Working in the news media helps me in many ways. I not only get to publish my recipes but also get FREE cookbooks all the time. Many authors send their cookbooks hoping to get it reviewed by The Globe. Once the editors have finished their evaluation, the books are sent to bins waiting to be adopted by an employee. I inherited more than 30 cookbooks this way.
Last week they put out several bin-fulls. My friend and colleague Beverly and I were leisurely browsing when she claimed the gluten-free baking cookbooks and I took the healthy, vegetarian ones. While perusing one of them I became interested in vegetable recipes.
Everyone knows we are a carnivore family. Chicken and meat are a staple in our diet. But I try to incorporate as many veggies as I can. After speaking about this with Sheryl, my food editor, she suggested I purchase a quality cookbook on the subject called Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London’s Ottolenghi. I liked it so much that I read his other cookbook, Jerusalem. It had brilliant recipes and mind-blowing pictures. If you’re thinking about buying a cookbook, try one of these.
As you already know, I do a “healthy breakfast series” every month in my blog. Last month I blogged about my healthy brunch chicken shawarma. I hope you did not miss it. I also follow Saveur, food 52, vegetarian times and always look for innovative savory breakfasts.
This month food52 brought a new recipe to my attention. Fried rice is generally made with white rice but I decided to switch it with brown for health reasons.
A couple of weeks ago I looked down and spotted some belly fat on me. I was shocked because I’ve had a flat stomach since I was a child. It was more shocking that I did not gain weight and my clothes fit me the same way they had always fit before. I Googled what can cause this and found that brown rice is a lot healthier than white. So I decided to start eating brown rice. I also decided to cut down my chocolate consumption and keeping track of my diet in ‘myfitnesspal’.
It is a big change for a white rice lover like me. The only rice I ate from childhood was white. Switching to brown was not easy. My husband told me to buy a small bags of brown basmati rice from Trader Joe’s. I’ve been eating it for last couple of weeks and, honestly, I feel better. I do not feel bloated and worry about overeating.
When I saw the recipe in food 52 I wondered why I do not include brown fried rice in my brunch. I tossed together a bunch of veggies with sesame oil and a delicious sauce prepared from soy sauce, honey, and rice vinegar. I also added a poached egg but vegetarians can skip this step. You can also prepare it in batches, store it in the refrigerator and bring it to work. If you do not like the taste of pomegranate or cannot get one, you can replace it with chickpeas. This dish has color, texture and most importantly it’s delicious. It is also packed with nutrition but light in calories (only 289 without eggs, 384 with).
There’s a similar breakfast recipe from the famous blog Reclaiming Provincial here.
Ingredients
- Brown Fried Rice
- 1 cup brown rice, washed and drained
- 3 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 6 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- salt to taste
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Eggs
- 4 eggs
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Brown Fried Rice
1. Put rice and water into a heavy bottom pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot halfway and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed and rice is tender, about 33 to 35 minutes. Set covered pot aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a non-stick pan, over medium heat, heat oil. Add garlic pieces and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until no longer raw. Add red, yellow and green bell pepper and cook covered for 7 to 8 minutes or until it becomes soft. Add carrots and cook for an another 5 to 6 minutes, or until it becomes soft.
3. Add scallions and over medium heat cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cooked rice, sesame seeds and salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add pomegranate seeds and stir to mix well. Set it aside in a serving bowl.
Sauce
1. In a bowl, add soy sauce, honey and rice vinegar. Mix well. Add to rice and mix well with a spoon.
Eggs
1. In a non-stick 8-inches skillet over medium heat, add 2 teaspoons oil. Crack 2 eggs into the skillet and immediately cover the pan. Cook until egg white is cooked through and the egg yolk is barely set, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat for other 2 eggs. Add it on top of the rice in the bowls.
This is my kind of dish. What a colorful display. Love this recipe Dolphia!
Thanks Jyothi, if you are vegetarian you can totally skip the eggs.
Woooooow dis is outstanding and so inviting hope a technology & Engineer born soon to have directly form Net <3
Lovely pictures and yummy recipe!!
Thank you so much dear
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