I made this particular recipe as sort of a joke. I’ve recently lost 40 pounds, and I don’t want to put it back on. So I like to try making some favorite foods, cutting points (Weight Watchers style) in as many places as humanly possible.
One of the local favorites around here in Hawai`i is a “Loco Moco,” which sounds pretty gross until you taste it. It’s typically two scoop white rice (not scoops “plural”, mind you, but scoop “singular”), topped with either Spam, hamburger, or Portuguese sausage. Plop a fried egg or two on top of that, and then cover the whole shebang with brown gravy and chopped green onions, including the green part.
See, I told it you sounds gross, but when you taste it, you will think of nothing but the old cliché – “I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Of course, as you can imagine, it’s not exactly a dieter’s special!
So just for fun, I decided to try something else. Here is my version of a “Mini Skinny Moco.”
Mini Skinny Moco
½ cup cooked brown rice
1 small veggie sausage patty, cooked in microwave
1 egg, over medium (or however you like it)
1/8 cup canned brown gravy (or homemade)
Chopped chives (or green onions)
Follow the procedure for a regular Loco Moco (see the second paragraph above) starting with the scoop of brown rice, then the cooked veggie sausage patty.
After that, add the egg cooked to your preference, and a little brown gravy over that. Sprinkle chopped chives or green onions on top and enjoy.
If you are a Weight Watcher, this way of fixing a local favorite cuts the points down from about 17-18 points (or more) down to 6.5 points. And that doesn’t even count the macaroni salad that’s usually served with it in most fast food joints here in the islands.
This version is much smaller, has more fiber, and uses ingredients that are leaner, but tastes just as good – maybe even better, knowing that you are not gaining 10+ pounds by eating it! The egg I used for preparing this dish had been freshly gathered, by the way!
This is true Hawai`ian comfort food! Eat it slowly and enjoy the flavors. Trust me, you won’t be able to eat just one!
A hui hou!