Meatless Fridays: Fried Rice

Now that all the excitement of Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year/President's Day/Mardi Gras/Olympics has died down (okay, not the Olympics--they're still going on), I'd like to introduce a new feature I'm running during the Lenten season: Meatless Fridays.  Every Friday from today through Good Friday, I'll be bringing you a vegetarian dish even your heartiest carnivores will enjoy. Regular readers will surely notice the steep decline in the number of sweets-related posts during Lent, as I shift my focus away from indulgence.  But don't worry--I have something planned for St. Patrick's Day, and there might be an ice cream post sprinkled in there somewhere during the next 40 days...

On today's menu:  Fried rice.  It's quick to throw together, but you'll have to do a little planning ahead, as the rice will need to be cooked and thoroughly chilled before starting. (You can do this the night before, or use leftover rice)  Change it up by using your favorite mix of veggies, or go vegan and omit the eggs--it's really difficult to mess this one up!  Normally I add ingredients and taste as I go, but this time I stopped and measured...just for you  :)  Enjoy!


Fried Rice  (Serves 6)

3 Tbl. oil, divided use
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed in microwave
4½ cups cold, cooked rice (from 1½ cups raw)
¼ cup soy sauce (I used Kikkoman®) 
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. black pepper

In a large (12") skillet or wok, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add beaten eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until eggs are cooked (basically you're going for very small scrambled eggs here).  Add mixed vegetables and allow to heat through.  Remove eggs and vegetables from pan and reserve.  

Add remaining 2 Tablespoons oil to pan set over medium-high heat.  Add cold rice to pan, stirring frequently and breaking up large clumps of rice.  You'll hear lots of sizzlin' going on.  Cook rice over medium-high heat for several minutes, until thoroughly heated and "fried."  Add soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to rice.  Stir and cook until evenly distributed.  Add eggs and vegetables back into pan, and mix until combined and heated through.