Fake Fried Rice

I wish I could say, "I love Asian food!"
... but I can't, for a couple of big reasons...

1.  I've never actually been to anywhere in Asia, so I'm pretty sure I've never had anything terribly authentic.
2.  I've only ever had "Chinese" food.  You know, like cheap take-out (mind you, some of it has been kind of tasty, even if it isn't anything close to the real thing.)


Yet, one of my favorite things to make (and eat) is something inspired by what I know about Asian foodstuff (rice, ginger, veggies, noodles, sesame, eggs, etc).

Without further ado, I give you, Lauren's Fake Fried Rice.

Which usually looks something like this:



Here's what you'll need:

1 box Rice-a-Roni (any flavor you like)
celery (as much of it as you'd like... I like lots, I've used up to 6 stalks for a single serving)
peppers or other vegetables of your choosing... water chestnuts or peas... whatever you have really
fresh/powdered ginger and garlic (minced/chopped to your preference)
soy sauce (to taste)
sesame oil (to taste) and/or sesame seeds
peanuts or cashews optional
eggs (as many as you'd like)
Asian inspired sauce or marinade as you like (optional)

The first thing I do is prepare the rice-a-roni according to the box directions (If you're good at multitasking, you can start to prepare or cook the other vegetables while you're browning the rice.  If you aren't good at multitasking, you should probably wait until the water starts boiling and you turn it down to simmer, and then veggie prep.)

Next, I fry up the veggies and garlic and ginger (in sesame oil or butter [the butter crisps them, which is nice])

When the veggies are done enough for you, I dump them onto a plate or back on to the cutting board, so I can cook the eggs in the same pan.

Scramble the eggs.  When the eggs are nearly done, I toss back in the veggies to keep everything warm. (If the rice isn't done, turn off the stove or remove from heat until it is.)

When the rice is done, scoop as much rice as you'd like into the egg/veggie mix.

Return the pan to heat, and mix everything together, adding the soy sauce or other sauce or seasonings you like.

I did this after I got home from work tonight, and the whole thing only took me about 20 minutes or so make up.  It was fabulous.  I was only cooking for myself, but it would only have added about 5-10 minutes to cook for my whole family.  (Maybe more if I'd had to wash the big frying pan... which still has bacon grease in it...)

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

At about 9 o'clock this evening, I finally got tired of waiting for my parents to come home from work (and a visit to the grocery store), and decided I was going to make dinner without them.  Being car-less and past the closing time of all food stores within reasonable walking distance (2-5 miles).

So I was left with three options:

1- Forage for leftovers (but really what fun is that?)
2- Throw together whatever I can find from the cabinets
3- Don't eat.

Naturally, I decided to go the more adventurous route and see what kind of concoction I could scrounge up from the random foodstuffs in the cupboards and fridge.

Originally, we were going to have tacos for dinner... so my mind was kind of in the "fake Mexican food" mood and mode.  So with that in mind, I started opening cupboards.

The spoils of pillaging?

1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 can of diced green chilies (fire roasted for extra fancy!)
garlic
sharp cheddar cheese
flour tortillas of an unknown age and without an expiration date (but not moldy, so okay?) (I recommend knowing the age of the food in your cupboards and fridge... just as a good, sanitary health practice.)

So here's how this went down.

Pour a tablespoon or so of oil into a large skillet/frying pan thingy.  Add 3-5 cloves of crushed garlic... and let that heat for a few minutes.

Drain and rinse black beans.  Drain corn and tomatoes.

Add black beans, corn, tomatoes, and green chilies to skillet.

Stir occasionally and heat/cook until excess water/juice is gone... but don't dry it out.  Remove from heat.

In a separate frying pan/skillet thing, heat a tablespoon or so of oil, and flop down your first tortilla.

Sprinkle plenty of grated cheese on the tortilla in the pan and then spoon the black bean mixture on top of the cheese... as thick as you'd like! (I did about 1/4-1/2 inch.)

Place the second tortilla on top.

Flip.

Cook on the other side.

Slide off pan onto [clean] counter, cutting board, or plate.

Cut into wedges/slices.

Garnish with lettuce and sour cream.

Take pictures for blog (but not very good ones because you're too hungry and it's getting cold).

Consume ferociously.