Heart Healthy Vegetarian Fried Rice

When it comes to fried foods, you instantly think of how it is unhealthy for you. A recipe that may surprise you is vegetarian fried rice. The company I work is a big sponsor of the Go Red For Women campaign of the American Heart Association locally. The American Heart Association brought cookbooks for anyone interested in taking them. So, being the good husband I am, I picked one up. Well, for starters, there are 47 light and easy recipes in the cookbook.

One of our favorite recipes is the vegetarian fried rice. It is pretty simple and easy to create. This recipes serves four people. You may feel free to substitute items in and out of the recipe. Here is the breakdown of the ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon of canola or peanut oil
• 2 medium ribs of chopped celery
• 1 medium chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 medium sliced green onions (green and white parts)
• 2 medium garlic cloves minced
• 8 ounces light firm tofu, cut into bite-size strips
• 3/4 cup frozen shelled soybeans (edamame), thawed
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 cups cold cooked brown rice, any clumps broken up

You can use a wok or a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over high heat, swirling it to help secure a nice bottom coat. Cook the celery, carrot, onion, green onions, and garlic for three minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium high. Cook for three minutes or until the carrots are tender and crisp. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the rice. Stir in the rice. Cook for another three minutes or until heated thoroughly. Make sure you are stirring frequently.

The breakdown on nutrients is as follows:

300 calories

8g Total Fat

1g Saturated Fat

0g Trans Fat

3g Polyunsaturated Fat

3g Monounsaturated Fat

0mg Cholestrol

284mg Sodium

45g Carbohydrates

6g Fiber

5g Sugars

12g Protein

If you are feeling like eating some tasty fried rice, the healthy vegetarian fried rice is the way to go. If you are like me and like a spicy kick, you will like this rice. You would think the spice would come from the crushed red peppers but no, it is from the sesame oil. When my wife created the dish, she did not use tofu and the dish was fantastic. Any creation that involves simple, easy, and healthy is a spectacular dish. If you want to add more to dish, feel free. Even though this is a hub on vegetarian dishes, you could always add meat. In my humble opinion, you do not need to add the meat. This vegetarian fried rice stands on its own. You will be the hit of the house or party if you make this dish. Do not forget, it is pretty healthy too.