Fried Rice

Today is a big day, folks. First, this morning was my last final. As of right now, final grades for two of my classes are entered. One more to go. I have to read/grade 16 final papers, calculate those grades, enter those grades, give comments to another faculty member about the senior papers for which I'm the second reader, and then I'm done for the semester.

Second, here are a few things you may or may not know about me. I am originally from Minnesota. I am incredibly proud of being from Minnesota (perhaps more proud than a Minnesotan would show - only funny if you're from Minnesota). There are so many things that make my state awesome. Unrelated to being from Minnesota, I'm also a lesbian. That Shana character I talk about? She's my wife. In fact, the name of my blog is from a cookbook that she made for me and it's a play on the word lesbian. And that's me, a lesbian vegan. Today, my Minnesota world and my lesbian world started to collide, as the Minnesota House of Representatives voted to support same-sex marriage. Amazing. While the State Senate still needs to vote and the Gov. needs to sign things, both of those are expected to occur without a hitch.

With both of those good things happening today, tonight's delicious dinner (and the glass of red wine and celebratory cupcakes I'm cooking) was a great addition to my happy day. While I hesitate to call this an actual recipe, it's a really quick, easy, and incredibly tasty meal.

Vegan Fried Rice
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. uncooked brown rice
1 medium onion, chopped
1-4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 large carrots, chopped
2 c. broccoli florets
2 c. cauliflower florets
1/2 can baby corn
1/2 c. frozen peas
olive oil
toasted sesame oil
soy sauce

Directions
1. The night before (or a couple of days before, even), prepare rice as per package directions.
2. Heat a thin layer of the oils in a large wok over high heat.
3. Add the onion, saute 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add carrots and garlic, saute another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add broccoli, cauliflower, and baby corn, saute (still stirring frequently) until veggies are nearly done.
5. Add frozen peas, drizzle veggies with soy sauce, cook 1-2 minutes, then pour veggies into a heat-safe bowl.
6. Add a bit more oil and fry rice, stirring frequently. When hot, drizzle with soy sauce.
7. Make a well in the center of your rice to add veggies back to rice and stir to combine.

Helpful Hints

• It is important to have all of your chopping done before you start cooking!
• All of the veggies in here are optional. For example, if Shana didn't eat this with me, there would be no baby corn, because baby corn is gross. Instead, I dig through my bowl to find them and put them in her bowl. Also, if you want to add something like mushrooms or tofu or peppers or tomatoes or green onions or zucchini or or or, go right ahead!
• Speaking of additions, if you want to add some spices, you can do that. You can also add a sprinkle of rice wine vinegar to brighten the flavor. 
• Occasionally I will squirt some water in my wok while the veggies are cooking. This adds steam and helps them cook a bit faster. I keep a small squirt bottle on my stove for this purpose. 
• The peas will continue to "cook" while the veggies are sitting in the bowl as you cook the rice. 
• If you use a gluten-free soy sauce, this recipe is gluten free. 
• Fried rice is practically vegan already - just don't add the meat or eggs and it's vegan!

The post "Fried Rice" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.