Kids and Veggies Don’t Mix
Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 1:00AM 
Kids and veggies don’t mix…or do they? Marilyn and I recently discovered that Ben’s third grade classmates, all professing their distaste for everything green, will actually gobble down more veggies than they realize when stir-fried with rice, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Yes, fried rice loaded with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and snow peas was a big hit with eight-year-old boys and girls alike!
A couple of weeks after our fried rice demo in Mrs. Touhey’s class, Ben nonchalantly handed me a dog-eared envelope that had evidently been in his backpack for several days. “Oh here, dad. Some notes about the rice,” he said in his typical dry tone. We read each and every one of them aloud as a family and were thrilled.
Perhaps this quote from one of Ben’s buddies says it best, “I can tell you put lots ‘o’ love into it! It was tres, tres bon!” So the next time you have leftover rice, stir-fry it with a bunch of veggies, soy sauce and “lots ‘o’ love.” Dinner is sure to be delicious!
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Stir-Fried Rice for Kids
4 cups cold cooked rice (leftover rice is perfect)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced vegetables (such as carrots, sugar snap peas, onion)
1 cup cooked meat (such as beef, pork, chicken or tofu)
2 tablespoons water
Soy sauce to taste
Use your fingers to break up and separate the rice grains.
Heat a wok or a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, then add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl it around in the wok. Add the eggs, cook about one minute, scramble, and let them set, about 1 minute longer. Remove the eggs to a plate, break apart into pieces and set aside.
Keeping the heat as high as possible, add another tablespoon of oil, then add the garlic, ginger and green onion and stir-fry about a minute. Add the vegetables and stir-fry another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meat and rice and stir-fry another 3 to 4 minutes, adding 2 tablespoons water if rice begins to stick. Add the eggs and soy sauce, toss well and serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 Servings
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Reader Comments (1)
This is brilliant! I can now serve veggies for my sister. By the way that drawing is so cute.