Healthy Low Calorie Cauli Pizza

Lately we’ve been experimenting more with healthy, clean eating options. So we thought it would be nice to post Nadia’s favourite clean eating recipe! Check out her eatingforlife Instagram account for more ideas. The base of this pizza is a low-calorie cauliflower mixture instead of your regular pizza base. Those who are less health-conscious (like myself) would probably be inclined to add more toppings – read: MORE CHEESE. But if you’re counting calories, try this out. The entire tray is only around 700 calories. Say what?! Keep in mind this is actually because the whole pizza is pretty much just made of vegetables. A bit of extra cheese or meat probably wouldn’t hurt, I say

For the base
3 cups of riced cauliflower
1 egg
1 egg white
50g light mozzarella
basil or any herb of your choice

Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. Add the egg and egg white, light mozzarella and basil. Spread the mixture onto a tray covered with baking paper. Adjust thickness to your liking! Then bake the base in preheated oven at 200C for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.

For the tomato sauce
Puree 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 can of diced tomatoes with basil. Then cook down until thick. Spread the tomato sauce onto the baked cauli base. Then add your favourite (healthy) toppings! We picked the following…

For the toppings
Quarter to half of an onion
Sliced mushrooms
Half a red capsicum
25g light mozzarella
100g cottage cheese
olives
rocket to garnish

Go for your life with veggie toppings! Cottage cheese dollops are also a healthier options compared to mozzarella, which is why we used more of that than the mozzarella. Get creative – and let us know in the comments below what your favourite healthy pizza toppings are!

Makes 1 large pizza = 700 calories
So if you cut it into 6 pieces, that’s less than 120 calories per slice!

At the bottom we’ve also posted a couple of pics of a carby pizza using a wholemeal Lebanese bread as a base!

-Sarah

Base mixture: riced caulifower, light mozzarella, egg

Spread the base evenly

Baked cauli base

Add your favourite toppings!

Then bake and top with rocket!

Here’s an easy pizza option made with Lebanese bread

Mmmmh… Not quite as healthy, but still a very thin, wholemeal base!

New Shanghai, Ashfield

In comparison to the dumpling degustation we did at the Chatswood Chase branch of New Shanghai, the Ashfield restaurant is much less pretentious.

Nadia and I are here for a girly dinner with Miss Dolly Tofu. We of course order xiao long bao. They’re juicy and beautiful. I still prefer Din Tai Fung’s pastry, as it’s much, much thinner. But Miss Dolly Tofu is quite taken by the thicker pastry here at New Shanghai.

Nadia is keen on the pork & chive steamed dumplings. They’re very tasty and packed full of chive-y, porky goodness.

I pick the pan-fried pork buns – and they’re superb. Juicy, tender meat and a delicious soupy broth inside as well. But beware, the boiling hot juices spurt out when you take a bite.

We also try something a little bit different – the stir fried rice cakes with XO sauce & shredded pork, which is the winning dish. Very, very flavoursome and with an amazing, chewy texture, the three of us were praising it for the entirety of the meal.

Miss Dolly Tofu is very happy with her crispy skin duck choice. And Nadia also picks the duck as one of her favourites of the night. I gorge myself on the dumplings and buns instead.

This Ashfield outlet actually feels more authentic, it’s friendlier on our wallets, but on the flip-side the service is quite bad. Miss Dolly Tofu called in a few days earlier to make a booking, but they didn’t have the table available when we arrived. In all honesty, they shouldn’t offer a service for reservations at all if they don’t respect the people who take the time and effort to make bookings.

Regardless, the quality of the food made up for the service. We leave the restaurant in high spirits and I think it’s safe to say we’ll come back.

Steamed pork & chive dumplings

Crispy skin duck

Stir fried rice cakes

Pan fried pork buns

New Shanghai
273 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield

The Forresters, Surry Hills

Lunching at The Forresters is like dying and going to deep-fried heaven. My favourite item by far on the deep-fried menu is the cauliflower with smoked cheese sauce ($8). That cheese sauce is the clear winner for me – incredibly moreish and the perfect accompaniment with cauliflower it turns out!

Another great dish from the snacks menu is the Hawaiian corn ($8) with tabasco mayo, pineapple, bacon, chives and parmesan. Equally good is the popcorn squid ($14) with green peppercorn mayo. I particularly enjoy the peppercorn mayo, which has a nice kick to it.

