We all have those weeks. The weeks when Friday night comes and you stare into your fridge at the odds and ends, wondering what to make of it and ultimately deciding on take out as your only option. You know it’s costly, and likely not very healthy- but you’re tired from the week and really just want something quick and easy.
What if I told you there were a better option? A dish that tastes like takeout, requires minimal effort, uses up all those odds and ends in the fridge and might even take less time than take-out? Well, you’d be all over that, wouldn’t you?
Enter “fried” rice. I use “fried” in quotations because though we are stir-frying the veggies and rice, it is done with a much smaller amount of oil, making it much, much healthier than the restaurant version. The beauty of this recipe is it’s hardly even a recipe at all- chop a few veggies (or better yet, chop extra when you’re making other dishes during the week so you don’t have to worry about it come friday!), some tofu, pour in a little oil, crack an egg, stir it all up and it’s (basically) done!
The ingredient list can be modified to your own preferences or whatever you happen to have in the house that week. This recipe does call for one egg, so if you’d rather it be vegan, omit the egg. Or, if you’re not into tofu, use tempeh instead, or even throw in some leftover cooked chicken. This dish is yours to be creative- quickly and with little effort, that is. 
Leftovers “Fried” Rice
1 1/2 cups leftover brown rice
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup veggies of choice, diced small (I used yellow and red pepper, mushroom and green onion, carrots and celery would work beautifully!)
1 cup cruciferous veggies of choice, chopped (I used broccoli and cabbage)
1/2 block firm tofu, diced small
1 egg
1/4 tsp Ginger powder
1 tbsp Tamari or shoyu
1/2 tbsp Rice vinegar
sea salt, to taste
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
sesame seeds to garnish
1. Heat oil in sautee pan on high heat. Add in onion and fry for 1 minute until softened, stirring constantly. Add chopped vegetables and cook, stirring until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add tofu and continue to cook.
2. Meanwhile, Place the cruciferious vegetables in a steamer and steam until starting to soften. Add rice to pan, mix with vegetables and cook 1-2 minutes until starting to warm. Make a space in the middle of the veggie/tofu/rice mix and pour in egg. As soon as it starts to turn white mix into rice and stir, cooking the egg.
3. Add cruciferous veggies and stir to mix. Add tamari, ginger, rice vinegar and sea salt to taste. Stir in cilantro just before serving, and top with sesame seeds or perhaps some sprouts.
Serves 2
See? I told you that was easy.
What is your favorite quick-to-make staple meal?
xo
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum – this sounds scrumptious and I always end up with brown rice/veggie leftovers! Clever to steam the veggies before you add them in – much faster that way.
Thanks for the recipe!
Ooh this looks stellar! I love stir-frys and tofu noodles when I’m in a hurry because they’re so fast and easy!
I’ve been waiting for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it, it looks soo good. Thanks!
This looks fantastic, i’m totally making it for dinner one day this week, thanks for a great recipe!
This sounds great I love fried rice. I put tons of veggies in mine. I usually use Bragg’s liquid aminos for seasoning. I also sometimes mix in a tiny bit of wasabi.
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