Weeknight Pork Fried Rice

Now that my boys are back in school, I'm back in the kitchen — a little bit more. So I'm searching for tasty but quick-to-prepare meals that everyone will at least try.

I grilled some pork chops a couple of nights ago, but since my gas tank ran out of juice, I ended up having to finish them up in the oven. During the dinner delay my kids made themselves some microwaveable snacks because they "were starving!"

By the time my perfectly cooked chops were ready, the kids were full, so we had leftovers.

Fast forward two days and I had most of the ingredients for a stir fry on hand, so I looked around at some recipes. My husband and boys always get pork when we order Chinese take out, so fried rice sounded like a fun dish to me.

It cooked up fast and everyone liked it!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Weeknight Pork Fried Rice
Adapted from this Cooking Light recipe

3 cups cooked Basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 thick boneless pork chops, (fresh or leftover) diced
3/4 cup matchstick carrots
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 large eggs
4-6 tablespoons Mr. Wong's Oriental Wok Perfect Fried Rice Seasoning sauce OR
3 tablespoons mirin and 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 can bean sprouts, drained
Fresh ground pepper
Salt
1/4 cup sliced green onions for garnish

Cook rice according to package directions. Let cool 5 minutes, fluff with fork and transfer to bowl. Place in refrigerator to cool.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. If pre-cooked, saute until browned, about 1 minute. If raw, cook until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove pork to plate.

Add carrot and celery to pan. Sauté until carrots begin to brown. Transfer vegetables to bowl with pork.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add garlic, ginger and green onions. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cold rice and stir well to coat rice in oil. Let cook for 2 minutes without stirring. Then stir and cook again without mixing for 2 more minutes.

Make a well in center of rice and crack two eggs into space. Stir until scrambled. Return pork, carrots and celery to pan. Add stir fry sauce or mirin and soy sauce. Mix until sauce is distributed and absorbed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add bean sprouts. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and sprinkle with remaining green onions.

Cooking with Kids, Building Confidence

I've mentioned the volunteer work I do with the Junior League of Peoria's Kids in the Kitchen program a few times on this blog.

Today, I'm sharing a post from the Fischer & Wieser Culinary Adventure blog that explains in more detail the importance of teaching kids of all ages how to cook and prepare healthy meals and snacks for themselves and their family.

Fischer & Wieser makes gourmet foods and is a Kids in the Kitchen partner. They asked us to talk about what the children and our volunteers gain from cooking together.

It's amazing to see children expand their horizons when they try a new dish, like Sweet Potatoes Topped with Spicy Black Beans & Tomatoes, or to watch their confidence rise when they see how easy it can be to bake healthy One Bowl Banana Chip Muffins.

Support from partners like Fisher & Wieser means we can do more. Our younger cooks crafted sandwiches using whole grain waffles, sunbutter, fruit and Fischer & Wieser pear preserves — surprising themselves with how much they liked the snack!

And our older junior chefs recently made cheese lasagna, using the jars of tomato sauce we received.

If you cook with your own kids, you know how much fun it can be, and how it strengthens feelings of emotional well being.

When we volunteer our time to teach children how to safely chop vegetables and prepare a meal for others, we are giving them lifelong skills and showing them we care.