Basic Fried Rice – Julie's Version (makes 2 servings)

Two decades ago, I made Fried Rice at home using a recipe I cut out of a newspaper which I think was part of an advertisement for Success Boil in a Bag Rice and Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I was amazed at how well the dish turned out and how much it made. After a week of eating Fried Rice, I had no desire to make this dish again. Fast forward to this past December when I needed to do something with two eggs, some chicken and an onion I bought the prior month from the local farmer's market and back to this recipe I came. 

If you run a google search for Success rice fried rice recipes or fried rice recipes there is no shortage of recipes to choose from based on whether you are vegetarian, vegan or not, or if there are specific vegetables you prefer over others. As with my dilemma this past December and as of my girlfriends do regularly, combining the left over meat and vegetables with rice makes a quick meal and prevents food waste. 

This is a variation of the Fried Rice recipe many years ago using the ingredients I had at hand this past December. To reduce the amount of sodium in this recipe, I used Coconut Aminos and ground black pepper instead of Soy or Tamari sauces. 

Basic Fried Rice – Julie's Version (serves 2) 

1 cup cooked rice (brown, jasmine, basmati, white) or 1 bag Success boil in bag rice, cooked 

3 tablespoons canola oil 

¼ – ½ cup chopped onion (if you want less onion, use the smaller amount) 

1 – 2 eggs beaten 

½ cup chopped cooked shrimp, chicken, ham or beef (optional) 

½ cup frozen peas (optional, if you're using 2 eggs) 

½ teaspoon garlic powder 

1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos 

Ground Black Pepper (optional) 

Heat oil in medium to large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 1 minute. Add eggs, scramble. Reduce heat to medium and fold in shrimp or meat (if using), peas (if using), garlic, rice and soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos. Heat through. Season with black pepper to taste. Serve. Store any used portions in refrigerator in air tight container.

Fried Rice with Egg, Onion and Peas ready to serve

Buffalo Cauliflower Florets or a vegetarian appetizer for those who like it hot

Several years ago a I received an e-mail from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health with a recipe for Buffalo Cauliflower. Upon a quick skim, I determined it was keeper as I could easily make it dairy free. For several years it sat in my e-mail until I had a head of cauliflower I needed to do something with. 

If you don't like super spicy food stop reading at this point as this not the recipe for you. In addition to substituting the dairy in the recipe, I swapped the hot sauce for tabasco sauce, and doubled the amount of garlic and pepper. The end result numbed my tongue after six or seven florets. 

Below is my version of this recipe. The original version is available here. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Florets, Julie's version 

1 medium-sized head cauliflower broken into florets 

¾ cup garbanzo bean/chickpea flour and ¼ cup brown rice flour 

½ – 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

½ – 1 teaspoon garlic powder 

4 tablespoons butter substitute such as Earth Balance Buttery Spread 

5 ounces McIlhenny Co Tabasco Original Red Sauce (this is a whole bottle) 

¾ cup water 

Place oven rack on middle rung. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

Line a 15-inch by 10-inch cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, pepper and garlic powder. Gradually add water while whisking. Batter should be slightly thinner than pancake batter. 

Toss cauliflower florets in batter until coated and place on cookie sheet, slightly apart. (Use your best judgement as to how many cauliflower florets to coat at one time. In other words, doing this multiple times is okay.) 

Bake coated cauliflower florets 20 minutes. 

While coated cauliflower florets are baking, in a small sauce pan, melt butter or butter substitute over medium heat. Remove from heat and tabasco sauce. Remove coated cauliflower florets from over. Loosen coated cauliflower florets gently from cookie sheet with spatula. If needed, reheat butter mixture over low-medium heat until melted. Pour butter mixture evenly over coated cauliflower florets.

Bake coated cauliflower florets for additional 10-15 minutes or until the wings have slightly browned.

Remove from oven. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve. Store any unused portion in air tight container in refrigerator.