FRIDGE DUMP FRIED RICE

Posted on by eefulton

Who is in a post Thanksgiving haze right now? By this time you are probably so over all those homey, traditional flavors. Yeah, me too. 

The day after Thanksgiving I want to eat something so far away from that meal that I completely forget it even happened. So I thought today was the perfect day to share my method for my fridge dump fried rice. And by the way, you could actually use some of your leftovers for this dish. Light bulb! 

This recipe is extremely loosey goosey because it is more of a method than a recipe. That’s why this is called “fridge dump,” because this is the recipe I keep in my back pocket for whenever I need to clean out the fridge. 

All you need to make it work is rice, veggies & a few flavorings ( coconut aminos or soy sauce, sriracha & garlic. ) It’s such an easy & satisfying 30 minute meal that is incredibly helpful to eliminate food waste.

Happy cooking! xx 

ellyn 

FRIDGE DUMP FRIED RICE METHOD: 

SERVINGS: 4-6

TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

  • Protein of choice or you can keep it vegetarian
  • 4 tablespoons neutral oil, divided – avocado, vegetable, canola
  • 2-3 “flavoring veggies” – onions, carrots, celery
  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • 2-3 “hearty veggies”  – I love using peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini or squash. I also love mushrooms!
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups leftover rice – white or brown! 
  • ½ cup coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons sriracha or as much as you like!
  • ½ cup “soft veggies” – I like frozen corn or frozen peas!
  • I usually serve with lime, extra sriracha, cilantro, green onions & chopped peanuts. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. For the meat: you can use pre-cooked, leftover meat ( like rotisserie chicken or any meat that is pre-cooked/leftover ) or you can cook it to start in your pan. I always keep it simple & just season whatever it is with salt & pepper. Some of my favorite proteins for this are any form of chicken, shrimp, ground turkey or ground pork.
  2. If you’ve cooked the protein remove it from the pan. Add in 2 tablespoons oil to medium high heat & add whatever flavoring veggies you have. Cook until tender & beginning to brown.
  3. Add chopped garlic & whatever hearty veggies you choose! Cook another 3-4 minutes or until veggies have started to get tender. Season with salt!
  4. Move veggies to the side of the pan. Add other 2 tablespoons of oil to the part of the skillet without the veggies & add leftover rice*. I like to press the rice down a little, let is get crispy for about 3 minutes, stir & repeat until it’s all crisp.
  5. Next I add in my coconut aminos*, sriracha, soft veggies & protein. At this point I do a taste test to see if it needs any more salt. If not I serve it up with any & all toppings I can find. 
  6. Enjoy!

NOTES: 

* Please know this is all up for what you like! I don’t really like celery, so I never have it. SO I DON’T USE IT. This recipe is designed to help you use up whatever you have, not to force you to go out & buy more. 

* The really important thing here is to use leftover rice. It will absorb more liquid & fry better than fresh rice. Even if you just make it a couple hours ahead of time, it’ll be better than fresh rice.

* Lastly, I use coconut aminos because I need to watch my soy intake ( I also think it taste better & has a lot more healthy benefits ), but you can 100% use soy sauce if that’s your preference!