Veggie Fried Rice

Leftover Rice Becomes New Dish

Simple ingredients.

3 Tablespoons butter or olive oil, divided

4 cups leftover rice, brown or white

1/4 head of green or white cabbage

2 stalks of celery

1/2 medium carrot

1 small knob fresh ginger

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon Low sodium soy sauce

3 green onions

Turn on hotplate and heat frying pan over medium heat.  Take care not to overheat the pan if it is nonstick.  

Meanwhile, prep celery and cabbage. 

To keep cooking time short, slice
celery as thinly as possible.

Remove core from cabbage; slice
lengthwise in 2 sections, then slice
into thin shreds.

Using a chef's knife, slice celery as thinly as possible on the diagonal.  Cut the core from the cabbage and slice it into thin shreds like sauerkraut.  Peel the ginger using the edge of a metal spoon.

A metal spoon easily removes the peel from ginger.

When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle, add 1 Tablespoon of butter and swirl to coat bottom of pan.  Add rice to pan, spreading it in an even layer without pressing down.  Cook 5 minutes without stirring.  Using a pancake turner, turn rice over and cook 3 minutes.

Spread rice in a thin layer without pressing down.

Clear the center of the pan by pushing rice to the sides in a ring shape.  Add 1 Tablespoon butter, the celery, and cabbage.  Grate carrot and 1 Tablespoon of ginger on top and cook 6 minutes, until nearly tender.

Rice is pushed to sides to make room for veggies.

Grate carrot & ginger directly into pan.

Stir the rice and veggies together.  Create two 3-inch openings in the rice, add a dab of butter to each, and crack an egg into each hole.  Pop the yolk and scramble the eggs, stirring occasionally within each opening, until set.

Add a whole egg to each buttered opening.

Stir everything together and cook a minute or two longer to be sure the egg is done.  Use kitchen shears to diagonally snip green onions (both the green and white parts) on top, add soy sauce, and stir well.

Serve 1/4 cup Veggie Fried Rice in a sample cup and offer additional soy sauce on the side.

Notes for Cooking Skills Educators:

Sample size:  1/4 cup

Serving ware:  4 oz. paper sample cups

Number of samples:  about 16

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cooking time:  17-20 minutes

Supply List: 

     (in addition to ingredient list and Food Demo Kit)

• Large saute pan (or electric skillet with lid + extension cord)
• Hotplate tote
• Grater 

Message:  Tastier than take-out!

Talking Points:

• Rice must be leftover, not freshly steamed.  It should be chilled overnight before making the recipe.
• If you use stainless steel rather than nonstick cookware, increase the butter by 1 Tablespoon.
• Veggies must be cut thinly or shredded so that they cook quickly.
• Add leftover chicken, ham, or beef cut in small pieces.
• Vary the veggies, using up what you have on hand either fresh or leftover:  green beans, corn, zucchini, mushrooms, kale, spinach, etc.
• Fresh ginger is easily frozen in a freezer bag.

Survey Questions:

1. Did you like the Veggie Fried Rice?  (icebreaker question)
2. Have you ever tasted homemade fried rice?
3. How often in the last month have you cooked with brown rice?
4. How likely are you to make the recipe in the next month?

Un-Refried Beans

Blender, food processor, potato masher, or fork! 

Start with a batch of Mexican-Style Pinto Beans, and end up with Un-Refried Beans, creamy-smooth beans perfectly suited to burritos or topped with cheese and hot sauce as a snack or side dish.  For more rustic texture, mash the beans by hand with a potato masher or large fork.  

Un-refried beans are popular in our home, so I usually make at least two pounds worth, freezing some in 2 1/2 cup Ziploc freezer cubes and some in 1 cup Ziploc freezer containers for impromptu snacks.  They are easily popped out of their container and heated in a small pan on the stove, or in a bowl in the micro.  

Beans, garlic, chilis are pureed without seeds.

1 batch of Mexican-Style Pinto Beans; 
     about 6 cups cooked beans made from 1 lb. of dry beans
Salt, to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 - 2 Tbs. olive oil, optional

Allow the Mexican-style Pinto beans to cool 1 hour after they are done cooking.  Drain them into a colander; discard the bay leaf.  Puree in food processor or blender in batches along with the chiles that cooked with them. 

Alternatively, mash beans 1 cup at a time with a potato masher or large fork.  

Season with salt, cumin, and olive oil.  When all the beans are pureed, combine them in a large bowl, stirring well.

Use immediately or package for the freezer.  Spoon into wide-mouth pint jars , freezer containers or freezer bags.   

Thaw frozen Un-refried Beans in one of the following ways:

• defrost overnight in the refrigerator
• thaw in the microwave on the defrost setting (not jars)
• thaw tightly closed container in a large bowl of warm water (not jars)
• set out at room temperature for an hour, then slide beans from their container into a small pan for heating.

Mexican-Style Pinto Beans

 Well-seasoned pinto beans ~ great side dish

These well-seasoned beans smell sooo good when they are cooking.  They are great as a side dish or incorporated into Mexican recipes.  They are the basis for Un-Refried Beans.  We use them in Taco Chip Ole (our version of taco salad), Taco Soup, in Whole Grain tortillas with cheese and hot sauce.  They are so popular at our house I usually cook 4 pounds of beans at a time in my water bath canner, in which case I use the food processor to chop the onions : )   

The method outlined below utilizes two important principles.  The first is fermentation, which according to Sally Fallon Morell in her book Nourishing Traditions, improves digestibility of the beans, which in turn reduces gastric upset. The second is brining, which according to America's Test Kitchen, tenderizes the seed coat.  Inspiration for seasoning came from Beth Hensperger's 'Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook', a book I highly recommend.

Day 1
1 lb. dried pinto beans (2 cups)
4 quarts room temperature water, 70-75 degrees F
2 Tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
2 Tbs sea salt

Day 2
8 cups hot water
2 dried New Mexican, California, or ancho chiles
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small onion, chopped
1 bay leaf

Place beans in a large bowl, pot, or other container.  Add water, vinegar, and salt. Soak at room temperature overnight or up to 24 hours. 

Drain beans into a colander and rinse thoroughly.
  

Pull stems off of dried chiles and shake the seeds out.

Transfer beans to a large pot; add 8 cups hot water.  Pull stems off of dried chiles and shake the seeds out; discard seeds.  Smash the garlic cloves with the broad side of a chef's knife and add them, the chiles, chopped onion, and bay leaf to the pot.  Bring beans to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat, tilt the lid on the pot, and simmer until desired tenderness is reached, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  

OR cook in a slow cooker on HIGH heat for 3 to 4 1/2 hours.

Test several beans to determine doneness.  Older beans will take longer to cook, and really old beans may not soften.

Remove beans from heat and let cool in their liquid for 1 hour.

Use immediately or package for the freezer.  Drain the beans and transfer to wide-mouth pint jars , freezer containers or freezer bags.  A pound of beans yields three 2 cup packages, equivalent to 3 cans of beans.  

Thaw frozen beans in one of the following ways:

• defrost overnight in the refrigerator
• thaw in the microwave on the defrost setting (not jars)
• thaw tightly closed container in a large bowl of warm water (not jars)
• set out at room temperature for an hour, then slide beans from their container into a small pan for heating.

Delicious dish; enjoy plain, topped with cheese and hot sauce, along-
side your favorite Mexican entree, or pureed to make Un-Refried Beans.