Professional athletes sometimes have to adhere to pretty specific, rigid and intense diets when they enter competition mode. They go to extreme numbers and have to cycle their fat, protein and carb intakes at regular intervals.
I don’t claim to know anything about this for it is not a part of my reality.
However, I was recently challenged by someone whose lifestyle fits the above description to come up with recipe ideas for main course dishes that would be entirely fat free and fairly low in sugar while still being very nutritious, super tasty and fun to eat.
Yikes! Tough one, to say the least. At least, carbs weren’t included in the equation. They could go as high as was necessary.
Still…
Using no fat whatsoever is soooo restrictive. So many yummy ingredients are off limits and it becomes especially hard to incorporate a decent amount of protein.
Any kind of meat is pretty much a big no no. Save for MAYBE turkey breast if a tiny little amount of fat is allowed.
Eggs, of course, are way off limits. Save for the whites…
Nuts? No can’t do! Not ONE of them.
Even legumes don’t fit the bill. Though almost, they still contain a tiny amount of fat .
Seriously, I felt like whey protein, egg whites and fat free Greek yogurt were my only options!
Of course, I could have come up with half a million egg white omelet combinations, or at least twenty six thousand different smoothie recipes…
But I wanted to make something a bit more creative… something that had a bit more of a “normal” feel to it.
This rice dish was my first inspiration. It’s not EXACTLY there yet, for it’s not ENTIRELY fat free and the sugar content is a bit on the high side. (we’re talking the equivalent of a large apple for every serving, so it’s not exactly super high either…)
But I feel it’s a start.
I’m still racking my brains to come up with a few super healthy and delicious recipes that would be entirely fat free as well as low in sugar.
Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not saying that I believe a fat free diet to be beneficial for anyone. Healthy fat is an important part of one’s diet and should be consumed daily, in moderate amounts.
But sometimes, it is desirable to “cycle” our macros and reduce our fat intake for a day or two.
Some athletes HAVE to do that. And well, when you have to do it, it’s nice to have options, isn’t it?
And let’s face it, we all need a dish that’s low in fat from time to time to compensate for the ones that are maybe a tad too generous in that department! 
What’s that you’re asking? How WAS the dish?
Right… I forgot to tell you about it. It was FANTASTIC! To be honest, I ate that 4 days in a row, and I wouldn’t have minded having it for another 2 or 3.
I feel the longer it stayed in the fridge, the better it got. Sooooo tasty, it’s simply bursting with flavors. It does taste fairly sweet and the textures are just all over the place. I especially liked the crunchiness of the tiny little fig seeds. Paired with the creaminess of the butternut squash and chestnuts as well as the chewiness of the rice, it was a definite winning combination.
If I kept a list of absolute keeper recipes, that one would definitely be on it.
You can be sure that there are going to be repeats!
I can’t wait for that to happen…
And neither can my taste buds!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1/3 cup wild rice
- 3½ cups water
- ½ tsp Himalayan or fine sea salt
- 450g butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes.
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 227g mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
- 100g (1 package) whole chestnuts, roasted and peeled, coarsely chopped
- 120g dried figs, coarsely chopped
- ½ tsp Himalayan or fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp whole fennel seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add wild rice and brown rice and bring back to the boil. (For best results with the wild rice, soak it overnight in a cup or so of fresh cold water.)
- Lower heat, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes, until rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Set aside, uncovered.
- While the rice is cooking, place butternut squash in a steaming basket and steam over simmering water until fork tender but still retains a little bit of a crunch. (Tip: if your steaming basket fits over the saucepan you're cooking the rice in, just set it over your rice for the last 10 minutes of cooking.)
- In a large non stick pan coated with cooking spray or olive oil, cook the mushrooms over medium high heat until nice and golden brown on both sides.
- Add onions, salt, pepper, nutmeg and fennel seeds and cook until fragrant and onion starts to color, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the spinach, chestnuts and figs and continue cooking for a minute, until the spinach is somewhat wilted and you have enough room to throw in the rice.
- Add rice and steamed butternut squash and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Very low in saturated fat - No cholesterol - High in dietary fiber - High in magnesium - Very high in vitamin A - High in vitamin C
I would consider the fat in this recipe to be negligible. It’s pretty impressive, I guess if you really had to take it seriously you would have to eliminate the chestnuts? At least you would save time (I hate peeling chestnuts and I’m terrible at it). You could maybe replace it with water chestnuts, are they any easier to peel?
