HEALTHY VEGETARIAN FRIED RICE

This healthy vegetarian fried rice is made with short grain brown rice, tons of veggies, and a protein-boost of egg for a delicious Asian-inspired meal!

Happy Friday! I’m coming at you today from sunny San Miguel, Mexico! If you’re not following Team Fit Foodie on Snapchat…now is the time to jump on that bandwagon. —> FitFoodieFinds and LinleyRichter <— While you’re at it, follow our other half…Davida at —> TheHealthyMaven <— .

So this fried rice, though. I have always looked at fried rice as something that isn’t very healthy and sort of a filler food. I’m here to change the way we (I) think about fried rice. In this recipe, I made a few healthy swaps to turn this side into a complete meal packed with veggies and WHOLE grains. It’s lower in sodium, gluten-free, and vegetarian. What did I do?

Short-Grain Brown Rice White Rice
Olive Oil Canola Oil
VEGGIES GALORE
Egg egg egg = protein
Nakano Rice Vinega – flavor enhancer – – a little goes a long way, but it’s KEY!

Don’t be intimidated of the egg in this recipe! It’s actually super easy to scramble them amongst the veggies! Check out my little photo tutorial below.

I’m bringing back one of my favorite grains – short grain brown rice. Really, once you go short grain you will never go back to long grain. It has the most amazing texture and is really good for digestion! The only down fall is that it takes a little bit longer to cook on the stove top. Believe me when I say this- patience is key. You want to make sure sure you let it simmer on LOW for about 40 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is a little spongey. If you try and speed things up and up it to anything hotter than low, you’re going to end up with some crunchy rice and no one ever liked crunchy rice. Amiright?

For those that need meat in their meal, feel free to add some sautéed chicken breast, ground chicken/beef, or even shrimpies. All of the above would be tasty and a great added protein option for this recipe. Or- if you’re feeling like eating this as more of a side, serve it with one of FFF’s complementary Asian mains – Paleo Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Orange Sesame Chicken Breast, or Thai Basil Stir Fry.

Ingredients

1 cup short-grain brown rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 whole red pepper, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
2 eggs, large

Sauce

3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Nakano Rice Vinegar

Instructions

In a medium-size pot, bring 1 cup of short-grain brown rice and 2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and let simmer for around 40 minutes or until all water has absorbed.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium/high heat. Add in minced garlic, red pepper, red onion, and frozen peas and carrots. Saute for about 3-5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Create a pocket in the middle of your pan. Crack two eggs and scramble with a fork. Cook egg for about a minute and then mix with the rest of the veggies.
Add in cooked brown rice. Season with tamari and Roasted Garlic Nakano Rice Vinegar.

Nakano Rice Vinegar’s Roasted Garlic flavor is my favorite behind their All-Natural variation. Feel free to use any of their flavors to get the most out of this meal .

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