Using Up Leftovers - Egg Fried Rice

I found this recipe in my Southern Living Cookbook and we have made it a lot over the last few months, I've tweaked it and adjusted it to just use what we have on hand. I meant to take a picture when I made it last Sunday after church, but we were all starving and it just got eaten right up!

It is a great way to use up those pesky leftovers you have sitting in your fridge like veggies and meat.  I mean really, who wants to eat those things reheated?  Veggies just get mushy and meat gets dry and tough.  But throw them into fried rice and you have yourself a quick, easy and even nutritious meal! Especially when you use healthier fats, brown rice, and free-range eggs like we do at our house.

The trick to fried rice is to used cooked rice that's been chilled.  This helps it to keep it's texture during cooking.  This recipe is also great because the measurements don't have to be exact - just throw it together and it still tastes great every time! 
 
Here's the recipe as it appears in The Southern Living Cookbook:
1/4 c. chopped green onions or shallots
1 c. frozen English peas
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 c. cooked long-grain rice
1 egg lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

And here's how I do it:
 - Heat some coconut oil or a mixture of butter and olive oil in a frying pan. I use at least 2 Tbsp or more, depending on how many veggies I'm going to be adding.
 - Add frozen peas and whatever other leftover (or frozen) veggies I have in the fridge.  I've even put in some fresh veggies, like diced carrots, sometimes. We don't do onions at our house, so I just leave those out.
 - Saute for a few minutes until veggies are cooked/heated through.

- Add rice - I usually don't have anywhere near 3 cups.  I just use whatever leftover rice I have in the fridge, or I have sometimes made a pot of rice and put it in the fridge the day before in anticipation of making fried rice.  
 - Also, at this point I add any leftover cooked meat that we might have.  Sometimes we eat it with meat and sometimes without. I have added everything from diced chicken, to leftover pork roast, even a leftover turkey burger with cheese on it.  It was good every time!
 - Heat rice and meat thoroughly.

 - Make a well in the center of the pan by pushing the rice mixture to the sides.  Pour the egg into the well and cook. I usually use two eggs for extra protein, especially if I'm not adding any meat, and Jer likes lots of egg in his fried rice. The directions say to cook the egg until set, stirring occasionally, but I find that the egg doesn't cook that quickly and when I try to stir it, it all gets mixed up anyway.  So I usually let the egg cook until slightly set on the edges and then just stir everything up and keep cooking until the eggs are done.
 - Add soy sauce and stir everything together.  Use light soy sauce or it will be very salty.  And I don't measure, I just pour it around a little until it looks like a good amount. 

Enjoy! 

Do you have any standby recipes that you turn to when you need to use up leftovers?  Please share!


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