The fried rice served in Chinese restaurants is usually made with white rice and a ton of oil.   It’s tasty but a nightmare if you’re watching your weight.  Typical fried rice can have as much as 400 calories and 15 grams of fat per cup.  Reducing the oil, substituting brown rice for white and adding good fiber rich vegetables not only leaves the fat and calories but results in a dish that is healthy and filling.

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup mushrooms, sliced thin
• 4 ounces cooked chicken breast, chopped
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 tbsp chopped peanuts
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1.      Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet or a wok over high heat.

2.      Sauté the garlic until golden brown, then add the broccoli, peppers, carrots and onion.  Sauté until crisp tender, then add the mushrooms.  Cook briefly until all the vegetables are crisp tender.

3.      Add the chicken, rice, peanuts and soy sauce.  Stir fry for another minute until all the ingredients are mixed and cooked through.

Serves 4

Nutritional Content

Per Serving: 287 Calories, 44 g carbohydrates, 4g Fiber, 15g protein, 6 g total fat, 1 g sat. fat, 844mg sodium

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.