean, I LOVE bread and whenever I've felt super sick in the past, toast would always do the trick, so how could I be allergic to gluten? Bread is basically 110% ALL Gluten! Well fortunately, I do not have Celiac disease, but I read that sometimes gluten can still upset someones stomach, even if they aren't gluten intolerant. For anyone who doesn't know what Celiacs is, I'll give you a quick briefing! Basically (as far as I understand), it is a serious allergy to anything containing gluten [ex: Wheat, Barely, Rye] and if ingested (& you have this allergy) it can do serious damage to your small intestine. After doing research on my own, and taking it super serious for the last week, I now understand the importance of why food items NEED to be labeled "Gluten Free certified" on the outside packaging!
SO, since I decided to do one week free of gluten, this is where I will begin! And BY the way, you will notice I mention the soy sauce needs to be gluten free- I was totally shocked when I found out most soy sauces do contain wheat! Weird, right? Or am I the only one who found this as a surprise? After eating totally gluten free for a week, I did feel that I had much more energy, and did feel much healthier- partially since I had to force myself to resist the urge of shoving the cookies & cupcakes in my mouth that are always in the office. I think now that I did this 1 week challenge, I am going to make it a point to reduce my gluten intake A LOT! And I will always try to label the gluten free recipes I cook CLEARLY gluten free- for anyone that has this allergy. :)
ENJOY, guys (and let me know what ya think!) xx S.
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 2 cups of cooked white rice
- 2 eggs, beaten well
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 big handfuls of kale, chopped
- 1 large onion, diced small
- 3 stalks of green onions, white & green parts sliced finely
- 3/4 cup of unsweetened dried coconut flakes, shredded fine
- 1- 2 Tbs of gluten free soy sauce (adjust to desired preference)
- 2-3 tsp of chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek (adjust to desired preference)
- 1 lime, halved
- Dash of white pepper (optional)
- Salt to taste!
- Veggie oil for sauteing
- Cilantro (optional for topping)
- Sesame seeds (optional for topping)
PREPARE: First cook your rice according to instructions. While that is cooking, dice and mince the garlic, onions and kale, and set aside separately.
BEGIN COOKIN: In a large frying pan over medium heat, add a little oil and let it heat up. Once hot, add your eggs and cook while scrambling until soft. Be careful NOT to over cook your eggs here. Add to an large empty cooking bowl and set aside. In the same frying pan, add a little more oil, let heat, and add onions and garlic. Cook until soft and translucent- about 5 minutes. Next, dump the kale and a pinch of salt, sauteing until kale is wilted down and is cooked through. Transfer all to the same bowl with the eggs!
COMING TOGETHER: We're almost there! In the same large frying pan, wipe down carefully with dry rag or paper towel, and add another teaspoon or so of oil. Pour in your coconut flakes and keep moving the pan while stirring occasionally, until they being to turn golden (the coconut-y smells here. omg, yum). Add cooked rice and combine well so rice is about evenly coated with the toasted coconut flakes! Only about 2 minutes here.
COMBINE & EAT!: Take the cooked veggies and eggs you had set aside and dump into your rice mixture. Toss well to combine. Reduce to medium low- Pour in your chili sauce, soy sauce, white pepper and mix so incorporated well throughout your fried rice. Toss for a bit and squeeze juice from half the lime. Taste and adjust where necessary. Serve with additional spritz of lime, sesame seeds, cilantro & additional chili sauce if you're feelin spicy! Enjoy this healthy coconut GLUTEN FREE kale fried rice, and say goodbye to unhealthy take out!