Easy Fried Rice

I found this recipe at therecipecritic.  I love a good stir fry.  I also like being able to control the items that go into my dish.  One thing I usually do is make the rice the day before.  I stick it in the fridge until I'm ready for it.  It just has more of the feel of stir fry....it was a tip a friend of mine from Korea told me...the truth is there may not be real reason to do that, but in my head it makes a difference, and at night when I'm tired from working-it saves some time if the rice is already ready to go!

Easy Fried Rice

Ingredients:  2 chicken breast (cooked and shredded), 3 c of rice (cooked), 2 T sesame oil, 1 small onion (chopped), 1 c. frozen peas and carrots (thawed), 3 T soy sauce, 2 eggs (lightly beaten), 2 T green onions (chopped)

Instructions:  

1.  Cook and shred chicken.  Season to taste. 

2.  Heat a skillet or wok on medium.  Add sesame oil, onion, peas and carrots.  Fry until tender. 

3.  Move to the side and add the beaten egg.  Scramble.  Mix the eggs and veggies.  

4.  Add rice and chicken.  Pour soy sauce on top.  Stir and fry all ingredients until heated through.  Add chopped onions.  

Asian Pasta Salad

I've been on the hunt for vegan friendly recipes.  My brothers at my house this summer, which means I have someone to share calories with....except...he won't consume any animal based calories.  We both run....these days I mostly run from things I'm scared of, or towards really fabulous shopping deals, he runs marathons.  So, pasta is good for fueling those runs too.  

This was a yummy salad I tried out after finding the recipe at aestheticnest.  You can serve it hot or cold, but I loved it cold.  You can also add whatever vegetables you want.  My pocketbook only wanted to add snow peas and a red pepper this week.  In addition-I think this one is pretty much a no fail.  If you like Asian/soy based dressings, try it out.  

Asian Pasta Salad

PRINT HERE

Dressing Instructions:  

3/4 c soy, 4 t grated ginger, 1 T brown sugar, 2 T sesame oil, 6 T rice wine vinegar, 2 t sweet chili sauce, 1/4 c canola oil.  Combine and blend using a blender.  

Pasta Instructions:

Cook and drain 2 lbs of pasta (eggless if you are entertaining vegans), chow vegetables (ex:  1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 8 oz of baby corn, 6 oz of snow peas (cut in half or leave whole), 3 scallions.  

Combine all the veggies and pasta.  Dress and toss.  

Panda Express Chow Mein

One of my guilty pleasures is the chow mein at Panda Express.  I can't explain it-but I love it.  I saw the recipe for a copy cat of this dish via EatCakeForDinner and I was skeptical....
Guess what?  It was de-li-cious, and it taste exactly like P.E.....and it was super easy to make.  With the vegetables thrown it-I'm even pretending it's healthy.
This is one of my favorite recipe finds in awhile...so...if you are looking for something that fits the bill...

Chow Mein

Ingredients:  1/4 c. soy sauce, 1 T. brown sugar, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1 t. ginger (grated-I just popped a little off a large cluster at the store-it was really cheap), black pepper (to taste), 2 T. vegetable oil, 2/3 c. celery (sliced), 1/2 medium onion (thinly sliced), 2 c. cabbage (shredded), 15 oz of chow mein noodles (they sell this fresh near the produce, but I found in near the asian foods, and just boiled it for 2 of the 3 minutes the package called for, drained it, and added it to the mix when it was called for to finish the cooking).
Instructions:  Combine the soy, b. sugar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper-set aside.  Boil the noodles as directed (I went a little under the required time so they wouldn't get too mushy).  Heat oil in a wok.  Add the celery, onion and saute until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the cabbage and saute a couple more minutes until soft.  Add the noodles and soy mix.  Toss together.  Serve immediately.