Fried Rice

I always make too much rice. Sometimes I do it on purpose, sometimes I don't. Either way, I keep it because I can use it to make fried rice. This is a great one dish meal that I make when I seem to have an assortment of leftovers. Substitute whatever kind of meat and veggies you have on hand. This recipe is made with the ingredients I had on hand today. Here's what you'll need: 

  • 3 TBL oil (I used olive oil)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 Cups cooked rice, cold
  • 1 C mushrooms, cooked
  • 1 C brisket, chopped
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 C chopped greens (I had a mixture of kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage) 
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 TBL soy sauce
  • 2 TBL chopped green onion

I make my fried rice on my flat top, but I realize that not everyone is lucky enough to have one. No problem! Just use a wok or the biggest skillet you have. The idea is to have a lot of surface to cook on because you want to fry everything rather than saute it.   

Start by getting the surface very hot. Chop the bacon and throw it on the hot surface to start cooking. While it is cooking, crack the 3 eggs into a bowl and scramble them. When the bacon fat starts to render, use some of it to cook the egg, then transfer the cooked egg to a bowl.

Next add the onion and cook until translucent. Mix the bacon in and add the brisket, stirring all together. Then add the greens, the mushrooms, and any other veggies you have (I added some leftover green beans) stirring and cooking after each addition. 

Now it's time to add the rice. If the mixture seems a little dry, go ahead and drizzle a little more oil over it. Stir the rice to mix everything together and sear the rice a little. Now add the soy sauce and sesame oil and mix well. Add the cooked egg and combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. We like things on the spicy side so I added some red pepper flakes. Top with the green onions.

There are a few tips that will make your rice perfect every time. First of all, use cold rice. By that I mean that it has actually been refrigerated before you use it. This helps dry it out just a little so that it doesn't become gummy. The other thing you need to do is to have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking. This is a high heat, fast cooking method so you won't have time to stop and chop things up.   The last thing is to  make sure your skillet, wok, or cook top is really hot before you start. You want to get an instant sear when you start to add the ingredients. 

Enjoy! 

Lynn

Cutest Appetizer Ever!

This is the cutest appetizer I've ever made. It's just dips and veggies that have been wrapped into a cute package. It's more of an assembly process than a recipe. Here's what you'll need:

  • several different baguettes
  • assorted vegetables, cut into match stick size pieces
  • dips of your choice

Start by cutting the ends off of the baguettes. Then cut a diagonal slice about about 3" from the end, then a straight slice 3" from the first cut. Keep repeating the diagonal the straight cuts until the whole loaf has been sliced. You will end up with pieces that have one straight side and one diagonal side.

Take one piece and scoop out most of the bread from the diagonal end, being careful to leave some in the bottom. Spoon some dip into the cavity that is left, then stick in a few of the vegetables. Stand it up on the flat end. 

The baguettes I used were multigrain and seeded. I used a spinach and vegetable dip and a roasted red pepper hummus. The veggies I used were cucumber, carrot, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper. I stood them up and arranged them on a wooden tray. What a great way to serve a simple appetizer!

Enjoy! 

Lynn