Surprisingly, chestnuts are very low in fat. And I must admit that I don’t have the patience to roast and peel my own, save for when I want to eat them fresh out of the oven, so I buy them prepackaged. They are just as good for cooking, if you ask me, and so much more convenient!
Looks delicious! It looks from the recipe that you ate this hot, but do you think it would be nice cold? It looks like one of those delicious posh deli salads. That said, I tried to make one recently with brown rice and it was gross cold and I ended up heating it… Cold makes it nice and easy for lunches though!
To be honest, I did have a few bites straight out of the bowl when I took it out of the fridge one night and I thought it was pretty decent! I debated for a few minutes as to whether I should reheat it or not. Reheating won, probably only because it’s getting so cold out, but had it been summer, chances are I’d have chosen to eat it cold.
This sounds great and I think I could even get my husband on board to try it!
If the husband likes it, then it’s a true winner! You always know a recipe is a true winner when they pass the “husband test”!
Yum. This combo sounds delicious! I love that you are making low sugar and low fat recipes… as my body does not digest either well
I can’t have anything with fat save for small amounts in lean protein, rice or veggies. And as for sugar the only forms that work for me are natural and stevia. So these upcoming recipes are perfect for me!!
I feel like this would be great with the addition of kale and chicken. Hmmm.. Just two more weeks until I am home and can try this out.
I really hope that your try a baked good within the confines of low sugar and low fat. As far as sticking goes, if you line the pan with parchment or wax paper, my breads never stick.
Well, I already have quite a few recipes that fit the low fat and low sugar bill. All of my current dessert recipes are refined sugar free, and some call for nothing more than the sugar which is naturally present in fruit to sweeten them up. The only forms of sugar that I use are honey, maple syrup, black strap molasses, dried fruits and the stevia that is present in my vanilla whey powder.
As for fat, I eat a diet that is relatively low in fat and tend to consume only that which is naturally present in foods such as nuts, eggs, coconut and avocado, to name a few. Other than that, I use nothing but extra virgin olive oil and / or coconut oil, and in very limited quantities.
Take a look around, I’m sure you will find something that is to your liking!
Oh, and I totally agree with you: chicken and kale would be a glorious addition to this recipe!
Sonia has TONS of low fat low sugar baked goods, desserts, breakfast delights and protein snacks!
I really like that you don’t avoid natural fats in your diet Sonia. It’s so true – fats are vital, they keep you full and they are necessary to maintain (or achieve) a healthy weight. You’ve taught me a lot about diet and nutrition and I look forward to trying out this awesome salad, or alternatives based on whats available (I wonder where the heck I could get chestnuts up here!? Oh and figs!!). I imagine sweet potato will be good too? I just used up my squash in black bean burritos and thai soup.. Do you know what the nutritional differences are between the sweet potato and squash?
So kind of you, Christina! Glad you think so and happy to hear that I have taught you a thing or two about health and nutrition. That right there just made my day. That, and the fact that you sure didn’t lose time in trying that salad. I got to see both your comment AND your post at the same time.
I just checked out the difference between sweet potatoes and squash. It turns out sweet potatoes have about twice as many calories, carbs and fat per gram than squash does. Protein is about equal. Sweet potatoes however are MUCH higher in sugar, as well as in Vitamin A. But since both are very good for you, I wouldn’t worry about it, unless you’re watching your calories and macros very closely!
Off to check out your version, now!
Certainly propose to try this even tho’ wild rice is not easily available in Oz and tends to be very expensive. The dish looks moreish and, I am certain, tasted so and will be filling. I am not a sports trainer but I know a hell of a lot about both human physiology and nutrition: I’ll go for a low fat diet [low in saturated fats that is] any day but can in no way accept that a no-fat diet is in any way balanced, healthy, appetizing or even possible
!
Oh, wild rice is fairly expensive here also, Eha. Good thing you don’t need to use much. For years, I refrained from eating it because I thought it was too expensive. Glad I changed my mind! It’s just sooooo delicious!
This totally reminds me of a bread-free stuffing! It looks so incredibly gorgeous.