Recipe: One Pot Veggie Fried Rice

On Friday night, A came over to watch the second installment of Lord of the Rings, The Twin Towers, and she taught me how to make an easy one pot veggie fried rice with brown rice. It was quick, healthy, and oh-so delicious, so I figured I would share the recipe!

Recipe: One Pot Veggie Fried Rice

Ingredients:

-1 cup brown rice

-4 eggs (I used all 4 of the egg whites, but only 2 of the yolks)

-1 cup frozen vegetables

-1 cup sliced mushrooms

-3/4 cup bean sprouts

-4 tbsp Soyaki sauce

-1 tbsp olive oil

-2 tbsp Sriracha

-1 tbsp red chili powder, optional

-Himalayan pink salt, to taste

-Black pepper, to taste

1.) Cook the brown rice according to the directions on the package, and while the rice is cooking, chop/dice/thaw out all your vegetables. Now I'm normally a huge fan of fresh ingredients, but I made an exception in this one case and went with a frozen medley. Once the rice is done cooking, set aside and allow to cool.

2.) Whisk together the eggs (I only used two of the egg yolks but feel free to use the whole egg or just the egg whites, it wont make a difference). Toss in the chili powder (optional) and a pinch of salt, and continue whisking until the eggs are light and airy.

3.) Set a pan over medium heat and heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the pan is hot enough, toss in the frozen vegetables and let them cook.

4.) Once the frozen vegetables are almost fully cooked, toss in the mushrooms and bean sprouts, along with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.

5.) Stir fry the veggies until they are fully cooked and starting to sear a little bit. All the water and moisture from the bean sprouts should be gone.

6.) Stir in the eggs and as they start to cook, fold in the vegetables.

7.) Continue stirring the mixture until the eggs and veggies are well incorporated and resemble scrambled eggs.

8.) Toss in the cooked and cooled brown rice and gently stir it in to the egg and vegetable mixture.

9.) Add the Soyaki and Sriracha to the rice and stir thoroughly, but without smushing the rice.

10.) Add more Sriracha or Soyaki per individual taste. Obviously I added a bit more Sriracha because I like my fried rice spicy.

11.) Serve immediately and enjoy =] We had ours with a side of meat-less Mandarin Chicken from Trader Joe's.

Recipe: Chipotle Garlic Chicken and Mexican Rice Casserole

Being a born and bred So-Cal girl, I have always considered Mexican food as an essential staple of my diet. College was full of late night Taco Bell runs and post-grad life involves a healthy dose of Chipotle on a regular basis. The numerous but equally wonderful combinations of chicken, cheese, and carbs make my mouth water every single time. Unfortunately, many of these dishes also run on the wrong side of the calorie/fat track, particularly the restaurant-style dishes. Not only are the portions enormous, but the all the extra cheese, oil, and sour cream are basically a recipe for disaster (aka a heart attack).These days I've been trying to cook as much as possible and eliminate all mysterious ingredients and empty calories from my diet. So when I came across this recipe for One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole from DamnDelicious' blog, I was beyond excited! I decided to pair it with a simple Chipotle Garlic seasoned chicken breast, and the results were delicious.

Ingredients:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-3 tbsps minced garlic
-1 onion, diced
-1 zucchini, diced
-1/2 cup corn kernels (I used frozen)
-1 tomato, diced (I went with fresh)
-1 cup brown rice
-2 cups water
-1 tbsp chili powder (or to taste)
-1 tsp cumin
-Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-Optional: chopped cilantro

1.) I started out by dicing all the vegetables I wanted to throw into my pot. This recipe can be adjusted to include whatever vegetables you prefer. The original recipe calls for bell peppers, but I hate bell peppers and so I substituted mushrooms instead.

2.) After all the chopping and dicing, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a nonstick pan (couldn't find mine, clearly), and toss in the garlic and onions, stirring until the onions turn translucent.

3.) Next is round two of the vegetables. Toss in the zucchini, carrots and corn and stir for another 2-3 minutes until the veggies become nice and tender.

4.) Lastly, toss in the tomatoes and mushrooms, along with the brown rice, 2 cups of water, and spices.

5.) Bring everything to a nice rolling boil, before lowering the heat, covering and cooking for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender (You could also transfer the mixture to a rice cooker and cook it in there).

6.) Once the rice is done, gently fold in the 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, stirring until well mixed and cheesy all around =].

Super Easy Chipotle Garlic Seasoned Chicken:

Ingredients:
-Chicken breast
-Olive Oil Spray
-Chipotle Garlic seasoning
-Lemon Pepper seasoning
-1 tbsp lemon juice

1.) Spray olive oil on both sides of the chicken breast and thoroughly coat in Chipotle Garlic seasoning and Lemon Pepper Seasoning



2.) Cook for about 7 minutes before covering the chicken breast with lemon juice and re-seasoning a little bit.



3.) Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until done, and enjoy!

Recipe: Homemade Granola Bars- 5 Ingredients

Another recipe from this weekend! I was browsing my cousin's amazing blog (newmomandthecity.blogspot.com) the other day and found this super easy recipe for granola bars! Now I personally happen to be a huge fan of granola bars...I eat them from breakfast every single day and usually as a mid-afternoon snack as well. They're the perfect snack on the go, whether you're looking for a quick protein fix after an intense workout, need a little sustenance to survive the afternoon lag, or just need a pick me whilst out shopping (Yes, I carry granola bars in my purse at all times just in case I get hungry while I give my credit cards a workout ). Plus nowadays, they have so many different types with all the ingredients you could ever imagine: dark chocolate chips, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, peanut butter, cranberries, blueberries, etc. My only problem with them is the weird chemicals and preservatives hidden away in the ingredients list. I like knowing what I'm eating, and even the cleanest ones I could find (I've been eating the Kashi Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt ones) have mysterious ingredients that I don't see in the bar. So when I found this recipe I was super excited and couldn't wait to try it! It only takes about 20 minutes to make and the results are delicious.

Ingredients:
-1 cup pitted dates (I used Costco's Medjool Dates)
-1 1/2 cups oats (I used Quaker Instant Oats)
-1/4 peanut butter
-1/4 honey
-1 cup chopped almonds

1.) This is technically an optional step, but I roasted my oats first, because I prefer the taste. Turn up the oven to a nice toasty 350 degrees and roast them for about 10-15 minutes, moving them around occasionally.



2.) Process the dates in your food processor until they form a nice sticky round ball

(Yummmmm)

3.) Combine the dates dough, chopped almonds (just pulse them in the food processor for a few seconds), and roasted oats in a large mixing bowl.

4.) Pour the honey and peanut butter into a small, non-stick saucepan and heat it up on the stove over a low flame for about two minutes. Stir constantly.

5.) Pour the peanut butter-honey mixture into the mix and stir thoroughly. I used a fork to mix it properly.

6.) Spread the mixture into a pan, pressing tightly, and allow the mixture to harden (10-15 minutes). Cut into bars and enjoy.

Let's see how long these last!