Lazy Days

Sometimes you just don't have the energy to cook. You want something easy and healthy to make...so what to make?

I found this new alternative for a quick and easy meal. Fried rice. Why should it only be a side dish? Huh? It's a great way to use up leftover rice (in fact, fried rice works better with leftover rice than with freshly made rice).

It hit the spot for me. It was easy and it was a fun and different way to use up my leftovers.

Ham-and-Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 thick slice ham (8 ounces), cut into 1/4-by-1-inch strips
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, separated and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/4 cups cooked white rice, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 large eggs

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add ham, scallion whites, garlic, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add rice, scallion greens, vinegar, and soy sauce. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Divide fried rice among four serving bowls.

Wipe out skillet with a paper towel. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. gently crack eggs into skillet; season with salt, and cook until whites are set, 2 to 4 minutes. Top each bowl of rice with a fried egg.

Source: Everyday Food recipe, published April 2009. You can find it here. 

Notes: Here are the changes I made: I used sliced Canadian bacon instead of thick sliced ham. I also added broccoli and peas. You could definitely add diced cooked carrots, or snow peas, or a ton of other favorite vegetables. I also scrambled my eggs. I added them separately, however, because my youngest son is allergic to eggs. So, I just topped everyone else's portion with some scrambled egg and left his egg-free.

Above: January 2014 update: I made this for our New Year's Eve dinner (along with some store-bought frozen Chinese dishes). My youngest son has grown out of his egg allergy, so we just mixed the scrambled egg right in. This time, we opted to use diced Canadian bacon, diced carrots, and frozen peas. It was really yummy!