vegetable fried rice with zucchini

Last week, my coworker gave me a zucchini.  His neighbor in Jersey grows nuclear size vegetables (it’s the soil I swear) and leaves them in his mailbox (hilarious), so I reap the benefits of the excess goods. 

This thing was so giant that I was totally doing bicep curls with it before cooking.  See?

Ya kids, that is a full-size tissue box.

I sliced off a 3rd of this at the small end and used it for one of my favorites; vegetable fried rice.  The secret to fried rice (you should know this people) is old azz rice. 

Vegetable Fried Rice for 1

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups veggies, your choice – I used
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced zucchini
  • 1/2 cup pre-shredded carrots
• 1/2 – 2/3 cup day old(++) cooked rice – I used white leftover from Chinese takeout but brown works also
• 1 egg
• Soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
• Toasted sesame oil (I use organic Spectrum Naturals brand) – a little goes a long way, just make sure you store it in the refrigerator for long-lasting freshness

In a non-stick skillet, spray canola or peanut oil and cook onions and garlic on medium-high until onions begin to soften (but still have a bite).  Add zucchini and carrots and cook about 5 minutes.  Add rice and cook until it begins to crackle…that’s when you know the moisture is evaporating and it’s time to add the egg.

Make a circle in the middle of the rice/veggie mixture, turn heat down to medium and spray a bit more canola oil.  Crack the egg and whisk quickly so the egg cooks to the right consistency, then mix around in the veggies. 

Add a drizzle of soy sauce, mix, and turn off heat just before you add few drops of toasted sesame oil.  Use the sesame oil sparingly, otherwise it will overpower the whole dish.

Ta-da!  Looks like the real thing, right?  Much healthier though.  I really like using shredded cabbage when I make this, but I didn’t have any on hand this time around.

The world is your veggie fried rice oyster!