This is blog has a food storage emphasis, so why am I including so many recipes? I never intended for this to be a recipe blog. Yet, the more I post, the more I realize that cooking is an important part of food storage. At least for me, learning to use my resources wisely is a key part of building and maintaining food storage. Avoiding waste saves money which can be used elsewhere. In my case, when I save money, I use the excess funds in my grocery budget to stock up on a food item, or I buy a gadget that will help me save money in the future (like my pressure canner, which I showed you here and here).
Yummy Pork Chops re-born as fried rice!
This recipe was born of my desire to use my resources wisely. My boys love the pork chops pictured above, but they don’t like to eat them for more than one meal. They do not “do” leftovers. In exasperation one day, I threw them into fried rice and a tradition was born. Pork chops one day; fried rice the next. They like it so much that they request I make these knowing they get two great meals out of them.
If you want to make fried rice at home, you can use almost any leftover meat and/or veggies you want. You can also cook fresh meat and veggies. Just keep in mind that you will need to add more seasoning if your protein is not already seasoned.
Without further ado, here is my photo step-by-step.
I made jasmine rice in my rice cooker.
I assembled the ingredients: veggies, salt, soy sauce (I prefer La Choy), granulated onion, and pepper.
I usually use frozen broccoli florets, but I didn’t have any today, so I used carrots (which I’m blanching in this pic)…
And I used frozen peas.
I had 2 1/2 pork chops left, so I chopped them up. And I was ready to begin!
I preheated some oil on the stove over medium-high heat. To keep the rice from sticking, you will need more oil than you’re used to using. Then, I added the pork to the pan and cooked it for a minute. Next, I added the peas and let them heat through.
I added the drained, blanched carrots and let the ingredients cook for a minute or two. I added salt (a few shakes of a shaker), some pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon), 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, and several shakes of soy sauce. If I was using unseasoned meat, I would also add garlic salt. This is a subjective thing. Don’t add too much now, because you will add more seasoning later.
Next, add the rice to the meat/veggie mixture. Stir gently to combine. Add more soy sauce, onion powder, salt, and pepper, to taste. Once you’re happy with the seasoning, create a well in the middle of the pan by pushing the rice to the edges of the pan. Add some well beaten eggs and let them cook for a minute or so. Then begin to stir and incorporate the egg into the rice. If it is not cooked all the way, don’t worry. Keep stirring with the heat on medium. The egg will cook.
Stir the rice, so the egg is evenly distributed. And when the egg is cooked, it’s ready to serve!
Looks yummy, huh? Enjoy!
My Foray Into Food Storage 