The other snacks are unfortunately not quite as satisfying. The poppers ($12) aren’t really very memorable. They’re stuffed peppers with chicken, pork and sriracha mayo (yep, another version of mayo! They sure like their mayo at The Forresters). And the chicken nuggets ($10) are actually a bit soggy and oily.

The fries deluxe ($12) with pulled pork, cheddar & chilli are not so deluxe. The chilli isn’t saucy enough, making the dish a bit dry and boring. It gets worse when the cheese hardens, and you can’t even pull apart the fries. The pulled pork sliders ($5.50 each) are way too dry. They’re made with korean slaw and peanut mayo, but it’s like they forgot the mayo altogether.

On the upside, the USA BBQ ($15) is really good value – you get brisket, chicken wings, coleslaw, chips, rolls, salsa and pesto. Again, the brisket is on the dry side, but the chicken wings and coleslaw are delicious!

We also go for the Choke Hold pizza ($24), which is topped with artichoke, chilli mince, artichoke and peppers. The thin base is very nice, but I’ve ordered their classic ham & mushroom pizza in the past and it was much better.

The picnic chicken ($22) with peri peri sauce, parmesan fries and southern salad is another great main that we recommend. Overall, the bigger, heartier main meals are worth a try, while some of the snacks fall short.

Artery-clogging Americana food is popping up everywhere in Sydney – don’t get me wrong, I’m glad for it! Inducing food comas and afternoon naps, their tasty, tasty food is here to stay (I hope).

PS. Apologies about the poor quality of the pictures! We only had our iPhones with us.

-Sarah

Deep fried cauliflower

Fries Deluxe

Hawaiian Corn and The Choke Hold Pizza

USA BBQ without the carbs

Complete USA BBQ!

The Forresters
336 Riley Street, Surry Hills

Bayswater Diner, Potts Point

Mmmh milkshakes

Bayswater Diner is a new eatery in Potts Point, which serves up American comfort food. But unlike a diner, it’s actually a classy, intimate venue wedged underneath Concrete Blonde and next to The Club. The menu highlights are actually the starters, the sides and the desserts. The wedge salad is delicious, the buffalo chicken wings are so awesome, sticky and spicy that we order another round of them. Forego the corn dogs (which are rather tasteless), and instead order the bacon mac’n'cheese. Yum. The onion rings come with a side bowl of honey, which sounds strange but turns out to be quite a good match.

For the mains, our table is pretty unadventurous, mostly opting for the sloppy joes or the pulled pork sandwich, which turn out to be the least enjoyable of the night. They all come with two bowls of sides – potato salad and coleslaw. Both of which are good. I end up barely touching my bland cheeseburger and instead eating my neighbours’ sides. The half rack of ribs are the winning main. Juicy and flavoursome, they’re also the most expensive dish at $35.

But what actually had me ooh-ing and aah-ing that night is the peanut butter lava cake. Oozing with salty peanut butter, encased in a chocolate fondant kind of cake, topped with peanuts and paired with a perfect scoop of vanilla bean ice cream that lies on a bed of crumble. This is my favourite kind of dessert – amazing combination of flavours, textures and easy on the eyes.

Nadia also orders a build-your-own sundae with cookies & cream ice cream, Reese’s peanut butter cups and Maltesers. The bummer is that only the top scoop is cookies & cream, whilst the bottom scoops are plain ol’ vanilla. On the upside, there’s a generous amount of peanut butter cups and Maltesers in the sundae. I do have to admit the peanut butter lava cake is the absolute highlight tonight. I’d come back for it in a heartbeat.

PS. Apologies about the dark photos – the dim lighting at Bayswater Diner is to blame.

-Sarah

Tomato sauce in a tomato!

Wedge salad

Wings! ($10)

Onion rings with honey

Pulled pork sandwich or Sloppy Joe – they kind of looked the same, so I’m not sure which one this is! (Both $18)

My burger – sadly disappointing

Ribs

DIY sundae and Nadia!

Peanut butter lava cake – the highlight of my night!

Bayswater Diner
33 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross

Chefs Gallery, Sydney

I’ve often had to line up at Chefs Gallery, but it’s still one of my go-to restaurants in the city. Perfect for a quick after-work bite or a pre-movie snack, the roti and dumplings are the most notable dishes here.

