Vegetable Fried Rice

This vegan fried rice is inspired by food court style fried rice that typically has peas, carrots, and eggs. This version obviously removes the eggs, but also pumps up the protein by adding edamame. Broccoli and peas are a good vegan protein source too. 

You could easily customize this recipe by adding different vegetables or tofu.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients

• Oil for cooking - I used canola
• 1/2 cup white rice plus 1 cup water
• Vegetables, about 1/2 cup of each, chopped into small pieces
• Carrots
• Onion
• Broccoli
• Edamame - I used frozen shelled edamame
• Peas - I used frozen
• Seasoning
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Soy sauce

Directions

1. Cook rice separately by boiling with water and salt. When the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and cover. 
2. Saute the onions and carrots in cooking oil. 
3. When the onions are clear, add the garlic and broccoli.
4. When the broccoli starts to get soft, add the edamame, cooked rice, and seasonings. You may need to add more oil. 
5. Stir to combine and continue to stir occasionally until some parts of the rice start to caramelize. Adjust seasonings to taste.
6. Add the frozen peas last so they don't get mushy. Stir them in until they are evenly mixed. 

Note: Chopping all of the vegetables can take a lot of prep time. You can save time by prepping the vegetables in advance and freezing them, or by using store-bought frozen vegetables. 

Easy Linguini with Cherry Tomatoes

This is a quick pasta dish you can throw together when you have minimal ingredients on hand. I made this when I had just bought fresh cherry tomatoes from the farmers market, but hadn't gone grocery shopping yet.

When cherry tomatoes cook the flavor becomes more complex. As they heat up, the juice inside expands and they explode. This turns the tomatoes into a light sauce. I use the same method with my tomato and asparagus pasta.

Easy Linguini with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound linguini
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook the pasta separately and set aside.
2. Saute the cherry tomatoes until some of them pop open from the heat. Gently "pop" the rest with the back of your spoon or spatula. 
3. Add the garlic to the sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the cooked linguini and stir with tongs. Add salt and pepper to taste.