Not So Fried Rice

I have really been running behind this whole month! I don’t know how I was able to stay more organized during the crazy holiday months than I have been able to in January?! I mean I am behind in blogging and laundry and house work and everything! I just got caught up at work this week and let me tell you it was a scramble! I have no explanation for my running behindness {yes I just made up that word} Thank Heavens I have a week of vacation coming up where I plan on doing nothing but baking and blogging! Yay for time off work! So while I have been running do far behind on things I have been making super easy super quick no fuss meals lately. We love take away Chinese in this house almost as much as pasta! It’s fast, delicious and I don’t have to do anything but send the boy out to pick it up! Perfect if you ask me. One draw back? It is getting pricey! Our go to place has raised their prices and minimum order. Not so much fun anymore….. So while we all had a hankering {I think that is an awful word and preppy girls should never use it} for fried rice, I did not feel like having to order more than what we wanted to eat. So I whipped up a homemade version of this for us. I liked it better actually because I did not have to spend all my time picking out the gross peas!

More recipes @ the Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

As you can see this dish is not as “brown” as what you get in take away. The reason for that is you don’t have to load it down with sodium heavy Soy Sauce when you make it at home. Also this is Not So Fried Rice as it was not doused in oil and pan fried. {See Not So Fried} This lighter and healthier version is a snap to whip up and your family will love it! I made this as a main dish but you could pair down the amounts to make it a side dish. Fried rice is best made with day old or slightly dried out rice. I did not have any rice leftovers so I just boiled my rice in the morning and left it on the counter to cool all day and get that traditional slight crunch with it. This way no Frying is involved. Then I used it to make my healthy version for you. Feel free to mix up the kind of veggies that you use. I had frozen broccoli on hand and it is a vegetable that I can eat mixed up in things. Unlike the yucky peas that are normally served with it. I hope that when you see and taste this you won’t think anything is yucky about it but that you love it!

So next time you have a taste for Chinese don’t waste you money or add extra calories just whip up a batch of Not So Fried Rice!

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked white or brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 of an onion diced
• 1 package of frozen broccoli thawed
• 10 grilled chicken nuggets diced {not the breaded kind] or ready to use grilled chicken strips diced
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 eggs slightly beaten

Instructions

• In a large stock pot add the rice and water and bring to a boil
• reduce heat and cover pot, simmer for 15 min or till water is absorbed
• remove from heat and lift cover and let set out for a few hours to dry the rice out
• {for a moister dish skip this step]
• in a saute pan saute the onions in 2 tbs vegetable oil {olive oil will change the taste]
• toss in the Broccoli and the chicken peices and cook through till heated
• add the onions and the broccoli to the stock post of rice and turn stove top to Medium
• stir in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce and spices
• make a well in the rice by pushing it out the edges where there is a hole in the middle
• turn heat up to Medium High
• pour in the eggs and scramble in the well
• once cooked stir the eggs through the rice
• serve in bowls with chop sticks