One of my favourite dishes is the fluffy Chinese roti with pork floss ($8.90). I can’t get enough of pork floss in general, but the roti itself is also beautiful. It’s not up there with Mamak’s roti canai, but I order it every time I frequent Chefs Gallery.  We also order the roti with egg, shallots and red onion ($7.90), which isn’t quite as moreish as the pork floss alternative.

The other dish that I always order here is the pan fried pork and cabbage pot stickers ($9.90). As opposed to the typical dumpling shape, these pot stickers are in the shape of long rolls, crispy outside and juicy inside.

For the Zha Jiang Noodles with minced pork ($13.90) we choose bian mian – fettucine style handmade noodles. Though it’s tasty, we can’t help but compare them to our all-time favourite knife-sliced noodles at Chinese Noodle House, which is a much cheaper hole-in-the-wall eatery in Chinatown. Another noodle dish we try is the regular handmade noodles wok fried with shredded barbecue pork in soy sauce ($13.90). I probably prefer the latter.

Craving a bit of greenery, we also opt for the water spinach with chilli prawn paste ($15.90). The dish is ridiculously flavoursome, which I’m very pleased about.

The phoenix dumplings – spicy king prawns encased in a pastry with chilli spices & steamed ($12.90) – are a little bit special. The spiciness is just perfect, and I adore the vibrant orange colour. This is also one of Nadia’s favourite dishes of the night.

I keep coming back to Chefs Gallery and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed. Let’s disregard the time I tried those very cute piggy dumplings, which are adorable but don’t taste very good.

-Sarah

Zha Jiang Noodles

Phoenix dumplings

Pork pot stickers

Water spinach

Roti with pork floss

Roti with egg and spring onion

Chefs Gallery
12/501 George St, Sydney

Mi Goreng with Chicken & Mushrooms

Here’s another Indonesian variety using a pack of Indomie Mi Goreng. This time we thought we’d try to replicate mie ayam (‘chicken noodles’ in Indonesian) with greens and a chicken and straw mushroom mixture. It’s a very popular dish in Indonesia, which you’d normally have with a bowl of chicken broth on the side. Most people then pour the chicken broth all over the noodles, turning it into noodle soup! I personally prefer it dry. My favourite mie ayam (and Nadia’s as well) is from Bakmi Gajah Mada, also known as Bakmi GM, which you NEED to try if you ever find yourself in Jakarta.

For the chicken & mushroom mixture:
½ chicken breast, diced
½ crushed garlic clove (or ½ tsp minced garlic)
½ tsp ground ginger
½ cup tinned straw mushrooms
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp oyster sauce
1 pack Indomie Mi Goreng kecap manis
1 pack Indomie Mi Goreng oil
1 pack Indomie Mi Goreng sambal

Other ingredients:
1 bunch of bok choy or pak choy
1 pack Indomie Mi Goreng fried shallots

Cook the noodles in boiling water, then drain. To make the chicken & mushroom mixture, heat the oil and cook the diced chicken. Add all other ingredients until it forms a lovely, thick gravy. Mix 2 tablespoons of the chicken & mushroom gravy into the noodles. Serve the chicken & mushrooms on top of the noodles. Blanch the greens and arrange to the side. Then sprinkle with the pack of fried shallots. Voila!

-Sarah

Chicken and mushroom mixture

Mie Ayam style!

Mi Goreng Japanese Style

Onto part 2 of our Mi Goreng Saga! For something completely different, try making a pack of mi goreng into a Japanese version. You can get the cod roe spaghetti sauce at any Asian grocer. We were also thinking about …

Mi Goreng Spesial

In Indonesia, mi goreng is actually a dish that’s quite common for breakfast or lunch. It simply translates to fried noodles. It’s an Indonesian staple that doesn’t just come out of a packet. Well, it also comes in a packet. …

Zucchini Lasagne

When you’re avoiding carbs, this is a good way of creating a tasty but pasta-less lasagne. Instead of pasta sheets, you fill a baking dish with zucchini cut lengthways between wonderful layers of meat sauce and bechamel. Ignore the fact …

Lemon & Kecap Manis Chicken

When I was growing up, the primary cook at my household was my mum. Sometimes though, my dad would feel creative and concoct something new and random, and it always tasted good. However, this one particular dish, was the one …