Fried rice might sound a bit odd for breakfast, but this morning I was playing around with ways to use up some leftover shredded cabbage and start the day with some protein. The result was simple and curiously satisfying as an unusual breakfast dish. It ended up getting bonus points for also using up some quinoa and rice in the refrigerator.
QUINOA?! You may not stock quinoa in your kitchen currently, but if you don’t, that is the place to start. Pronouced ‘KEEN-WAH,’ it is a leafy herb that grown in the Andes that produces an abundance of seeds. Part of the reason quinoa is remarkable is that it can be grown on rocky and hard packed soils where nothing else will grow, and the nutritional profile is impressive. It is low in sugar and starch and high in fiber and unsaturated fats. It contains many essential vitamins and minerals as well as fifty percent more protein than wheat, rice and barley and this protein is high quality with a critical balance of the amino acids that are needed by the human body. Quinoa has bragging rights in the vegetable world for containing the amino acid lysine which normally found in meat, fish and eggs. It also provides phosphorous, calcium, iron, vitamin E and several of the B vitamins.
Here endeth the nutritional lesson and beginneth the recipe. Amen.
CRANKED PROTEIN BREAKFAST FRIED RICE
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or sesame oil
1-2 cups thinly shredded cabbage
dash of salt
1 ½ cups leftover quinoa and rice mixture (see note below)
several dashes of soy sauce to taste
2 eggs, beaten
Directions
Melt butter in non-stick skillet and add cabbage and dash of salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in quinoa and rice and season with soy sauce to taste.
Add in the beaten eggs and cook, stirring constantly until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
2-3 servings
Note
In an effort to cut back on carbohydrates and bump up proteins, we have been cooking up a mixture of half rice, half quinoa for a side at dinner using the same proportions and cooking times we would for straight rice. This breakfast fried rice is a delicious way to use up leftovers as well as get both vegetables and protein from both the eggs and quinoa at start of the day.
I originally just made this by ‘feel’ so the specific measurements above are kitchen ‘guesstimates’ once it turned out well. Let me know what you think.
