Sausage Fried Rice Recipe

Numerous people have asked me for this recipe, so I figured I should type it up for anyone who loves fried rice.  The best part is this recipe is easy, quick and cost effective to make.

(Recipe Credit: One of my long time friends taught me this recipe when we were teenagers.  I think I remember her saying it was her Grandmother's recipe, but she tweaked it a bit.)

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 package of sausage links (I use Farmer John's brand)
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 broccoli crowns, separated into bite sized pieces (pulling the broccoli apart works better than cutting the pieces)
• 1 bushel of green onions, diced up
• Soy sauce to taste (I use Kikkoman's reduced sodium)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 egg (optional)
• 2-3 cups of long grain white rice (I usually use my rice cooker to cook the rice, but have used the frozen steam bags in a pinch)

Directions:

• Start cooking your rice per the instructions for your specific rice cooker or steam bags

• Using medium to high heat - Cook the sausage links in a wok or large pan.  Brown and crumble.  The smaller the pieces, the better.  Depending on how spicy you want your fried rice, you can add some fresh black pepper while the sausage is cooking.

• Once the sausage is browned, use a spatula to push the sausage to the outer area of the pan, creating a ring, leaving the middle of your pan for the veggies.
• Add the carrots and broccoli first.  I usually let them fry/steam with a lid on for about 8-9 minutes.  The oil from the sausage helps fry them and the moisture from the veggies creates steam.

• Once your carrots are soft enough to easily cut through, add the green onions.
• Mix all of the veggies and the sausage together.  I leave my glass lid on and cook for about another 5-6 minutes.  Add more freshly ground black pepper if you'd like.

• Once your veggies are nice and steamed (not limp), add your rice.  Mix thoroughly.
• Add soy sauce.  A few tablespoons to start, and more as needed.  You want to keep mixing it all in really well and the soy sauce should just barely coat the rice.  If you see rice that is still all white, mix better or add a little more soy sauce.  Add more black pepper if needed.

• Optional - if you want to add an egg (I've even used 1/4 cup of egg beaters before), move the rice mixture to the edges of the pan, again, creating a ring and leaving the middle of the pan open.  Add your egg.  Your pan will be really hot, so it only takes a few seconds to scramble the egg.  Once the egg is cooked, mix it into the rice mixture.

Voilà.  You just made the best fried rice ever!

PS this dish works great hot or even once it cools (like for a pot luck or BBQ).  You can also use different veggies.  For example, tonight I was running low on carrots, so I added in some diced sweet orange, yellow and red peppers.

I used My Fitness Pal to figure out the following basic nutritional information for this recipe (please note, this is not going to be 100% accurate, just a base based on the ingredients used and approximately 5 servings per pan):

If you try this recipe, please post your pictures in the comments section.

Garden Fresh Zucchini Pasta with Garlic, Spinach and Basil

It is still hard for me to believe I have my own garden and have been able to grow fresh herbs, veggies and fruit successfully!  Who knew it could be this easy?   I was inspired to create this dish using things found in my own front yard.  Yep.  All from my garden I started a few months back.  (You can read all about that journey here).

I belong to many Facebook groups and earlier this morning someone posted a Zucchini Linguine recipe in one of them.  It looked so awesome and sounded so easy to make, I thought, "Shoot, I have most of these ingredients right outside in my garden!"

This was the recipe that inspired mine.  Granted, I made a few substitutions along the way and my pictures in no way look as good as this:

via Feasting at Home

My version still turned out super yummy.  Here is how I made it...

Garden Fresh

Store Bought Parmesan Cheese

 Ingredients:

• 1 Large Zucchini
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 4 Tablespoons of Light Olive Oil
• 5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves
• 8 Fresh Spinach Leaves
• 3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 8 Turns of Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

I started by peeling my zucchini and cutting the smaller end off.  I wanted my "noodles" to be similar in size and shape in order to cook evenly.  (Next time I will leave the peeling on - I think it would make for a firmer "pasta").

Zucchini

I used the shorter piece I had cut off to "practice" my technique.  I think my mini noodles turned out pretty well.

Small Zucchini Noodles

Then, I sliced the larger piece into what resembled the approximate size of fettuccine noodles.  At this point, I realized I needed a way bigger knife, but it worked out in the end.

Larger Fettuccine-Like Noodles

Next, I diced 3 cloves of garlic.  My basil wasn't looking that great (blame it on the hot California weather), so I decided I would add some spinach.  I wasn't sure if the two pair well together, so I Googled and voila! there were plenty of recipes out there using both spinach and basil in the same recipe.

Zucchini, Garlic, Basil and Spinach

I copied the "ribbon" technique from the original recipe to cut both the basil and spinach leaves.  It was really easy.  Stack your leaves, roll them and then slice.  Do not slice lengthwise, start at the smaller end and keep slicing until it is all cut up.

Rolled Spinach Leaves

Basil & Spinach Ribbons

Next, I warmed about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauteed the diced garlic in the oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Then I added the zucchini, salt and pepper.  I put the lid on and continued to cook the zucchini for about 9 minutes, stirring often.

Cooking Zucchini Pasta

There really is a ton of moisture when cooking zucchini this way and it steams up quite nicely.  Once the zucchini actually started to resemble cooked pasta, I added the basil and spinach and continued to cook for about a minute.  My kitchen smelled heavenly.

Basil & Spinach

Finally, I added the Parmesan cheese.  I used DiGiorno.  It saved me the step of grating my own.  I continued cooking over medium heat for about a minute or so - just until the cheese started to melt.

Parmesan Cheese

Since there was still quite a bit of moisture, I used a slotted spoon to plate the pasta.  I then added some additional Parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper.  This is the end result.

I know it does not look super pretty, but I promise it was so flavorful, even my mom, who really doesn't eat this type of stuff, liked it.

Next time I make this I will leave the peeling on the zucchini, cook in a nonstick pan and use half the amount of olive oil.  My thinking is doing all of these things will help eliminate some of the excess moisture.  I could be wrong.  Either way, this was simple and tasted great.  All in all, it took me about 30 minutes to make.  That includes picking the zucchini and herbs from the garden, all of the prep, cooking and taking pictures.  It made three servings the size you see in the picture above.  I could easily grill some chicken at the same time and really have a great meal even the hubs would love.  Please post a comment if you try this and let me know how yours turns out.  Until next time...