Veggie Fried Rice

I had the most delicious vegetarian fried rice at a little place call Sunflower Vegetarian in Vienna, VA (http://www.crystalsunflower.com/Vienna/index_normal.htm) It gave me such a taste for vegetarian fried rice that I started searching recipes. Trust me, there are lots. I had never made fried rice before, so this was an experiment for me. I think it turned out delicious. Of course, as with so many recipes, there are many ways to modify this one. And, after all my recipe searching, I basically made this one up on my own.

Veggie Fried Rice with fakin’ bacon

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked jasmine rice
4 strips vegan bacon (I used smart bacon – http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=smartbacon)
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup fresh green beans cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 cup fresh peas
1/2 cup fresh baby corn
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

Start with cooked rice. If you don’t have cooked rice, then cook some according to the package. I use 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of water and that makes about 3 cups of rice.

In a wok or large skillet, cook the fake bacon according to the package, but make sure it is nice and crisp. Remove from the pan and let cool.

Add the olive oil to the wok. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the rest of the veggies and sauté until the veggies are almost tender.

Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil and mix everything together. Cook on medium heat for another 5 – 10 minutes. (I cooked mine a little longer on low heat to give the kids time to finish their homework.

There are so many options with fried rice. Leave in the fake bacon, take it out. Add egg like a more traditional fried rice (vegetarian, but not vegan). Use any seasonal vegetables available. Everything I put in was in the produce section.