Spring Fried Rice

An easy option for dinner year-round, this time there are no frozen veggies in sight. I used radishes (with their tops) and carrots from the farmers’ market, and lots of green onions that we found growing in our newly-claimed garden patch. Our apartment complex has community garden plots, and we have started working on our allotment. At the moment we are just trying to get the grass and weeds out of it. There are lots of worms, so that’s a good sign. Yay, worms. Boo, slugs. This weekend has been on-and-off rainy so we didn’t get as much done as we would have liked. I say “we,” even though BN is way beyond me in gardening skills. Well, I am going to try to learn by doing. I helped by going to 2 different Starbucks and getting coffee grounds to enrich the soil. I felt like a true Eugenian, with my farmers’ market purchases and 4 bags of coffee grounds on my bike baskets. Peace out!

Fried Rice (serves 4)

4 cups cold cooked Rice
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into long strips
2 eggs, lightly beaten
lots of garlic, minced
a good sized hunk of ginger, minced
a handful of green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
a couple of small carrots, diced
half a bunch of radishes, diced, with greens, stemmed
1/2 cup of cashew pieces (toasted in a dry skillet before you begin cooking)
2 T vegetable oil
3 T soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick pan. Cook the chicken until opaque. Remove from the pan, chop into small pieces, and place in a large covered dish. Add the eggs to the pan, cook, and scramble. Add to the covered dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add 2 tsp oil to the pan. Add the white parts of the onion, and cook until softened. Stir in garlic, ginger, and carrots. Add a splash of water and cover the pan to let the carrots steam for a minute or two. Stir in the radish greens, heat until just wilted. Move all the veggies to the dish.

Add 2 tsp oil to the pan. Add the rice, and stir constantly. Stir in the soy sauce. When the rice is sizzling, and no clumps remain, remove it to the covered dish. Add the radishes, green onion tops, and cashews to the mix; stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.